From terminal 1 to 4 at LHR

[desemirates]

Hi everyone!

How do I get from terminal 1 to 4 at LHR? According to their homepage, this is what I should do:

"Your connection will take approximately 70 minutes, from landing to departure gate. Make your way by foot to the Flight Connections Centre, pass through customs and security and visit our airline desks before taking a coach to Terminal 4."

However, it probably sounds easier than it is... and I'm feeling very nervous about switching flights! What exactly is Flight Connections Centre and what airline desks are they refering to? My airline?

desek

[cjhants]

flight connections centre is a newish building attached to T1, and signposted from the terminal, you dont have to go outside.
the coaches run airside, so you have to be security checked etc.
70 mins sounds a bit long, but i suspect it includes waiting at the carousel for your bags, as well as the transfer time. the coach ride should be no more than about 5 mins.

[desemirates]

Alright, thank you! But I can't find the centre on this map...

http://www.heathrowairport.com/assets/B2CPortal/Static%20Files/HeathrowT1map.pdf

[newswatcher]

Open this (http://www.heathrowairport.com/terminalmaps/index_flash.htm?airport=Heathrow), then select Terminal 1. It is where the purple walkway on the right joins the "main" building.

:ok:

[Globaliser]

What exactly is your routing, and on which airlines? And are you travelling on one ticket for the entire journey, or using several?

You can use the Flight Connections Centre if all your baggage is through-checked and will be automatically transferred. This depends on the airlines concerned and whether your connection through London is written on one ticket.

If your baggage is not through-checked and only tagged as far as London, then the FCC is not for you. You will need to follow the normal arrivals route, collect your baggage and then go to Terminal 4 landside. To do this, follow the signs for the Heathrow Express, which will take you from the station that serves Terminals 1, 2 and 3 to the station for Terminal 4. Trains run once every 15 minutes and the transfer is free in standard class.

If you are using the FCC, just follow the signs for Flight Connections Terminal 4. To start off with, the signs will also say Terminal 1, Terminal 2 etc. but you need to keep an eye open for Terminal 4. You will be routed first to the security screening area. After you have been screened, there are check-in desks if you need to collect a boarding pass. Then you will be routed all the way down to the ground floor where you will board a bus that takes you straight to Terminal 4 airside, and you will emerge directly into the main departure area with all the duty free shops, restaurants cafes etc.

70 minutes is a generous estimate for the transfer time, but if you get to the FCC at a busy period the queues for security screening can be quite long. However, these tend to be the same times that queues for passport control are long as well, so the advantage that may be gained from deliberately going landside when you can actually use the FCC is sometimes very slight.

On the PDF map that you've got, part of the FCC is shown on page 3, in the very bottom right hand corner. But frankly if you're using it it really doesn't matter where it is on a map. You are much better off just following the signs, because the way that the routes are laid out through Terminal 1 means that you have to have an architect's skills to relate them to any map of the terminal.

[MarkD]

If you have a boarding card for your T4 flight you can proceed direct to T4 via the coach without visiting flight connection desk. Just watch for signs as they can be tricky to see sometimes.