LHR different terminals for lounges and flight

[pelicanicecoffeeolaf]

Is it allowed to use the lounges in LHR T3 (Centurion, Qantas, Cathay Pacific) on a BA Club Europe ticket and then transfer to T5 for the flight itself?

[Richie]

Is your flight from T5 A, B or C?

[pelicanicecoffeeolaf]

Richie wrote:

Is your flight from T5 A, B or C?

Afraid I don’t know. Is there a way to find out before even booking the flight?

[memesweeper]

If it’s short haul, almost certainly A. Long haul is often B/C.

To answer your original question, if you are very early at T5 there used to be an option to ask to be escorted airside to T3 for shopping. I’ve no idea if the facility is still offered, this was BC (Before Covid). It was intended for transit passengers with long layovers when duty free was still a meaningful thing.

[Lady London]

Ummm… I haven’t looked at the mini-Budget yet, although I’ve seen a lot of finance industry comments about how courageous the Chancellor was. Err …courageous as said by Sir Humphrey in Yes Minister. Or at least, it sounded like that.

But wasn’t there something about duty free being brought back?

[Andrew J]

Yes indeed tax-free shopping is coming back in 2024 – great news for the U.K. retail sector. Also good news for airports who will once again have a good revenue stream from their commission-based rents on the airside retail units.

[memesweeper]

Andrew J wrote:

Yes indeed tax-free shopping is coming back in 2024 – great news for the U.K. retail sector. Also good news for airports who will once again have a good revenue stream from their commission-based rents on the airside retail units.

IR35 burden removed from contracting companies as well. It’s as though someone has looked at the wider costs to the economy of tax policies rather than just listening to HMRC when they have a wizard idea for raking in a couple of pennies more without affecting headline rates.

[Andrew J]

Yes, finally sense has prevailed at the Treasury.

[Lady London]

At least that will stop the nonsense of IR35.

My work is by definition and wish of the end companies who hire me, entirely project-based and temporary. I am brought in for a specialist skill. When the task is completed, I am no longer needed.

But all the majors who would typically use a contractor like me have been scared by HMRC for the past 2 years, into only offering PAYE. Or worse, PAYE via an umbrella company. Which involves further fee loss for me and for the company looking for work to be done. Agencies told me just over a year ago, 80% of contractors they approached were refusing to consider work offers inside IR35. The numbers simply didn’t add up to be taxed as PAYE and yet to bear all the other expenses and risks of contracting, and companies couldn’t make up the difference.

Now of course if IR35 has been tossed, great news. But hotel costs to travel to contracts are now going through the roof! 🙁

[memesweeper]

Lady London wrote:

At least that will stop the nonsense of IR35.

My work is by definition and wish of the end companies who hire me, entirely project-based and temporary. I am brought in for a specialist skill. When the task is completed, I am no longer needed.

But all the majors who would typically use a contractor like me have been scared by HMRC for the past 2 years, into only offering PAYE. Or worse, PAYE via an umbrella company. Which involves further fee loss for me and for the company looking for work to be done. Agencies told me just over a year ago, 80% of contractors they approached were refusing to consider work offers inside IR35. The numbers simply didn’t add up to be taxed as PAYE and yet to bear all the other expenses and risks of contracting, and companies couldn’t make up the difference.

Now of course if IR35 has been tossed, great news. But hotel costs to travel to contracts are now going through the roof! 🙁

Sadly IR35 not scrapped completely, just the requirement for the hiring organisation to make an assessment (and take the risk) that is scrapped. A burden removed from business. My Ltd had always remained outside anyway, but some of the blanket “no” policies I heard about in some places were ridiculous.

[John]

pelicanicecoffeeolaf wrote:

Is it allowed to use the lounges in LHR T3 (Centurion, Qantas, Cathay Pacific) on a BA Club Europe ticket and then transfer to T5 for the flight itself?

Yes, this is possible. The best way is to be transiting flights at Heathrow. After your incoming flight lands at LHR (any terminal), go to Flight Connections and take the airside transfer bus to T3. Then go through security at T3, which doesn’t require a T3 boarding pass.

When you’re done with the lounge(s), find a staff member and ask to be taken to the arrivals stream, then take the Flight Connections airside transfer bus to T5. Go through security again at T5.

If you do not have a connecting flight and just want to fly from Heathrow, it’s extremely cumbersome and you should aim to arrive at least 6 hours before your flight.

You cannot enter T3 security from landside with a T5 boarding pass. Thus, you must first enter T5 and go through security there. Then take the train to T5 C gates, stay on the train and go back to B (or A). You will now be in the arrivals stream and cannot access the T5 departure gates any more, but you want to take the Flight Connections route to T3 mentioned above. Expect this to take 60-90 minutes.

