Heathrow Transit - T3 to T5

[Pug1]

apologies if this has already been discussed. I am on QF1 into Heathrow, hopefully at around 6.30am on 8 November, with a transit before a BA flight to Dublin. The BA flight leaves T5 at around 13.30 and I'm hoping this is enough time for the transit bearing in mind QF1's atrocious delays. I am travelling with cabin baggage only. My question is will I be able to transfer from T3 to T5 without exiting and going through UK immigration? I am assuming I can check in online for both flights, which were arranged through Qantas on separate tickets.

 

[RooFlyer]

This may help

Connecting flights

Essential information if you're transferring between flights at London Heathrow – get a step-by-step guide to your Flight Connection.

www.heathrow.com

 

[Pug1]

This may help

Connecting flights

Essential information if you're transferring between flights at London Heathrow – get a step-by-step guide to your Flight Connection.

www.heathrow.com

thank you, great site. It seems to indicate that If I don't have any checked baggage, I can just follow the purple signs in T3 and then take the free airside bus to T5 without clearing immigration and collecting any baggage. Seven hours should be enough for any Qantas delays - hopefully! Happy to be corrected if I have got it wrong.

 

[RooFlyer]

Others here may have info from experience too.

 

[Lynda2475]

You can get the airside shuttle bus from T3 to T5, no need to clear immigration because you are headed to the EU, not entering the UK.

If you were going to Belfast then you would have to clear immigration and go back through security at T5. The immigration bit is super quick as self serve kiosk for Aussie passports, but its the security lines at that time of day that are a pain; often no priority line operating.

 

[Pug1]

You can get the airside shuttle bus from T3 to T5, no need to clear immigration because you are headed to the EU, not entering the UK.

If you were going to Belfast then you would have to clear immigration and go back through security at T5. The immigration bit is super quick as self serve kiosk for Aussie passports, but its the security lines at that time of day that are a pain; often no priority line operating.

thank you Lynda2475, that's reassuring. I have both Irish/EU and Australian passports and will be staying in Eire. Hopefully QF1 will be on time into Heathrow and if so, I've got plenty of time to negotiate the security lines. Qantas has received a deserved bashing lately but I'm still looking forward to being on the good old Kangaroo route QF1 and 2 again.

 

[Lynda2475]

I had a connection from QF1 to a BA flight to EDI departing at 10:30am. We were 1 hr late out of SYD and then out of SIN and I was first off the plane in LHR, straight onto first bus and at T5 Id say within 10 mins of landing. Immigration took about 1 minute, but the line to clear security was the issue and I only just made it after asking security to let me jump the queue after waiting an hours or so (my checked luggage however did not make it).

You have a longer connection, and no need to clear immigration and security so Im sure you will be fine, unless QF1 has a major delay.

Good thing is BA has multiple later DUB flights, so should be able to accommodate you on later with if there are any issues. I took the 1:30pm LHR-DUB flight in August.

 

[Pug1]

I had a connection from QF1 to a BA flight to EDI departing at 10:30am. We were 1 hr late out of SYD and then out of SIN and I was first off the plane in LHR, straight onto first bus and at T5 Id say within 10 mins of landing. Immigration took about 1 minute, but the line to clear security was the issue and I only just made it after asking security to let me jump the queue after waiting an hours or so (my checked luggage however did not make it).

You have a longer connection, and no need to clear immigration and security so Im sure you will be fine, unless QF1 has a major delay.

Que sera sera! We nearly missed an Aer Lingus flight a few years ago due to so many security checks and we must have had our photos taken four or five times on the way through. My wife always says just smile and be patient! I'm in F on the way up in QF1, so should be off quickly too.

 

[dajop]

You can get the airside shuttle bus from T3 to T5, no need to clear immigration because you are headed to the EU, not entering the UK.

If you were going to Belfast then you would have to clear immigration and go back through security at T5. The immigration bit is super quick as self serve kiosk for Aussie passports, but its the security lines at that time of day that are a pain; often no priority line operating.

When we transited LHR to MAN from T4 to T5 in August, I could have sworn once we reached T5, we followed the line that funneled both UK and Ireland bound passengers to the same immigration check before going back up to security and into T5 airside (i.e. the signs we followed listed both UK and Ireland).