(Baggage) interlining/transit formalities between BA and AI at LHR
In a few days, I will be travelling from Bangalore, India to Berlin, Germany via New Delhi and London, i.e.:
BLR-(AI173)->DEL-(AI161)->LHR-(BA992)->TXL
The entire journey is booked on one PNR and ticket.
As per the Air India website, the Indian customs and immigration formalities will be handled in BLR so that in Delhi, I will technically be performing an international transit.
My question, however, relates to the transit in LHR. Will Air India be able to check my baggage through all the way to TXL? Additionally, will Air India be able to issue a boarding pass for the last (BA) segment of my journey?
Possibly related: In my understanding, the transfer in LHR should again be international, i.e., no customs or immigration. According to the LHR connection planner, this understanding seems to be generally correct (no mentioning of passing through immigration) even though I will arrive at Terminal 2, while my onward flight to TXL leaves from Terminal 5. It does however say
You will pass through security screening at this point. If you are a non-UK resident and have goods to declare to HM Customs, please use the Customs telephone before security control.
Why would I need to declare anything to UK Customs when I'm not even (technically) entering the country?
Best Answer
tl;dr: Calchas was completely right, but I had to fight a little
So this is what happened: When I arrived to BLR airport, the lady at the check-in counter told me I would have to pick up my luggage at LHR, go through Customs and re-check it. When I asked her why she wouldn't check it through all the way to TXL, she said something along the lines of "we don't have a codeshare agreement with British Airways" (which is true, but irrelevant) and "LHR is your first port of entry", which doesn't make any sense.
So I pressed her a bit about what she believed I was going to enter exactly, and asked her directly to consult her supervisor about the issue. She was clearly reluctant to do so, but in the end she asked the colleague next to her, who told her to check it through to TXL.
In LHR, I showed my luggage tag to the BA transfer counter just to make sure and they confirmed that my luggage had made it to the transfer process and indeed, I could pick up the luggage in TXL without any problems.
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Is 2 hours enough between connecting flights at Heathrow?
We recommend that you allow the following minimum connection times: 1 hour for connections within the same Heathrow terminal. 1 hour 30 minutes for connections that require travel between terminals at Heathrow.Do you have to go through customs on a layover in London?
Generally speaking, you only clear customs if you're leaving the airport and entering into the country, not heading on to connecting flights. One example of where this becomes a gray area is long layovers. When I was flying back from India two summers ago, I had a ~15-hour overnight layover at London Heathrow (LHR).Can you leave Heathrow during layover?
Yes, you can leave the airport during a layover, provided your passport allows you visa-free entry to the country you're in and you have enough time between flights.Connection in London Heathrow
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