American Airlines now arriving at Terminal 5 at LHR

[Retirement2016]

Checking American Airlines this morning to see if our flight has been on time to LHR with flightaware.com.  We have flown American Airlines to LAX-LHR numerous times.  They have always used Terminal 3, but recently it changed to Terminal 5.  Now we need to change our National Express coach reservation.  It seems like we have to check and re-check every aspect of our cruise.

[JimmyVWine]

We flew from JFK to LHR on AA two weeks ago.  Our flight arrived in the Terminal 5, "C Gates" area, and our connecting flight to EDI on British Airways departed out of Terminal 5 "A Gates" area. 

[Denmal]

It depends on where you are flying to:  Per American Web site: 

We have moved operations to Terminal 3. If you’re flying to New York (JFK), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX) and Miami (MIA) you’ll check-in and depart from Terminal 5.

Remember to check your flight status before you go to the airport and arrive at least 3 hours before your scheduled departure time.

[Bgwest]

The trek to/from the C gates from the main part of Terminal 5 beats the heck out of the arsewhip of taking the bus between terminals. 

[Potstech]

American Airlines is too unreliable to fly these days.  Too many last minute flight changes and cancellations.

Edited May 23, 2022 by Potstech

[fbgd]

3 hours ago, Retirement2016 said:

They have always used Terminal 3, but recently it changed to Terminal 5.  

 

Going on the geological timescale it is indeed recent. AA have been in T5 for just under 2yrs now but since T3 reopened some of their flights have moved back there.

 

15 minutes ago, Potstech said:

American Airlines is too unreliable to fly these days.  Too many last minute flight changes and cancellations.

 

LOL, *all* the US airlines are having issues. Mostly related to staffing due to COVID. One of my clients is an AA pilot and he told me that they are offering six figure signing bonuses to attract new pilots.

 

This past weekend alone I've had family members on JetBlue, Delta and United all have flights cancelled within 12hrs of departure..

Edited May 23, 2022 by fbgd

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, Bgwest said:

The trek to/from the C gates from the main part of Terminal 5 beats the heck out of the arsewhip of taking the bus between terminals. 

100%.  The first time I took the bus I could have sworn we were driving to York.

[CruiserBruce]

4 hours ago, Retirement2016 said:

 It seems like we have to check and re-check every aspect of our cruise.

This should be automatic,  not rare.

[FlyerTalker]

5 hours ago, Retirement2016 said:

Checking American Airlines this morning to see if our flight has been on time to LHR with flightaware.com.  We have flown American Airlines to LAX-LHR numerous times.  They have always used Terminal 3, but recently it changed to Terminal 5.  Now we need to change our National Express coach reservation.  It seems like we have to check and re-check every aspect of our cruise.

 

You may want to check again.

 

https://www.heathrow.com/at-the-airport/terminal-guides/which-terminal

[Retirement2016]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

You may want to check again.

 

https://www.heathrow.com/at-the-airport/terminal-guides/which-terminal

 

AA134 is arriving at T5.

[FlyerTalker]

10 minutes ago, Retirement2016 said:

AA134 is arriving at T5.

 

Just meaning you don't want to assume anything....at any time.  Check, recheck, then do it again.

[jollyjones]

 

Definitely keep checking - all AA flights during the Covid shutdowns until recently were in to T5, but I'm flying from PHL in a couple of weeks and that is in to T3, which I greatly prefer to T5.

[Retirement2016]

13 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Just meaning you don't want to assume anything....at any time.  Check, recheck, then do it again.

 

Yes, you are absolutely correct.

[Retirement2016]

5 hours ago, jollyjones said:

 

Definitely keep checking - all AA flights during the Covid shutdowns until recently were in to T5, but I'm flying from PHL in a couple of weeks and that is in to T3, which I greatly prefer to T5.

 

I also prefer T3 to T5.  That's the reason for selecting AA instead of BA flights, plus we have a lot of mileage left to use.

[Zach1213]

On 5/23/2022 at 3:15 PM, Potstech said:

American Airlines is too unreliable to fly these days.  Too many last minute flight changes and cancellations.

