In late December 2015 we will land at Heathrow, have a 4 1/2 hour layover then board our flight to Prague. Do we have to go through passport control in both Heathrow and Prague? I ask as they are both EU states but only Prague is a Schengen state, so it seems they would both require this for their own purposes.
Thanks,
Peter
Yes, you have to go through passport control in Prague. In London only if you leave the airport.
One other point to mention - you'll likely have to go through security again at LHR prior to boarding your flight to Prague.
Thanks Ken and llja. We were hoping to spend as much time as possible in the comfort of an airport lounge at Heathrow but I guess we will have to consider the time required for going through security before the flight to Prague.
By the way, Ken, what are you doing up at 1:11am?
To clarify - assuming this is on one ticket, you do not go through passport control at Heathrow as you will not enter the UK. Make your way to your connecting fight where you will definitely go through security.
Ken's point is about security. Many airlines operate extra security checks at their departure lounges, including inspection of hand luggage. Time your transfer accordingly.
Thanks. I entered our BA flight information at the Heathrow website which ramblin' on provided and the result was an estimated 90 minute transfer time from T5 to T3, including security. That will work for us, leaving about 3 hours to hang around the lounge.
By the way that is an excellent website. I've saved it as a favourite, thanks.
Peter
The airport lounges at Heathrow are quite nice and for the major airlines, there are two of them (North and South) as well as two major security points, again North and South. Heathrow has these great info boards that will tell you the approximate time required to get through each of these checkpoints. I found the South security point to have a significantly shorter time than the North. Since you have the time and the lounges are after you go through security, you may want to check both out before you commit.
Edit: I am talking about T5 for the lounges and security.
