MAN-LHR and long haul

Please could I ask for some clarification from the' learned ones'.

My wife and I are looking to travel from MAN to Boston next year returning from Washington. This means we will have to fly Domestic from MAN to LHR with BA. In the past we have been able to use the services of BMI and, of course, latterly Little Red.

1. Am I right in assuming these flights will be on 1 ticket supplied by VA and that baggage will be booked right through both ways.

2. What is the baggage allowance between MAN & LHR as we will be flying Upper with VA? Do BA restrict us to 1 bag each at maximum 23kg or will the VA limit apply? Not too bothered outbound as we travel light but more important on return!!

3. What is approximate transfer times between Terminals at LHR. Not too concerned outbound as we will, obviously, travel early to take full advantage of the wonderful clubhouse.

Many thanks

David

1. Yes if they are on the same PNR which if you booked with VS they would be. (Note VA is the airline code for Virgin Australia)

2. You would get the full UC allowance as this is on one ticket.

3. Use this handy flight connections tool on the LHR Website which explains the process and the time you need to allow (though many people often complete the process a lot quicker) Plug in the flight numbers and date and it tells you if you are within the Minimum Connection Time

Thanks for the info and for the correction over VA. Now all we need is to book the flights and hope for somepoints upgrades.

[mitchja]

One thing you do need to think about when getting VS to book you the whole set of flights legs will be it's going to be more expensive booking it that way then booking the VS and BA flights separately yourself.

When you book onward flights like this, the fares on each of the different airlines need to be compatible and as you are traveling in Upper on VS, VS won't be able to book you on one of the cheap web priced BA fares.

You will need to weigh up if the additional costs of booking a through ticket with VS is worth it against booking the flight legs separately but not getting the same level of protection with separate bookings.

A web price for a MAN>LHR BA return flight can be purchased for around £100 each. I would be willing to bet it's going to be around double that if you book it all via VS.

Thanks for that. Being of a cautious nature we would probably go for a through ticket but its good have options to think on.
David

Just got myself a return G ticket for LHR-PVG next March. Unfortunately can't use Little Red anymore, so it's BA for the MCR-LHR bit. Flying Club wanted an additional £450 to book me on with BA (that could have been in Business Class I suppose. ....never asked as I'm still in shock). Book on BA website and economy is £128 return with 23kg baggage.

Only questions remaining is which BA flight to get, given transfer time from T5 to T3, to get a reasonable time in CH. I'm thinking BA1385, arriving 0905. VS250 departs 1330. Is it really over an hour to tf between terminals?

Thanks in advance for any help.

I think the minimum connection time between T5 and T3 is 90 minutes but many people do it in a lot less. It is not a description of the actual length of time it takes but it also to allows a little for delays and to transfer baggage etc.

The risk you take is being on separate tickets if that your BA flight is late and you miss the VS flight then VS are under no obligation to rebook you to another flight . Neither is BA.

tontybear beat me to it pointing out that seperate tickets (so different PNR), means there is a risk associated with the cost saving made (in both directions). Late departures and cancelled flights could cause major problems.

If it was me, I expect I would travel down to LHR the day before if I was taking a connecting flight, and stay in an airport hotel. If the flight were delayed there would still be time to make alternative arrangements- get a bus or train, hire a car etc.

The potential to miss flight connections is a reason why I nearly always fly direct, even if it is a more expensive option, as my stress levels are significantly reduced!

But the few hundred pounds extra for the internal connecting flight being on the same PNR may make taking such risks an acceptable option. Just be aware of the potential consequences.

[mitchja]

My rule for connecting at LHR (MAN is my 'home' airport, though technically I actually live about half-way between MAN & LBA but LBA has very limited options for connections to/from LHR) if the international flight leaves before 12:00 mid-day, I fly down the day before. After mid-day and I will fly down the same day.

That way there's minimal risk of delayed / canceled flights plus it also means I don't have to get up at stupid o'clock to start my journey. It's approx a 40min drive to MAN or LBA from where I live.

[honey lamb]

My rule for connecting at LHR (MAN is my 'home' airport, though technically I actually live about half-way between MAN & LBA but LBA has very limited options for connections to/from LHR) if the international flight leaves before 12:00 mid-day, I fly down the day before. After mid-day and I will fly down the same day.

That way there's minimal risk of delayed / canceled flights plus it also means I don't have to get up at stupid o'clock to start my journey. It's approx a 40min drive to MAN or LBA from where I live.

Same as my rule (which I may or may not have poached for you - although I think it is the former!) Like you I have a 40 minute drive to ORK and so to get the early morning flight, I too have to get up at stupid o'clock. What swung it for me was going for that flight with a connection to SFO which in those days, left at 11am. Six weeks before, Aer John and I had used that flight to connect with a JFK flight and it had been a doddle - straight to the Aer Lingus check-in desk, breakfast in the food court, through security and the on to the plane. On this occasion, the check-in area was heaving in spite of newly installed check-in desks; the lines to security were horrendous to the extent that people using the escalator to get to that area couldn't get off it until someone moved the tensa barriers - that meant no chance of getting breakfast. Staff were pulling passengers out of the line for about-to-close flights. I had arrived at 5.50am for a 7.20am departure and got through at 7.10am. The flight was then held on the ground because of congestion at LHR and was late arriving in LHR. Fortunately my bags were through checked and I arrived at the CH at 9.50am to be told that the flight would be called at 10.10am! I had barely time to get breakfast. After that I swore I would always make sure that the flight I took was the one before the flight that connected with my on-going one, even if it meant I left the night before.

This later proved invaluable when VS refused to link flights that weren't on the same PNR. Given that Aer Lingus (and from what I'm reading, BA) choose to book the fully flexible option of approx €400 to link flights as opposed to the €100 or less I can get by booking separately, it makes sense to pad one's itinerary.

Gone for the early option of BA1371 leaving MAN 0640, arriving LHR 0750. Should be in CH by 0930 if all goes to plan

Have now booked tickets direct from MAN to BOS and back from Washington. Managed to book Economy then upgrade to a G with points but, as stated earlier, cost is horrendous. VS flight about £550 but BA £435 each way. These are a V class down and N back which appear to be just Economy despite the price. As stated we could have gone for separate tickets but at our age we don't fancy dragging luggage across LHR and also the risk of delays so Hey we have to pay. Oh for the return of Little Red and some sensible pricing. I suppose this is what results when 1 airline has a monopoly. Only good point we have gone for an early flight from MAN so we should have 3-4 hours in the Clubhouse!!

One question VS were unable to provide a BA booking reference so how to we check in on line or is this not possible either?

Many thanks for all your help

David

[mitchja]

Try entering the VS PNR into this page on the BA website.

Thanks James. Just tried and BA website just apologises and states it is not resonding and to try later so will do that.

David

BA do not do an in flight business class product on domestic routes. They offer Lounge access and priority boarding if your ticket is fully flexible (which at the price you quote it may well be...)