Heathrow Question

[lwnbwlr]

We are travelling from the States to Dubai via Heathrow. We arrive at Heathrow's terminal 4 at 8:20 in the morning on a week day and our flight to Dubai leaves at 12:50 PM from terminal 5. In order to freshen up between flights, we rented a Yotel room which is in terminal 4.

 

Question: How much time should we allow to easily get from terminal 4 to 5 considering security tie ups etc. Thanks for your help!

[Globaliser]

If your bags will be automatically transferred without you seeing them at Heathrow, allow 45 minutes for the transfer. The fastest conventional way of doing this is usually to take the Tube: it's one stop from Terminal 4 to Terminals 123, then change there and get a train from the other side of the platform to Terminal 5. There is generally one train about every 10 minutes. But you will have to pay a fare for this; it's £3.50 per person for a cash single. There is a free transfer by Heathrow Connect from Terminal 4 to Terminals 123, then Heathrow Express to Terminal 5. But the each train runs only about once every 15 minutes and so this could take longer. But either way, 45 minutes ought to be enough.

 

When you arrive at Terminal 5, you must have entered the security channel by 35 minutes before your flight departure time (ie by 1215). This is a strict deadline; if you miss it, the computer will automatically refuse to allow you to proceed into the security channel, and the conformance checker has no discretion to let you do so.

 

If you have to take your checked baggage with you, this must be dropped at check-in by 45 minutes before departure (ie by 1205). But to allow for the possibility of having to queue for a few minutes, or for it taking a few minutes for a new bag tag to be programmed and printed, you should aim to be at the check-in desk no later than 60 minutes before departure (ie by 1150). Given that it might take you 60 minutes to exit customs at T4, that doesn't really leave you a lot of time to dawdle in the Yotel, although probably still enough for it to do its job. You need to allow a bit of extra time for the fact that you can't move through the stations or the terminals as fast if you are weighed down by checked baggage.

 

I assume that you don't qualify for BA lounge access in any way?

[lord of the seas]

You could also take a cab from T4 to T5.it would take about 10 minutes via the southern and western perimeter roads.

[JPRLHR]

You could also take a cab from T4 to T5.it would take about 10 minutes via the southern and western perimeter roads.

 

And you'd be about as popular as a cold sore... Those cabs queue for hours on ranks at LHR in order to get a fare back into London. The chances are you won't find one prepared to do the trip. In theory they cannot refuse but the despatchers will find a diplomatic way of backing the cabbie.

 

Probably your best option is the Hotel Hoppa bus service which runs every 20-30 minutes from each hotel (I'm presuming you've booked into the Hilton @ T4) to each of the terminals for a fare of around £5 each.

[lwnbwlr]

Thanks for you help; much appreciated!

[Globaliser]

And you'd be about as popular as a cold sore... Those cabs queue for hours on ranks at LHR in order to get a fare back into London. The chances are you won't find one prepared to do the trip. In theory they cannot refuse but the despatchers will find a diplomatic way of backing the cabbie.

Actually, a cab that does a short trip like that can go straight back to the terminal to get another fare without having to go back into the feeder park, so they don't have to do the 3-hour wait again. You might still get snarled at, but it's without justification.

[lord of the seas]

Actually, a cab that does a short trip like that can go straight back to the terminal to get another fare without having to go back into the feeder park, so they don't have to do the 3-hour wait again. You might still get snarled at, but it's without justification.

 

Thanks Globaliser,there are still many people that do not know how the system works.

Some cab drivers will even try to find another cab to transfer their passengers over to,so that they can get back to the rank within the time limit.