 

Eh, I've been flying AA constantly for the entirety of Covid (and the 12 years leading up to it) and while they've been inconsistent as of late, so have Delta, and United, and even everyone's beloved Southwest. It's just the way it is as of late. 

 

On 5/23/2022 at 2:49 PM, Bgwest said:

The trek to/from the C gates from the main part of Terminal 5 beats the heck out of the arsewhip of taking the bus between terminals. 

 

I love the bus between terminals. I'm an airplane geek and the bus ride around is something I have always, always enjoyed. Sure it adds some time, but I am usually willing to make my connection a bit longer because I enjoy it. I understand I am...different...but that's who I am 🙂

[nini]

On 5/23/2022 at 4:03 PM, FlyerTalker said:

 

You may want to check again.

 

https://www.heathrow.com/at-the-airport/terminal-guides/which-terminal

Absolutely!

We flew from Seatac to DFW to LHR on May 5 and were in Terminal 5. We flew out of Terminal 5 on May 21st. (LHR to DFW to Seatac). We had to get from A Gate to B but had an hour to do it. The gate was posted at 12:37 pm and departure was 1:50 pm We had a few extra minutes because DH received the gate information on his IPhone about 12:30 pm

 

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, Zach1213 said:

 

Eh, I've been flying AA constantly for the entirety of Covid (and the 12 years leading up to it) and while they've been inconsistent as of late, so have Delta, and United, and even everyone's beloved Southwest. It's just the way it is as of late.

 

For example....DL just had a flight from Seattle to Kona delayed for 17 hours.  First, for 9 hours, then another 8 hours when DL then found out they had scheduled a pilot who was unqualified to fly the ETOPS leg to Hawaii.  Eventually, they left.

 

And because it was a "delay", that didn't count towards the total of 10% actual cancellations that day.

 

 

[fbgd]

39 minutes ago, nini said:

We had to get from A Gate to B but had an hour to do it. The gate was posted at 12:37 pm and departure was 1:50 pm We had a few extra minutes because DH received the gate information on his IPhone about 12:30 pm

 

 

T5A to T5B is about 30 seconds on the train. Add a minute or so for getting up and down on each side and maybe a 2min wait tops for a train to arrive.

 

Terminal 5 gates aren't posted to FIDS until about 90mins before departure by policy but they certainly know which flights will go from where way beforehand. It's a policy to keep those who don't have access to lounges and such in T5A where there are more shops and restaurants for as long as possible. The B and C gates have much less on this front. 

 

I'll sometimes ask in the BA lounges where my flight is going from if it's not posted because the lounge in the B gates is often much quieter and the spa (that is now closed) on the B side used to have much greater availability   

Edited May 25, 2022 by fbgd

[Zach1213]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

DL then found out they had scheduled a pilot who was unqualified to fly the ETOPS leg to Hawaii.  

 

 

Minor details...

[nini]

59 minutes ago, fbgd said:

 

1. T5A to T5B is about 30 seconds on the train. Add a minute or so for getting up and down on each side and maybe a 2min wait tops for a train to arrive.

 

Terminal 5 gates aren't posted to FIDS until about 90mins before departure by policy but they certainly know which flights will go from where way beforehand. 2. It's a policy to keep those who don't have access to lounges and such in T5A where there are more shops and restaurants for as long as possible. The B and C gates have much less on this front. 

 

I'll sometimes ask in the BA lounges where my flight is going from if it's not posted because the lounge in the B gates is often much quieter and the spa (that is now closed) on the B side used to have much greater availability   

1. We are not jet setters and had no clue whatsoever of the process of getting from the A Gates to the unknown gate, so it is nerve racking. We had been at LHR once before and it was a nightmare arriving and getting to our connecting flight, so we did not know what to expect this time.

 

2. We pretty much deduced that they want to keep us corralled in the A Gate area due to enticing us to spend money.

 

[Globaliser]

2 hours ago, fbgd said:

Terminal 5 gates aren't posted to FIDS until about 90mins before departure by policy but they certainly know which flights will go from where way beforehand. It's a policy to keep those who don't have access to lounges and such in T5A where there are more shops and restaurants for as long as possible. The B and C gates have much less on this front.

