# Time Needed in Heathrow for Transfer



## needsumhelp (5 Dec 2009)

Hi, First time poster and was just looking for some help in relation to a transfer in Heathrow Airport.  I did a search but nothing came up for what I'm asking.  

I am travelling from Dublin to Heathrow and then to Dubai. I land in terminal 1 and need to get to terminal 3 and have just over 2 hours to do it.  Is this enough time?  I will have a large bag that will be checked in in Dublin, will I need to recheck this in in Heathrow or will it be done for me?  

Sorry if these seem like really stupid questions but I've never been to Heathrow before and I'm going alone so I'm a bit worried about my bag going missing and having no clothes when away or missing the flight.  I just want to make sure I've enough time.  

Thanks.


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## TheShark (5 Dec 2009)

If your booking is on the one ticket then your bag will be checked all the way through to Dubai. Its also possible that you may be given a boarding card in Dublin for your Dubai flight as well , this will save you having to check-in again at Heathrow.
When you arrive in Heathrow , follow the signs to transfer to Terminal 3 , hop on the transfer bus and it will only take a few minutes.


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## needsumhelp (5 Dec 2009)

Thanks very much for your help, I was just worrying about the time allowed.  Thanks again.


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## Stronge (6 Dec 2009)

I always feel that you should leave lots of time for connecting flights in London Heathrow.   May be not so important if your bags do not have to be collected and checked in again. I would leave 3 hours between flights.   My  daughter just back from Rio going through Heathrow to Dublin her flight was delayed leaving Rio and even though she had left 3 hours for the connecting flight she missed flight and had to re book  at an extra cost of 200 euro. Hopefully she may get something back on her Holiday insurance.


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## EvilDoctorK (7 Dec 2009)

TheShark said:


> If your booking is on the one ticket then your bag will be checked all the way through to Dubai. Its also possible that you may be given a boarding card in Dublin for your Dubai flight as well , this will save you having to check-in again at Heathrow.
> When you arrive in Heathrow , follow the signs to transfer to Terminal 3 , hop on the transfer bus and it will only take a few minutes.



+1 - if it's on a through ticket just over 2 hrs is fine - I believe about 90 mins is the "Minimum Connection Time" for T1>T3 (e.g. the minimum gap that an airline will put on a through ticket guaranteeing the connection)  ...  To Stronge's daughter's experience - this most likely is because she wasn't travelling on a through ticket and had purchased a separate LHR-DUB ticket .. so if you're on a through ticket


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## ontour (7 Dec 2009)

I find that when you are using LHR for long haul you need to be more careful about the connection time on the way back especially if you have an early morning landing time in to London.  A lot of big long haul planes arrive in a short space of time and this impacts transfers and security processing.


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## PyritePete (7 Dec 2009)

EvilDoctorK said:


> +1 - if it's on a through ticket just over 2 hrs is fine - I believe about 90 mins is the "Minimum Connection Time" for T1>T3 (e.g. the minimum gap that an airline will put on a through ticket guaranteeing the connection) ... To Stronge's daughter's experience - this most likely is because she wasn't travelling on a through ticket and had purchased a separate LHR-DUB ticket .. so if you're on a through ticket


 
I came thru Heathrow last week from T5 to T1 and left 2 hours, this was sufficient with hand luggage...even allowing for bus between terminals, escalators, biometric security, baggage scan & passport control. Also had time to sit down and have lunch. Flight few minutes late arriving into T5.


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## khairabar (23 Feb 2010)

Help.  I have a flight Dublin - Heathrow - Damascus, both legs with "bmi". (ticket booked through ebookers.com). At time of booking, the layover for transit at Heathrow was 3-hour . Now I have received an email notification of "flight schedule change" in which the Heathrow-Damascus flight is leaving 2 hours earlier. The Heathrow transit time is therefore now 1 hour. Does this seem possible to do, based on prev. posts?

Does anyone know what terminal(s) are involved in this transit, and whether it can be done in the hour? What happens if Dublin-Heathrow is delayed? Does the airline take incoming connections into account or not in changing the times like this? Presumably their London-Damascus schedules can not depend on someone flying from Dublin. Would they even be aware of the incoming connection?


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## Rois (23 Feb 2010)

No 1 hour is too short.  The Dublin flight will arrive into Terminal 1. Your Damascus flight will definitely be leaving from a different terminal and won't wait for your flight to arrive. 

So you need to change your Dublin flight to allow at least 2-3 hours transfer time.


