Traveling through Heathrow on separate tickets with no interline agreement

Traveling through Heathrow on separate tickets with no interline agreement - Blue Luggage with Folded Clothes

My son is traveling from LAX to Heathrow on Air New Zealand and from LHR to Barcelona on British Airways. He is on two separate tickets and did not realize that he would be unable to interline his luggage. Of course, this was a very bad idea but it's done and he leaves tomorrow! This is his first international flight experience. Air New Zealand arrives at Terminal 2 and his BA flight departs from Terminal 3. He has a 3-hour layover. He is a US citizen.

Is this accurate?

  1. Check-in online with BA. Will have boarding pass.
  2. Complete landing card distributed on the flight, writing “transit” for UK address.
  3. Submit landing card with passport to Passport Control in T2 before he goes to Baggage Claim. Use entry point for non-EU citizens.
  4. Advise Agent that he is headed to T3 for flight to BCN.
  5. Follow Baggage Reclaim signs.
  6. Clear luggage through Customs. He will have nothing to declare, so exits through Green Channel.
  7. Take underground walkway 10-minute walk to T3.
  8. Drop checked luggage at BA.
  9. Clear Security. Proceed to gate.


Best Answer

EDIT: Thank you to the individuals below for helping me improve my answer.

  1. Once he lands in Heathrow, he'll have to go to baggage claim and retrieve his baggage. This will involve going through customs/immigration. And he will have to carry his bags and walk from T2 to T3 (Heathrow Airport)
  2. After that, he will have to go to the British Airways check-in counter to re-check his bag and print his boarding pass (assuming he does not have an electronic boarding pass). Either way, he will have to re-check his bags.
  3. He will have to then go back through security and find his way to his departure gate at Heathrow.

Ensure that all required visas have been obtained. It's not that difficult of a transition if he plans it. 3 hours should be plenty of time.




Pictures about "Traveling through Heathrow on separate tickets with no interline agreement"

Traveling through Heathrow on separate tickets with no interline agreement - Orange and Green Label Airplane Ticket
Traveling through Heathrow on separate tickets with no interline agreement - Person Wearing Gray Low-top Shoes
Traveling through Heathrow on separate tickets with no interline agreement - Crop man messaging on smartphone while sitting in car



Can you fly with separate tickets?

A: It depends, but the general rule is NO. Some airlines will through check baggage onto separately ticketed flights, but some won't (even if both tickets are with the same airline). Some airlines will take pity if your delay is due to them, but others don't.

Does a connecting flight have to be with the same airline?

Fly on a single ticket when you need to connect flightsTypically, any connecting itinerary you arrange on a single ticket conforms with whatever connecting times apply. That's true even on tickets that involve two airlines, as long as those airlines have interline agreements.

Do I have to check in separately for connecting flights?

When arriving at the connecting airport all you have to do is to go to your next gate and wait for the next plane, your next flight. There might be a security check in the terminal at the connecting airport. But mostly you don't have to do anything about your luggage. It's being taken care of by the airport personnel.



Border Force Try to Stop a Potential Sex Trafficking Situation | Heathrow: Britain's Busiest Airport




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Kindel Media, Torsten Dettlaff, Sohel Patel, Tim Samuel