Gassy

Hi all,

May sound a silly question, but I dont know the answer.

I have a friend flying from aberdeen to Heathrow T5 tonight, and connecting onto America in the morning. Will they be able to get "land" side of the airport or leave the airport, or are they stuck on the otherside of security?

We're trying to meet up in the 10 hour layover and not sure how it works.

Thanks in advance.

The Blimp

Shouldn't be a problem - even though they'll have to go through the security process again (although it's quite pain-free at T5). I'm a smoker so I'll always try to find away to get out of the airport for a smoke between flights (sad, I know!). Flew from Dubai to Cork yesterday morning via Heathrow, and had to go from T5 to T1. First thing I did was to go out of T5 as if I was finished my travels. When finished puffing, I just went back through security and took the flight connections route to T1

Hartington

Yes, your friend will be allowed landside.

As a matter of interest where were they going to stay when they booked the flight? Were they planning to sleep airside?

Gassy

Nope, they were planning on staying in the airport for the night. Not that great an idea to be honest!!

strake

I'm flying from T5 for the first time - going to Milan next Tuesday. Staying the night before at the Hilton to remove travel stress and, I have to admit, I'm quite looking forward to the experience.
OK, a bit sad but after being one of the first passengers out of T4 in '86 (with Air Malta strangely enough), it will be interesting to visit a new bit of Heathrow....
Any Hilton/T5 "veterans" on here yet?

Hartington

I recall watching "Airport" on the BBC some years ago and watching the police moving people on who were trying to sleep landside. Airside may well be different; the first time I went to Australia (mid 80s) our plane was about 5 hours late and left at 0230 and nobody tried to stop us going anywhere in T4.

I did once (79) arrive in Delhi at about 2200 (from Calcutta) with a connecting 0630 to Jaipur next day and ended up finding a quiet corner to try and get a little sleep. It's not an experience I would want to repeat in any airport.

apaddyinuk

Well I am pretty sure they would not have been allowed to remain airside and would have had to "Land" themselves so to speak through the domestic arrivals channel in T5. The Flight Connections centre would not have allowed them access if their onward boarding passes are issued to them. The last flight departs T5 at around 11pm and its pretty much lock down from then until about 4am the next morning!

Skipness One Echo

The Police usually turn a blind eye to genuine sleeping passengers. If you look like a passenger you should be OK but it's not something I'd recommend.

VAFFPAX

I wouldn't recommend sleeping in the terminal. If you don't have enough hours to get to a hotel (the Sofitel opens at T5 soon, the Holiday Inn and Jurys are a 5 minute cab ride from T5), consider the Yotel in T4. You get a room for a minimum of 4 hours, enough to lie down and get a brief nap in a clean, private, cabin.

I would never consider sleeping landside in a terminal, sorry...

S.

angels

The Budget Traveller's Guide to Sleeping in Airports

This is a fun site. I seem to recall the worst airport in the world was Port Moresby in PNG where gunfights often erupted.

apaddyinuk

Soon???

Its been open for 4 months now!!!!

There are plenty of good hotels around the airport which provide hourly charges for rooms. You can also get a pretty cheap 4star on Priceline - More hotels, more reviews and more deals so you can look and book for less by using the bid system on it!

VAFFPAX

Sorry, the last time I flew from LHR (in early September), Sofitel still looked very much under construction (the outside anyway).

My bad.

S.

bizzy liz

Well, I got out anyway! Flew from Dublin to LHR then to Beijing from T5. When landed at T1 from Dublin got to T5 and was desperate for a cig! Didn't care... saw an exit in T5 that said "emergency exit", but saw people coming and going through it, so went out.

Don't know whether you can get a taxi or pull a car up on the road outside, was just interested in having a cig to be honest, and grateful for that!

re post from the Blimp. You must have had a lot of time between connections! When returning from Beijing, we were put on a bus to T1 and had no opportunity to have a cig!

BTW Beijing Airport has no smoking, but has smoking rooms!!!!!!!!! couldn't believe it. A room at most departure gates that is hermetically sealed and has air ducts to take the smoke out of that room.

Why can't other airports think of something like that. It doesn't bother the non smoking brigade as it is out of sight and smell! Way to go, justice for all!!

Skipness One Echo

I know at Zurich you can smell those rooms a mile off. They're foul.

bizzy liz

ooooops Skipness, you wouldn't be one of those anti smoking Nazis who drives a stinking great car belching God knows what on all and sundry now would you? .....

Just think of the reduction in air rage that a teeny weeny smoking room ensures. That's the cause of air rage, - smokers in desperate need for a hit of nico, can't have it so have a drink too many instead. Oh my God we are soooooooo indisciplined aren't we. To the gallows with us.......!!

I love a smoking/no smoking debate, it brings out the worst in everyone including me!