questions re: connecting flights in heathrow

You need to check if Turkish Air is able to tag your bags from Istanbul to Vancouver. If so, then your baggage will automatically be sent to your connecting flight. Also, this also means you will not have to exit the terminal and go through immigration; after your plane lands just head for the Air Canada transfer desk to get your boarding pass. If your bags can't be tagged to Vancouver and you need to recollect them, then 100 minutes is NOT going to be enough time.

I agree with Michael. You need to see if your bag can be checked straight through to Vancouver. Is it a single ticket with the connection or did you buy two separate tickets? If you bought two separate tickets, I don't think that I would chance it.

One other thing to consider, regardless whether you to need to recollect your bags or not, you will need to go through two security screenings. The general airport screening, and for transatlantic flights there is also a second screening at the gate which is even more thorough.

Unfortunately I don't think Turkish Air and Air Canada are code-share partners, so you probably can't check the bags through. If you just want someplace convenient to Heathrow, Jury's Inn, a chain hotel, is a three minute walk from the Hatton Cross tube station (one stop on the Piccadilly line before Terminal 4 and two stops before Terminals 1,2,3. It's fairly new with clean, comfortable, inoffensively decorated rooms. Although you are literally on the edge of the airport, triple glazed windows mean almost no airplane noise. The onsite restaurant and bar are adequate if not exciting. All for about 85 pounds. Or you could spend a day in London, staying anywhere, and simply take the tube to the airport when convenient.

In my experience one usually can tag bags to your final destination even if the airlines aren't partners. But the passenger has let the check-in agent know this, as they have no way of knowing otherwise. The only exception would discounts airlines, they won't handle any kind baggage transfers.

Thanks for your help!
I think we will stay in London overnight, just to be safe...
take care
sara

Good decision! We were in the customs line in Miami for over two hours. What a mess. There was a shut down before we got to the line due to a plane arrival from Cuba.