My brother is going to Budapest for a month beginning later this month. It’s a last minute trip and he is considering flying British Airways. This would require a change of planes each way, from terminal 5 to terminal 3 and then in reverse on his return. Will he need an ETA because he is changing terminals? Thanks for any information.
Posted by
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico
2108 posts
No.
As long as he has his boarding pass for his connecting flight, he can stay airside and take the shuttle bus between terminals. No one will ask to see his passport (which is what the ETA is paired with) until he boards the flight.
Posted by
Lake District, England
10204 posts
No an ETA isn't needed if on one ticket as the inter terminal transfer is "airside".
I add that proviso, as on that route there are one world alliance 10 flights a day from LHR to Budapest, 6 of which are with a change at Madrid.
So the chance of all flights being full in the event of missing the original connection is very low.
Of course the promise of such a connection is that BA gets you on the next flight with capacity, not necessarily the next flight, or a direct flight. So in the event of a transatlantic delay there is a small chance of ending up going via Madrid or ending up on a flight that arrives at Budapest at 0115 next day.
I suppose there is a slightly greater chance of missing the homebound connection at LHR, leading to an overnight stay at LHR.
I wonder if belt and braces says, get an ETA anyway, to cover a worst case scenario homebound.
Posted by
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico
2108 posts
No an ETA isn't needed if on one ticket
It doesn't need to be on one ticket (though in OP's brother's case, it seems it is all one ticket).
If you have your boarding pass and you don't have checked luggage, you can transfer airside, even if you're on two different tickets.
If you have checked luggage and you're traveling on two separate tickets, you will have to go through immigration, pick up your luggage, go through customs, and recheck your luggage on the second flight. That will require an ETA.
Posted by
Arctophilia, Northamptonshire, England
35521 posts
No
Have him look at https://www.heathrow.com/connecting-flights and follow the purple signs.
If weird stuff happens and he has to enter the UK the staff have ways to deal with that.
Posted by
OP
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
11087 posts
Thanks everyone. I’ve passed the information given on to him. He hasn’t been to Europe since 2008 and I think he will find it different now.
The BA flight is San Francisco-London-Budapest and then reversed going home.