QF/EK FF benefits revealed

[simongr]

Oh it's a joy! Just make sure if your connection is on BA to reverse your preference to get what you want.

Ie it's front of plane aisle, request rear of plane window and vice a versa. Don't forget to applaud the pilot on landing for doing his job.

I have never had a problem getting the seat I wanted.

I have transited LHR many times without issue. The only time I had any problem was when the inbound AA aircraft was late and in my rush to connect I left my laptop at security - not an LHR issue though.

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

I have never had a problem getting the seat I wanted.

I have transited LHR many times without issue. The only time I had any problem was when the inbound AA aircraft was late and in my rush to connect I left my laptop at security - not an LHR issue though.

I think some people on here have some strange aversion to LHR and BA. I have also had no issues connecting from QF J/F to BA CE J on over 10 occasions, sure you have to take a bus, but I think of it as a lesson in humility.

 

[simongr]

Shame they aren't like the buses in JED - Business class buses with large leather seats for J pax.

The worst thing for me about LHR is the extortionate APD - but that is applicable to any UK port...

 

[I hate Alan]

maybe its because you were flying J, BA have always managed to stuff me up on 3 of the 4 occassions i was involved with them but that was as a scum Y passenger.

 

[drron]

I think some people on here have some strange aversion to LHR and BA. I have also had no issues connecting from QF J/F to BA CE J on over 10 occasions, sure you have to take a bus, but I think of it as a lesson in humility.

Well only twice have I transitted LHR.First time despite having 3.5 hours between my BA flight from DXB and my BA flight to CDG.Ended up having to run from security to the plane arriving as the door was starting to be closed.And we were in J both flights.
Second time had no difficulty connecting but got to have the full strip search when changing terminals.
So I indeed have a strange aversion to LHR.

 

[pagingjoan]

I think some people on here have some strange aversion to LHR and BA. I have also had no issues connecting from QF J/F to BA CE J on over 10 occasions, sure you have to take a bus, but I think of it as a lesson in humility.

The crucial point is that the transfer time is unpredictable. Of course, that can be said of many airports but, in my experience, it is more of a problem at LHR than most. (Okay, let's leave LAX out of this, for the moment.)

I've had countless relatively smooth transfers through LHR, both continuing on from Oz and returning from Europe. But there have been too many instances where a simple transfer takes up to three hours, despite the benefits of priority lanes at various points. One influential factor is time and day of travel - but I've never actually tracked the good against the bad. Without checking, I would have said that our weekend transfers have generally been trouble-free compared with weekdays but, on reflection, I can remember at least two cases on a weekend where we missed onward flights to Germany because of protracted transfer times. It's certainly not an airport where you can take a chance on tight connections.

Fortunately, the Champagne in the T5 F Lounge makes longer connection times bearable.

I don't fly as often as some people here but I've probably made a hundred LHR transfers in the past few years and my personal rule when passing through LHR is to build in twice the recommended transfer time. Others obviously have had a better run. Always good when it goes smoothly and quickly - and you can take advantage of more lounge time, of course.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I think some people on here have some strange aversion to LHR and BA. I have also had no issues connecting from QF J/F to BA CE J on over 10 occasions, sure you have to take a bus, but I think of it as a lesson in humility.

Similar experiences here, been flying regularly and only once bumped and that was due to a late arrival from BCN on CE

 

[eastwest101]

maybe its because you were flying J, BA have always managed to stuff me up on 3 of the 4 occassions i was involved with them but that was as a scum Y passenger.

I agree with that - flying Y and transiting in LHR with a tight connection <2hrs is an extremely risky proposition - especially if there is a change in Terminal involved. Even more so if luggage is not checked through and even more so in winter.

 

[ajw373]

Well only twice have I transitted LHR.First time despite having 3.5 hours between my BA flight from DXB and my BA flight to CDG.Ended up having to run from security to the plane arriving as the door was starting to be closed.And we were in J both flights.
Second time had no difficulty connecting but got to have the full strip search when changing terminals.
So I indeed have a strange aversion to LHR.

If that was in the last few years then it should have been a T5 to T5 transit. What happend that it took so long? A transit like that should be a max of 10 minutes from plane to security, 10 for security screen and 10 back to plane. What was going on that it took 3.5 hours? Late a/c, if so how much? Long security? You got lost? Just curious.

 

[Awesom Andy]

Although the BA flights from Asia will be switching to terminal 5. Doesn't help if you want to fly QF, but there is more of a reason to fly on BA assuming the hard products suit you.