 

1 hour ago, nini said:

1. We are not jet setters and had no clue whatsoever of the process of getting from the A Gates to the unknown gate, so it is nerve racking. We had been at LHR once before and it was a nightmare arriving and getting to our connecting flight, so we did not know what to expect this time.

 

2. We pretty much deduced that they want to keep us corralled in the A Gate area due to enticing us to spend money.

 

T5A has lots of signs telling you how long it takes to get to even the furthest gates. Even if you don't know your way around the airport, the airport has gone to some trouble to make sure you are informed. One reason for that is below.

 

(In truth, the posted time estimates are about double what it actually takes, even if you don't rush and take everything at a gentle pace. I reckon that I could probably match the posted time estimates by "walking" on all fours along the way.)

 

I have no doubt that keeping people in T5A near the shops and facilities to encourage them to spend money is one reason behind the policy. It's very fashionable to be cynical about this, but there are actually plenty of people who go out of their way to spend money in the shops and facilities, so it's not exactly as if this is a universally unpopular aim. And those who spend lots of money in the shops and facilities are helping to keep costs down for those of us who don't.

 

In any case, there is actually another perfectly good reason, linked to something that fbgd says.

 

Once you leave T5A and go to T5B or T5C, it becomes difficult to get back to T5A unless you really know your way around the terminal. You shouldn't just take the transit back to T5A, mostly because if you stay on board and go back to T5A, you've crossed the security border and you will need to clear security again before you can go to your flight. But you won't even get let in to security screening with your existing boarding pass, because it will have been marked as used and won't work again - so you have to get a new boarding pass before you can even go to security.

 

The airport therefore wants to make sure that people do not need to go from T5B or T5C back to T5A unless it is absolutely necessary. So you're strongly encouraged to disembark the transit at T5C before it turns around and goes back to T5A to avoid this problem. You can walk back to T5A, but you really need to know how and where - fbgd and I would have no qualms about doing this, so we would be happy to go to T5B a long time in advance, but we know what we are doing and where we are going.

 

Passengers who go to T5B or T5C too early may be disappointed by the lack of facilities there, as fbgd points out. So they may try to go back to T5A, and cause themselves a whole heap of problems in the process. Better to encourage them to stay in T5A with all the facilities that they could want, until they really need to go to their gate.

 

The same also applies to possible aircraft re-allocation. Although the planned gate is known much longer in advance, this can change. One common reason is that "your" aircraft at "your" gate is suddenly used for another flight because the original aircraft for that flight has developed a fault. Then there is a gate change which is really an aircraft change, often coupled with a delay to your flight. If you've already gone to the wrong place and you find that your flight is now delayed, you may then want to go back to T5A to wait - and you may then cause yourself a world of pain if you don't know your way around the terminal.

 

So for all of these reasons, it is genuinely better to stay in T5A until nearer the time of the flight, when everyone can be more confident that the gate really is confirmed and there will be no late changes. It's not just a cynical exercise in extracting money from you. There really is such a thing as "it's too early to go to your gate".

[Zach1213]

30 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

The same also applies to possible aircraft re-allocation. Although the planned gate is known much longer in advance, this can change. One common reason is that "your" aircraft at "your" gate is suddenly used for another flight because the original aircraft for that flight has developed a fault. Then there is a gate change which is really an aircraft change, often coupled with a delay to your flight. If you've already gone to the wrong place and you find that your flight is now delayed, you may then want to go back to T5A to wait - and you may then cause yourself a world of pain if you don't know your way around the terminal.

 

A few years ago I was flying out of LHR and, due to maintenance, they had to change our aircraft last minute and move us from T5B to T5A. They flat out said "wait here, we'll bus everyone across, DON'T take the train". We ended up having to wait on a couple of people who still took the train and ended up in the scenario you mention. 

[nini]

51 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

 

T5A has lots of signs telling you how long it takes to get to even the furthest gates. Even if you don't know your way around the airport, the airport has gone to some trouble to make sure you are informed. One reason for that is below.

 

(In truth, the posted time estimates are about double what it actually takes, even if you don't rush and take everything at a gentle pace. I reckon that I could probably match the posted time estimates by "walking" on all fours along the way.)