When you get back to T5, as you have already entered T5 with that boarding pass, you will not be allowed to enter T5 again because of BA’s “Ready to Fly” computer system. So you must find a BA staff member and ask them to reset your status, then you will be allowed to enter security. This could take 30-60 minutes.

If you do this, you will be spending 2 hours in queues, on buses and going through security THREE times. I love the CX lounge but this amount of faff is not worth it.

Richie wrote:

Is your flight from T5 A, B or C?

This is irrelevant to this question.

memesweeper wrote:

To answer your original question, if you are very early at T5 there used to be an option to ask to be escorted airside to T3 for shopping. I’ve no idea if the facility is still offered, this was BC (Before Covid). It was intended for transit passengers with long layovers when duty free was still a meaningful thing.

Yes, Heathrow Personal Shopper terminal transfer is still offered, at least if there are enough staff available to do the escort. You must pre-book this service and you must seriously intend to make at least £250 of purchases in (in this particular case) a shop in T3 that does not exist in T5.

You will be asked what you are going to buy and from which shop(s); you are not supposed to just cursorily glance at expensive handbags for 5 minutes and then f off to the lounge. You are meant to go straight to the shop then straight back to T5. I have a feeling the escort may get you to the front of the security queues – as mentioned above, this route will see you going through security THREE times.

I guess in theory, if you did buy something expensive and you had sufficient time left, it might be possible to then go to a lounge, but you need the escort to help you back into T5 because of the “Ready to Fly” issue I mentioned where your T5 BP will only let you into T5 once.

[NorthernLass]

We saw someone with a personal shopper escorted to the front of the (very long and slow) security queue a few years ago. There a few angry looks and mutterings! The young man seemed to have bought most of the contents of Louis Vuitton and the security staff insisted on going through every single one of his bags.

[pelicanicecoffeeolaf]

Excellent in-depth answer John, thank you! That certainly sounds like too much time and hassle, so I guess I won’t be doing that, oh well.

[pelicanicecoffeeolaf]

John wrote:

pelicanicecoffeeolaf wrote:

Is it allowed to use the lounges in LHR T3 (Centurion, Qantas, Cathay Pacific) on a BA Club Europe ticket and then transfer to T5 for the flight itself?

Yes, this is possible. The best way is to be transiting flights at Heathrow. After your incoming flight lands at LHR (any terminal), go to Flight Connections and take the airside transfer bus to T3. Then go through security at T3, which doesn’t require a T3 boarding pass.

When you’re done with the lounge(s), find a staff member and ask to be taken to the arrivals stream, then take the Flight Connections airside transfer bus to T5. Go through security again at T5.

If you do not have a connecting flight and just want to fly from Heathrow, it’s extremely cumbersome and you should aim to arrive at least 6 hours before your flight.

You cannot enter T3 security from landside with a T5 boarding pass. Thus, you must first enter T5 and go through security there. Then take the train to T5 C gates, stay on the train and go back to B (or A). You will now be in the arrivals stream and cannot access the T5 departure gates any more, but you want to take the Flight Connections route to T3 mentioned above. Expect this to take 60-90 minutes.

When you get back to T5, as you have already entered T5 with that boarding pass, you will not be allowed to enter T5 again because of BA’s “Ready to Fly” computer system. So you must find a BA staff member and ask them to reset your status, then you will be allowed to enter security. This could take 30-60 minutes.

If you do this, you will be spending 2 hours in queues, on buses and going through security THREE times. I love the CX lounge but this amount of faff is not worth it.

Richie wrote:

Is your flight from T5 A, B or C?

This is irrelevant to this question.

memesweeper wrote:

To answer your original question, if you are very early at T5 there used to be an option to ask to be escorted airside to T3 for shopping. I’ve no idea if the facility is still offered, this was BC (Before Covid). It was intended for transit passengers with long layovers when duty free was still a meaningful thing.

Yes, Heathrow Personal Shopper terminal transfer is still offered, at least if there are enough staff available to do the escort. You must pre-book this service and you must seriously intend to make at least £250 of purchases in (in this particular case) a shop in T3 that does not exist in T5.

You will be asked what you are going to buy and from which shop(s); you are not supposed to just cursorily glance at expensive handbags for 5 minutes and then f off to the lounge. You are meant to go straight to the shop then straight back to T5. I have a feeling the escort may get you to the front of the security queues – as mentioned above, this route will see you going through security THREE times.

I guess in theory, if you did buy something expensive and you had sufficient time left, it might be possible to then go to a lounge, but you need the escort to help you back into T5 because of the “Ready to Fly” issue I mentioned where your T5 BP will only let you into T5 once.

Excellent in-depth answer, thank you! That certainly doesn’t sound worth the time and hassle, so I guess I won’t be bothering with that, oh well.