Any experiences with transferring at LHR?

Hey there, my fellow NYC TA%26#39;s -- planning a trip this summer and wanted some input from non-brits on going through Heathrow when you have to make a connection (since obviously I%26#39;d be forced through the %26#39;foreign%26#39; queue).

I%26#39;d be flying Finnair and connecting to American. So, they%26#39;re both OneWorld, but I%26#39;d be going from terminal 1 to terminal 3. Does anyone know whether they check the bags right through on partner airlines? And is it a doable transfer in less than 90 minutes?

It%26#39;s either that... or LOT flying through Warsaw. And I%26#39;ve heard horror stories about their 767s. I%26#39;m really torn!

Any experiences with transferring at LHR?

I%26#39;ve heard LOT Polish has improved considerably. American%26#39;s JFK LHR flights are not the pride and joy of U.S. aviation. I%26#39;d consider avoiding London Heathrow. I don%26#39;t think LOT Polish is as bad as you may be expecting. Further, I think the Warsaw - JFK is probably one of their flagship routes and they%26#39;d be putting their very best foot forward.

Any experiences with transferring at LHR?

I had to do a connection at Heathrow in May 2007, and with two hours between flights, I still missed my second flight. The security lines were a nightmare of slowness and frustration.

NYCDAVE - we did an LHR transfer on American last summer. My recollection is that there was a transfer route, so that you went directly from one terminal to the next. Even though you technically never leave a secured area, they make you go through security again. In LHR, they enforced the one carry-on only rule, so you need to be able to put your purse or camera/laptop bag inside your roll-aboard. I think you can do it in 90 minutes. We had allowed extra time for duty free shopping in LHR, and had more time than we could use. Our bags were checked through.

I transfer through Heathrow regularly, although not as a visitor so have a different queue. Your connection time is quite tight--I never have anything less than 2 hours even when transferring from from One World partner to another and don%26#39;t have bags to collect. Will both your flights be on one ticket? If so and you miss your connection they will do their best to get you onto another. If not, it%26#39;s your own responsibility.