 

I have no doubt that keeping people in T5A near the shops and facilities to encourage them to spend money is one reason behind the policy. It's very fashionable to be cynical about this, but there are actually plenty of people who go out of their way to spend money in the shops and facilities, so it's not exactly as if this is a universally unpopular aim. And those who spend lots of money in the shops and facilities are helping to keep costs down for those of us who don't.

 

In any case, there is actually another perfectly good reason, linked to something that fbgd says.

 

Once you leave T5A and go to T5B or T5C, it becomes difficult to get back to T5A unless you really know your way around the terminal. You shouldn't just take the transit back to T5A, mostly because if you stay on board and go back to T5A, you've crossed the security border and you will need to clear security again before you can go to your flight. But you won't even get let in to security screening with your existing boarding pass, because it will have been marked as used and won't work again - so you have to get a new boarding pass before you can even go to security.

 

The airport therefore wants to make sure that people do not need to go from T5B or T5C back to T5A unless it is absolutely necessary. So you're strongly encouraged to disembark the transit at T5C before it turns around and goes back to T5A to avoid this problem. You can walk back to T5A, but you really need to know how and where - fbgd and I would have no qualms about doing this, so we would be happy to go to T5B a long time in advance, but we know what we are doing and where we are going.

 

Passengers who go to T5B or T5C too early may be disappointed by the lack of facilities there, as fbgd points out. So they may try to go back to T5A, and cause themselves a whole heap of problems in the process. Better to encourage them to stay in T5A with all the facilities that they could want, until they really need to go to their gate.

 

The same also applies to possible aircraft re-allocation. Although the planned gate is known much longer in advance, this can change. One common reason is that "your" aircraft at "your" gate is suddenly used for another flight because the original aircraft for that flight has developed a fault. Then there is a gate change which is really an aircraft change, often coupled with a delay to your flight. If you've already gone to the wrong place and you find that your flight is now delayed, you may then want to go back to T5A to wait - and you may then cause yourself a world of pain if you don't know your way around the terminal.

 

So for all of these reasons, it is genuinely better to stay in T5A until nearer the time of the flight, when everyone can be more confident that the gate really is confirmed and there will be no late changes. It's not just a cynical exercise in extracting money from you. There really is such a thing as "it's too early to go to your gate".

 

I appreciate your comments regarding LHR. I believe I remember seeing the information regarding the time it takes to get from point A to point B. However, after our first experience there, we were quite skeptical and on guard. We do not shop and were not hungry, so we just wanted to go to where we needed to be for boarding. It was quite refreshing waiting at the correct gate; quiet and mellow.

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, Globaliser said:

There really is such a thing as "it's too early to go to your gate".

 

Agree.  This "early bird" has experienced that more than once.

 

5 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

.DL just had a flight from Seattle to Kona delayed for 17 hours.  First, for 9 hours, then another 8 hours when DL then found out they had scheduled a pilot who was unqualified to fly the ETOPS leg to Hawaii. 

 

Wasn't there this month a trans-Atlantic flight from London (on Virgin, I think), that had to turn back soon after take-off when a pilot realized that he wasn't qualified to fly that type of aircraft?  If so, how does this situation happen?  Seems to me that the airline's scheduling department and the pilot is at fault.  

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

Wasn't there this month a trans-Atlantic flight from London (on Virgin, I think), that had to turn back soon after take-off when a pilot realized that he wasn't qualified to fly that type of aircraft?  If so, how does this situation happen?  Seems to me that the airline's scheduling department and the pilot is at fault.  

 

No, it wasn't quite like that. IIRC, the first officer (who was properly licensed for airline flying and for that aircraft type) still had one more flight to do under the supervision of a training captain within Virgin Atlantic's line flying training, before he was fully released to line flying. After takeoff, some chat between them revealed that the captain of that flight wasn't a training captain, so they decided that the best thing to do was to return to Heathrow. Obviously, it was a rostering stuff-up, but it wasn't nearly as dramatic as the media made out. I imagine that each of the pilots assumed that there was no problem with them flying with the other one. I remember reading something on another board that said that a crew that's rostered to fly together on a trip doesn't usually start by challenging each other's qualifications in the briefing room, which seemed quite reasonable to me.