 

[simongr]

If that was in the last few years then it should have been a T5 to T5 transit. What happend that it took so long? A transit like that should be a max of 10 minutes from plane to security, 10 for security screen and 10 back to plane. What was going on that it took 3.5 hours? Late a/c, if so how much? Long security? You got lost? Just curious.

Given you are entering the EU into LHR don't you need to do immigration in LHR rather than CDG?

 

[ajw373]

Although the BA flights from Asia will be switching to terminal 5. Doesn't help if you want to fly QF, but there is more of a reason to fly on BA assuming the hard products suit you.

BKK is staying in T3 for some reason. Considering it is the only long haul BA flight from T3 you would think they would move it too, especially now T5C is up and running (and has been for a while)

 

[drron]

If that was in the last few years then it should have been a T5 to T5 transit. What happend that it took so long? A transit like that should be a max of 10 minutes from plane to security, 10 for security screen and 10 back to plane. What was going on that it took 3.5 hours? Late a/c, if so how much? Long security? You got lost? Just curious.

The BA to BA transit did not involve a change of terminal just a disaster with security.Closed the premium lane just before we got there.We were made to go back to the end of the general queue.One pax decided to stay and argue and they were still arguing when we finally got back to the security point.Being from the colonies seems to be a flag for extra attention.

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

The BA to BA transit did not involve a change of terminal just a disaster with security.Closed the premium lane just before we got there.We were made to go back to the end of the general queue.One pax decided to stay and argue and they were still arguing when we finally got back to the security point.Being from the colonies seems to be a flag for extra attention.

You must look dodgy drron!

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

Similar experiences here, been flying regularly and only once bumped and that was due to a late arrival from BCN on CE

Had a similar thing with an MXP-LHR sector, issue with the flight plan, delayed 1hr on the ground with only a 2 hour connection T5->T3. Made it, was technically offloaded but reloaded when I arrived at the gate just in time for QF F boarding to SIN

Certainly no horror stories like these others, and never seen the fast track closed during my transits.

 

[Deleted member]

I presume that the Eligibility for Lounge access in Dubai (EK) F lounge for F pax ( Flying on QF metal) would be the sameas if it were a Qantas F lounge ? i.e. F Pax + 1 Guest, & must be travelling with theF pax!
irrespective of status.

 

[opusman]

Given you are entering the EU into LHR don't you need to do immigration in LHR rather than CDG?

The UK is not a Schengen state.

 

[JW1003]

I wasn't too worried about my upcoming T3 to T5 transfer having done it a few times without missing connections. However these posts reminded me that my flights were generally in J, and the one time in Y, they were calling us (Mrs, jnr 14 years and jnr 4 months) as we finally got through security and we got to the plane and they shut the door behind us. My upcoming flight has a 105 minute transfer time

 

[ajw373]

Given you are entering the EU into LHR don't you need to do immigration in LHR rather than CDG?

The UK and Ireland are not part of the European Common Visa zone, which a poster above correctly called the Schengen Area. Passport-less movement across the boarders only applies to countries in the Schengen Area, which is basically all mainland European EU members, plus Switzerland which is a Schengen member but not a member of the EU. So no you don't enter the UK if in transit to France or any other country for that matter! The only passport control issue the UK faces by being part of EU is the free passage of citizens from other EU countries, hence why in the UK you have a UK/EU line and an alien (everyone else) line. EU citizens just need to show ID to cross, which doesn't necessarily need to be a passport and of course they may live and work in the UK.

The thing that does my head is the relationship between the UK and the Republic of Ireland (ROI) when it comes to their borders. When you leave the UK you leave as a domestic passenger, but on arrival in ROI you go through passports control and customs. When you leave ROI you leave as an international passenger, but on arrival in the UK there is no passport control, but there are customs. Additionally you can fly from the UK to Belfast which is a pure domestic route so no passport or customs checks and then drive freely into the ROI and of course vice versa.

 

[opusman]

The thing that does my head is the relationship between the UK and the Republic of Ireland (ROI) when it comes to their borders. When you leave the UK you leave as a domestic passenger, but on arrival in ROI you go through passports control and customs. When you leave ROI you leave as an international passenger, but on arrival in the UK there is no passport control, but there are customs. Additionally you can fly from the UK to Belfast which is a pure domestic route so no passport or customs checks and then drive freely into the ROI and of course vice versa.

The issue with that is that the CTA arrangement for passport-free travel only applies to British and Irish citizens. So while those citizens are not required to have a passport to enter either country, immigration officers do have to be satisfied that they are entitled to entry - which means that ID effectively still needs to be shown. More information here: Common Travel Area - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia