I’ve been fighting with Google search terms for a while now and seem to have stumbled upon the answer to almost every other Terminal 5 related question except this one:
What is the minimum recommended transfer time for a passenger arriving at Heathrow Terminal 5 on an international flight, then departing Heathrow Terminal 5 on a different international flight? (Both flights would, obviously, be on British Airways.) If it makes a difference, and these days it probably does, let’s assume the second leg is to the United States, so we need to make allowance for extra security checks.
I’m asking because the cheap flight search engines are showing routes with a layover time of just under two hours, which I thought was suicidally insane for Heathrow. Then again, I’ve never been there, and the people who have shared the worst horror stories have always had to change terminals…
I have managed terminal transfers within Heathrow, including the little buses and the extra security check (for New York --> Heathrow --> Moscow, for example), in 1 hour 10 minutes plane-to-plane.
One thing to remember is that Heathrow never assigns your gate until boarding begins, so you will end up running no matter what.
Just under two hours should be sufficient, since you are not changing terminals. Ask your airline for a “Fast Pass” to get through security. If you are traveling business class or higher, this will be automatic. This puts you in a shorter security line.
Two hours for a T5 -> T5 transfer is more than sufficient. The Heathrow website says 60 minutes for international arrival to international departure is sufficient.
Not sure about the advice that you will end up running no matter what. When I flew from Terminal 5 to Mexico City last year, when the gate was announced it was clear that the flight left from the satellite terminal (terminal 5B). This involves a very short shuttle train ride. I still had time to sit and have a beer before boarding.
The real nightmare at Heathrow, as a non EU citizen particularly, is having to go through passport control, where you’re virtually guaranteed to arrive just behind packed flights from Bogarta, Mogadishu and Karachi.
But transferring between International flights where you skip that hurdle, in the most modern terminal in the country servicing only one airline, and you’ll be fine. Just cross your fingers that BA doesn’t decide to go on strike
T5 has 3 buildings which are all being used to board flights. When we were there in the summer, building 3 was not open, but the flights were boarded there.
We flew out of T5 this summer. We were fortunate that our gate was in the same building after getting through our 40 minute security check and running for the gate as the flight was closing. Annoyingly, the security gate we used was at the opposite end of the building where the gate is. We ran down to the other end of the Terminal looking for A4…A6, A5, A3, WTF? Turns out A4 is downstairs so we get down there to find A4B and apparently we need A4A which is down the hall around solid walls that prevent you from finding your way. When we finally got there and the Attendant guessed who we were, we got on a bus that drove us out to building 3!
If we had to get to building 3 by ourselves, we would have missed the flight. I think I saw a sign that indicated to leave 30 minutes to get from building 1 to building 3.
If you will be going through another round of security between flights, find someone who works there to help you navigate through the process.