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## EvilDoctorK (24 Feb 2010)

Agreed - 1hr is pretty tight (below official minimum connection time)  - and though the BMI flights to Damascus go from T1 as well I think it's still very dodgy (75mins is the official mct within T1 I think)  .. the problem is BMI have reduced their DUB-LHR flights from 8 a day to 4 a day so these issues crop up.

Give BMI a call and ask if you can be put on an earlier DUB-LHR flight ... the should be okay with that as it's their schedule change that has messed up your itinerary.


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## Barney Magoo (24 Feb 2010)

*Khairabar in Heathrow*

Khairabar

I'd second previous poster's advice. Contact BMI asap. 
It surprises me that they did not automatically adjust your booking when they notified you of the LHR-DAM leg schedule change, unless of course you have two separate BMI tickets DUB-LHR and LHR-DAM.
Give them a call, I'm sure they'll sort it out.


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## khairabar (24 Feb 2010)

Thks for advice guys, it does seem too tight.
BUT .... ebookers.com reply is as follows:

"...Please be advised that changes have been made by the airline and flight booked is the only direct flight available that day to connect to the arriving flight BD 124. Please also note that flights booked is a valid connection as per the airline and also your flight arrival and departure are from same terminal i.e. terminal 1."

What do you guys make of this, is it convincing?  They sound confident, but what what happens if arriving flight is late though.
kb


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## Ann1 (24 Feb 2010)

This is the link for flight terminals at Heathrow. Looks like Damascus flight leaves from terminal 1.
http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/page/Heathrow^General^Flight+information^Which+terminal?/


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## EvilDoctorK (24 Feb 2010)

I would still not be too happy .. but looking at flybmi.com I can see they are selling BD124 (arr 1500) connecting to BD947 (dep 1600) as a valid connection ... so if you're on a through ticket then if it messes up they'll look after you  .. but with a 1hr connection I'd say a mis-connect is quite likely (and then they'd rebook you on their next Damascus flight, probably the next day)

Problem is with the reduced BMI flights to Dublin if you don't take the connection you're booked on then you'll end up with a 6hr connection at LHR which is too much in the other direction


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## Staples (26 Feb 2010)

Sounds horrendous.  In fairness, you can understand why John O'Donoghue got a Limo.


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## khairabar (27 Feb 2010)

bmi insisted that the 1 hour was adequate connection time at Heathrow (due to layout of Terminal 1), but agreed to change me to their earlier flight ex Dublin, now I have a 6-hour layover. It's one extreme to the other, but at least I won't miss the Damascus flight. Assuming I am not asleep.


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## so-crates (28 Feb 2010)

Staples said:


> Sounds horrendous. In fairness, you can understand why John O'Donoghue got a Limo.


Can't see that it would have made a whole lot of difference unless the limo picked him up from the plane!!


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## blueshoes (3 Mar 2010)

I went through LHR last year, T1-T5 was fine, even with plane delayed (AL) in Dublin we had time for lunch. On the way back though it was hell we landed in T5 (before lunch) and had to get back to T1 our bags were all through checked but the security and passport control all that took what seemed like forever. then when we got to the security to check ourselves,and hand luggage there was a big Q and only 2-3people on. there was no moving in the Q. We were still there and the plane was about to leave, when we got through we ran literally to the gate. I just kicked of my shoes and ran, after been on a flight for 11hrs I just wanted to get home to my bed. We made the flight just in time. There was a couple behind us in the Q who should have been on the flight also they didnt make it.


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## redchariot (3 Mar 2010)

One hour through Terminal 1 is fine if your luggage is checked through and your first flight is on time. 

Airlines serving Heathrow generally allow extra time in their schedules e.g. Aer Lingus allow up to 90mins for DUB-LHR although actual flying time is about 50mins


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## Rois (3 Mar 2010)

I would allow more than 1 hour through Terminal 1.
Firstly, your flight could be late leaving Ireland.
Then you can get held up in the holding bays above London, Windsor, Biggins Hill etc waiting for a landing slot.
Then (and mostly depending on time of day - early morning, evenings being the worst), you can queue for ages to get through security into departures.


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## pete1 (7 Mar 2010)

We did a similar journey last August and BMI left only 1 hour for the transfer, it was too short. Our incoming flight to Heathnrow was delayed 20 minutes so that only left us 40 minutes for the transfer. It was a nightmare, when we eventully got to the check in desk for Dublin we were told our luggage wasnt transferred as there was not enough time between flights. We had to fly to Dublin and get our luggage sent on, before we flew I too rang BMI and they insisted that there was definately time between the transfers.


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