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Usa flight stopover in London

A

Aless

New Member
Hello everyone, at all divistes,
voila, I'd like to know one thing,
take a ticket Algiers-London-Houston with the company British Airways,
Algiers-London flight is landing in Gatwick after .....
Flight London-Houston Morrow off from Heathrow Airport,
theUK Border Services will They let me change the airport ...? Transit without visa? ...
 
Aless said:
Hello everyone, at all divistes,
voila, I'd like to know one thing,
take a ticket Algiers-London-Houston with the company British Airways,
Algiers-London flight is landing in Gatwick after .....
Flight London-Houston Morrow off from Heathrow Airport,
theUK Border Services will They let me change the airport ...? Transit without visa? ...
Click to expand...
https://www.gov.uk/transit-visa
 
Aless said:
Thanx, Euro2014, will not need a visa in this case, as I travel to usa
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You should be o.k., the website points out the following, though: "The ‘transit without visa concession’ is decided by the immigration officer at the border...". Safe travel & make sure you won't miss Monday's game!
 
cafeconleche said:
Eh, you're taking a very big risk by not getting a visa. It'd be better to avoid flying through London.
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I don't think he's taking a risk at all. It will be very clear to the immigration officer that he's got a life ahead in the USA and so is little danger of an overstay. If there are any questions or suspicions just give them all your DV papers and you'll be fine.

The main problem I see is the journey from Gatwick to Heathrow can be confusing, especially for someone with little English. Also he'll need some British Pounds before arriving for the visa and bus/train fares.
 
I've done the transit without visa through London a few times and it has never been a problem, but I have never had to change airports. If anyone has done so might be interesting if they post...

You need to go through border control to do this which means clear immigration and customs and then go through it all again entering heathrow. I hope you have given yourself plenty of time to spare.
 
Yes, it's the airport change that I'm worried about. The person is from Algeria, a country with endless requirements when it comes to visa applications.
 
BTW, I know the OP has a concession because of the US visa. I just think it's a risk because, for example, BA might be reluctant to board the OP, or exit immigration in Algeria might cause trouble. At UKBA, they're a bit testy too.
 
SusieQQQ said:
I have never had to change airports. If anyone has done so might be interesting if they post...
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I've done it twice. I flew United Airlines to Heathrow then, because I'm a total cheapskate, I caught the bus to Gatwick to fly Air Baltic.

Anyway I wouldn't recommend it to a novice traveller unless you had a good reason. The National Express bus terminal was difficult to find, signage was poor and the airport staff were unfriendly and flippant with help. Lots of different buses for all over London leave from there. Which bus goes to Gatwick? Even when you get to Gatwick, which terminal do you get off at? The driver yells out "North Terminal!".. uh.. do I get off here? Which terminal does my plane leave from? If you pick the wrong terminal, what then? I constantly checked my phone to see if I was going to miss my connecting flight. It takes at least 90 minutes for the drive. What if there was a traffic jam? I'd make sure I had at least 5-6 hours before attempting it. You need to go through immigration and customs twice then re-check your bags. That's going to take at least an hour and more of your time.

If you're going to do it - you won't have internet so print everything. Maps of Heathrow terminal, bus numbers, bus terminal location, terminal of your connecting flight, terminal of your arriving flight.You'll need British pounds cash for the visa and the bus. They put your luggage under the bus, so I sat on the left then I'd see if anyone tried to steal my bag.
 
cafeconleche said:
BTW, I know the OP has a concession because of the US visa. I just think it's a risk because, for example, BA might be reluctant to board the OP, or exit immigration in Algeria might cause trouble. At UKBA, they're a bit testy too.
Click to expand...

guestgulkan said:
I've done it twice. I flew United Airlines to Heathrow then, because I'm a total cheapskate, I caught the bus to Gatwick to fly Air Baltic.

Anyway I wouldn't recommend it to a novice traveller unless you had a good reason. The National Express bus terminal was difficult to find, signage was poor and the airport staff were unfriendly and flippant with help. Lots of different buses for all over London leave from there. Which bus goes to Gatwick? Even when you get to Gatwick, which terminal do you get off at? The driver yells out "North Terminal!".. uh.. do I get off here? Which terminal does my plane leave from? If you pick the wrong terminal, what then? I constantly checked my phone to see if I was going to miss my connecting flight. It takes at least 90 minutes for the drive. What if there was a traffic jam? I'd make sure I had at least 5-6 hours before attempting it. You need to go through immigration and customs twice then re-check your bags. That's going to take at least an hour and more of your time.

If you're going to do it - you won't have internet so print everything. Maps of Heathrow terminal, bus numbers, bus terminal location, terminal of your connecting flight, terminal of your arriving flight.You'll need British pounds cash for the visa and the bus. They put your luggage under the bus, so I sat on the left then I'd see if anyone tried to steal my bag.
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Certainly my experience is that BA and UKBA people are all 100% apprised of the concession ; it may not be a bad idea however to print out a copy of it to take with.

I think gulkan's concerns are very valid. Just as an example, a few weeks ago the queue to exit immigration at LHR was over 2 hours. Then you have the problem that London air traffic is notorious and planes often land late. I would really think if the flight is able to go into LHR that is best even if it's more expensive because really to be properly safe about not missing the connection I agree 100% with the above that 5-6 hours is a minimum estimate for the transfer. I also agree that if you don't know national express it can be pretty confusing.
 
SusieQQQ said:
Certainly my experience is that BA and UKBA people are all 100% apprised of the concession ; it may not be a bad idea however to print out a copy of it to take with.

I think gulkan's concerns are very valid. Just as an example, a few weeks ago the queue to exit immigration at LHR was over 2 hours. Then you have the problem that London air traffic is notorious and planes often land late. I would really think if the flight is able to go into LHR that is best even if it's more expensive because really to be properly safe about not missing the connection I agree 100% with the above that 5-6 hours is a minimum estimate for the transfer. I also agree that if you don't know national express it can be pretty confusing.
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@Aless - I think the recommendations are good ones : ask your travel agent for a flight with one airport connection, be it @ Heathrow, Paris (excellent connections from Algeria, yet again stay with one airport), Frankfurt, Amsterdam, even Dubai might turn out to be a good option. At a minimum the Gatwick - Heathrow thing would be highly inconvenient, no possibility to check your luggage through as far as I know. Best of luck (you will need it on Monday)!
 
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