Hello.
I am traveling from London Heathrow to Vancouver BC. booked on miles.
I purchased a separate trip to get to London to catch this flight.
My question is what happens in London, do I go through Immigration? Or can go in transit and check in at the British Airways gate or lounge?
One more question, if I have to go through immigration how long does it take?
Thank you!
What is the origin of your flight to London?
Do you have checked luggage?
And how much time do you have to make your connection? Day of week/time of day might also be important (if the connection time is tight).
What are the specific airlines and cities involved (you mentioned British Airways but you need to be more specific - which airlines flying from/to which cities?)
Might be a piece of cake, might be a nail-biter, might be scary -- depends on all the above.
Finally, what is your nationality (your passport's country-of-issue)?
For Canada, you have to complete the ArriveCan app-you upload your documents and get a QR code which is presented upon your arrival at YVR to immigration officials.
I’m pretty sure you’ll be giving your travel and vax documents too as you check in at Heathrow with BA.
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/arrivecan.html
(You'll need to submit your information within 72 hours before your arrival to Canada.)
You may be selected to swab for Covid at YVR which means at arrival in Vancouver, your transit time may be longer at the destination airport of YVR. I’m not sure if they are giving out home test kits at YVR now. Check the YVR website.
Janet
I haven’t booked my flight to London yet as I am trying to decide on how much time I need. I will be coming from Venice to London . Flight leaves London at 3 pm. I am from the USA.
It looks like I can do both flights on British Air, but booked separately.
Flying on a Monday, no checked bags.
It seems both flights currently land and take off from Terminal 5 thus no worries about changing terminals. You will follow the In Transit signs for BA terminal flights - as you won't have checked baggage you don't have to worry about picking up baggage. At some point there is an in transit desk operated by British Airways where you will check in for your Vancouver flight. and complete whatever Covid paperwork is needed to get into Canada. You should then be able to head to your departure gate.
I would allow at least three hours for the layover as things can go wrong - late flight from Venice, long wait for an arrival gate for the Venice flight (I have had that happen a couple of times) and who knows what will be going on with Covid when you travel.
Use the Heathrow Flight Connections page to fill in your flights and get step by step instructions:
Worth noting that unlike some airports no checks are made on airside connectors for onward flights (this can be useful for going through immigration in a different terminal from where you land but I digress).
Your trip (and life) would be simpler, and perhaps cheaper, if you combine both flights on a single itinerary. That puts more responsibility on the airlines to make your connections, and to transfer your checked luggage. In this era of covid regulations, any help is worthwhile. But you must use a multi-destination search function to see the possibilities. Perhaps it is not too late to cancel or alter the trans-Atlantic booking, effectively starting over. Since a mileage award is involved, you might negotiate by calling that section of your airline for a direct conversation.
