Clearing Customs at Heathrow for a connecting domestic flight to Leeds Bradford
I am booked from Perth Australia to Leeds Bradford all on one ticket. Qatar from Perth to Doha and onto London Heathrow, and then British Airways from Heathrow to Leeds Bradford.
Will I need to collect my luggage in Terminal 4 at Heathrow and take it to Terminal 5 to pass through Customs, or will my luggage automatically be transferred from Qatar Airways (landing at Terminal 4) onto the British Airways flight departing from Terminal 5?
I have a 2 hour time frame between landing at Terminal 4 and my domestic flight out of Heathrow to Leeds Bradford, is this enough time?
Best Answer
If it's all one ticket, you won't have to worry. When you check in at Perth airport, they should check your luggage all the way through to Leeds, as it's one ticket, but check with them that they do. The baggage tag receiptss you'll be given will then show them as going to Leeds.
On arrival into Heathrow, follow the Purple "Flight Connections" signs, then "Flight Connections Terminal 5". This will lead you to a bus to T5. When you get to T5, you'll then follow "Flight Connections UK Domestic", which will take you through UK Immigration. Then it's up stairs and through security, and into the terminal. If you don't already have the BA boarding card, there's a BA connections desk just before immigration who can issue it to you.
When you get to Leeds, you'll collect your bags, then exit the baggage claim area, probably through customs. (I'm not completely certain how they do it in Leeds). If you need to declare something, there should be a customs phone there, assuming there's no customs people manning the "something to declare not from the EU" line.
If for some reason your flight is late, the cut-off at Terminal 5 is to go through "conformance" (just before the immigration) 35 minutes before the flight departs. If you miss that, you go to the BA flight connections desk, who will re-book you onto a later Leeds flight. If you miss the last one of the night, they'll sort you a hotel too. Note that this is only because you'll be on one ticket, if you booked it as two different tickets you'd be out of luck...
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Do I have to go through customs at Heathrow for a connecting flight?
Unfortunately it's not possible for you to go through customs and passport control to meet the person transferring flights unless you're also checked-in for a flight leaving that airport terminal that day.Do you go through customs when connecting?
Transit Security vs. Customs. In almost all cases, if your bags are checked through to your final destination and you already have your onward boarding pass, you'll go through transit security when you land at your connecting airport instead of customs.Do I have to go through customs for a connecting flight in UK?
If on a single ticket you will not go through immigration or customs at Heathrow. Follow the flight connections signs, go through security again and go to your new gate. If you have to change terminals then there is a bus ride before security.Do you go through customs twice on connecting flights?
You only go through once. If you connect through another country, you will just have to go through security and not customs. Incorrect, it all depends on the country and the airlines you're traveling with. Remember customs and immigration are different things and in some cases you'll clear then in different airports.How to: Catch Your Connecting Flight at Heathrow
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Answer 2
The standard IATA minimum transit time is 105 minutes however if you do have to collect your luggage that does not apply.
So, between terminals is 20 minutes average journey time including wait by Bus 482 or 490.
Minimum check in time is 45 minutes.
That leaves about 55 minutes for all else, including Immigration, collecting baggage (if not checked through) and further screening.
Or put another way, you have 15 minutes more than the IATA minimum. But Qatar Airways and BA are oneworld alliance partners and I expect your baggage will be checked through. Anyway, if you were to miss your connection BA should make alternative arrangements for you (they have three flights a day and there is a train service). So I'd say "Yes (very probably)".
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