Air travel - connecting airports

[mira666]

hey all,

bit of a weird question here but am hoping someone will have the answer, if you are flyig into an airport (say heathrow) and then flying on internally (say glasgow) do you have to come out of the arrivals area or would you be treated as a transit passenger.

Reason I ask is my girlfriend is currently in Florida and arrives back into London a week Tuesday and I want to surprise her at the airport before she flies on to Glasgow, but am not sure if she would come back into the main arrivals hall or whether she would be filtered off to wait for her next flight.... as far as I know she said BA had arranged hotel accomodation during the day so there must be a fair old gap between the flights so am hoping I can surprise her.

Can anyone help?

Cam

[JamieLei]

As far as I know, in the UK all passengers have to clear Customs, but they if they're transferring they then proceed within the "sterile" area to their connecting flight. I would guess that this would mean an air-side hotel within the sterile area itself - many airports (Dubai, Singapore) have them, and I'd imagine Heathrow would too. So unfortunately she probably wouldn't leave the airport.

Hope that answers your question ^_^

[andel]

If she's flying on internally she will get processed through customs and board a coach to the hotel until later on when she will be collected and returned to the terminal to catch her connecting flight onwards to Glasgow.

The 'sterile' area (or internation transfers) is for people changing planes for onwards connections to locations outside of the UK and/or EU - such as people flying via the UK for flights to Africa or Singapore.

Hope this helps.

[Geo Ghost]

I haven't done such through Heathrow. Only Oslo Gardermoen. I would guess it depends on where you're flying to/from.

When I go from Heathrow-Oslo-Alt, I have to collect luggage, head out through arrivals, check it in again then back to departures at Oslo Gardermoen.
However, when I'm going back to Heathrow, luggage is automatically transferred and I don't have to go through arrivals. I've been told it's because i'm going from Domestic to International.

Best to check with BAA Heathrow. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to answer the question.

[mira666]

its worth a shot, now I just gotta figure out which flight she's on, and somehow I doubt British Airways would tell me if I asked

[Ploes]

The 'sterile' area (or internation transfers) is for people changing planes for onwards connections to locations outside of the UK and/or EU - such as people flying via the UK for flights to Africa or Singapore.

Apart from Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Were there is no domestic departure area, and all passengers leave from the same area.

[Geo Ghost]

mira, just find the time she's flying then go on their site and search for the same departing/arriving time. Then you'll find the flight-number. Problem solved

[mira666]

problem solved, am going up to scotland to see her on thursday night, god bless ryanair *cough cough*