Well, this will make our Heathrow connection fun...

[audette]

DH and I are flying out on vacation soon, and will be connecting via Heathrow...  Anyone want to place bets on if we'll make our connection?

We've got a two hour connection on the outbound flights.  One hour on the homebound flights.  (the homebound flights were already a chancy bet...)

www.bbc.com/news/uk-28986271

UK terrorist threat level raised to 'severe',

The UK's terror threat level is being raised from "substantial" to "severe" in response to conflicts in Iraq and Syria, Home Secretary Theresa May says.

The new alert level means an attack on the UK is "highly likely", although Mrs May said there was no intelligence to suggest an attack was "imminent".

It is the second highest of five possible UK threat levels.

PM David Cameron said at least 500 people had travelled from the UK "to fight in Syria and potentially Iraq".

He said Islamic State (IS) extremists - who are attempting to establish a caliphate in the region - represented a "greater and deeper threat to our security than we have known before".

New legislation would be brought in to make it easier to take passports away from people who travelled abroad to join the conflict, he said.

Efforts are currently under way to identify a suspected British jihadist who appeared in IS footage of the killing of US journalist James Foley.

National Policing Lead for Counter-Terrorism Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said security and protection measures were being increased from Friday.


In a statement Mrs May said: "The increase in the threat level is related to developments in Syria and Iraq where terrorist groups are planning attacks against the West.

"Some of those plots are likely to involve foreign fighters who have travelled there from the UK and Europe to take part in those conflicts.

"The first and most important duty of government is the protection of the British people.

"We have already taken steps to improve our powers and increase our capabilities for dealing with the developing terrorist threats we face. That process will continue and the British public should be in no doubt that we will take the strongest possible action to protect our national security."

She said the UK faced a "real and serious" threat from international terrorism, urging members of the public to remain vigilant.


The raised threat level may not lead to visible signs of change on the streets - but it is a sign of the increased concern and security activity behind the scenes involving all of the UK's intelligence and security bodies.

The last time the level was this high was between January 2010 and the summer of 2011. This may have been linked to attempts by an al-Qaeda affiliate to smuggle bombs on to planes heading out of the Middle East.

The highest level is "critical"- meaning an attack is expected imminently. Officials have twice put the country on such an alert - in 2006 after the discovery of liquid bombs aimed at airliners and then the following year when extremists attempted to bomb Glasgow Airport and London's West End.

In other words - if security chiefs had knowledge of a clear threat they could not contain, the level would already be one notch higher.

Mrs May stressed the decision to raise the threat level was made by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC).

She added: "JTAC's judgements about that threat level are made on the basis of the very latest intelligence and are independent of ministers.

"JTAC has today raised the threat level to the UK from international terrorism from substantial to severe.

"That means that a terrorist attack is highly likely, but there is no intelligence to suggest that an attack is imminent."


AC Rowley said: "From this afternoon we will begin to increase our levels of visible patrols and implement other security and protection measures.

"We will also build on existing community relations to provide reassurance and seek their support and assistance in keeping the UK safe."

He urged communities and families to report anyone who is "vulnerable, a danger or escalating towards terrorism" by calling the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.

Scotland Yard chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has said the force is prepared in case large numbers of British would-be extremists decide to return at the same time.

UK terror threat levels
Critical - attack expected imminently
Severe - attack highly likely
Substantial - attack a strong possibility
Moderate - attack possible but not likely
Low - an attack unlikely

 
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said that for "99% of us" the change in threat level would not make "any difference to our lives whatsoever".

However he said it had been raised in the light of British nationals travelling to Syria and mixing with "extremely violent people". More than half who went there have now returned and there is no way to follow them all, he added.

The terror threat level has been made public since 2006 and has twice been raised to "critical" - in August 2006 after police uncovered a plot to blow up passenger planes, and in June 2007 after an attack at Glasgow Airport.

The level last changed in July 2011 when it was reduced to "substantial".

[UnderProtest]

Meet up with me when you miss your flight? I'll trade accommodations for knitting lessons.

[sporky]

I don't know what the threat level was when we were there this summer, but we did have to go through extra security because QEII was there that afternoon. We had plenty of time to make our connection which had a layover of just under 2 hours. I'm thinking we definitely would not have made it if it was 1 hr.

[UnderProtest]

Aug 29, 2014 10:03:25 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Aug 29, 2014 9:42:19 GMT -5 UnderProtest said:

Meet up with me when you miss your flight? I'll trade accommodations for knitting lessons.

My skills are not at audette's level (not even close) but I'm happy to trade for general "living in the U.K." tips

OMG, I love you even more now!!!!  Deal!  First tip (freebie), drink lots of alcohol.

Not to thread-jack, but how are preparations going?

[audette]

Aug 29, 2014 9:41:24 GMT -5 @mx said:

I flew through Heathrow in '06 during the "severe" alert and the security line was long (but it's Heathrow so...) but otherwise uneventful. They did ask a lot of questions about my shampoo. Like "how do you use this?" Uh you put it in your hair with water?

Oh, yeah, I'm not overly worried about the craziness of it, but the impact of additional security on how long it takes to get thru the security lines does have me mildly concerned. The 2 hour connection should have been enough time to get thru it all and to have time for a drink and some munchies in the lounge before heading to whatever remote terminal my connecting flight takes off from (for some reason, I often seem to fly in/out of 5B or 5C).

The hour connection, though, would have been tight. With this security impact (if it's still in place), possible too tight. We'll see.

UnderProtest - I might send you a PM about our flight info, just in case.

[alleinesein]

What airline are you flying?

I had a 1 hour 20 minute connection earlier this month and they let me skip the main security line at T5 and allowed me to go directly to the B concourse security line and it was empty. If you are flying BA via T5 check the board and see if you have that option.

If you have to switch terminals you may be screwed. I had a BA flight end up at T1 and then had to take the bus to T5 and it took an hour to get there and then I still had to go through security.

[babsbunny]

Would you dare bring no carry-ons? Or just one tiny one? Maybe wear a coat with pockets with the limited number of things you can survive on?

The two times it took forever for me to connect in Heathrow (fall 2012) they were hand searching every 5th bag. The computer randomly decided. They would be backed up about 5 bags, so first you had to wait for other searches and then had to deal with your own hand search, where electronics, liquids, and shoes were double checked in addition to EVERYTHING being removed. One time, a person in front of me made it very clear (in a worried not mean way) that they were running out of time waiting for their bag to be searched. The security line did not make any special accommodations for them and made some comment about all airlines knowing that customers would be taking longer to get through security. I doubt anyone had a plane held for them.

Good luck.

[alleinesein]

Aug 30, 2014 9:21:12 GMT -5 babsbunny said:

The two times it took forever for me to connect in Heathrow (fall 2012) they were hand searching every 5th bag. The computer randomly decided. They would be backed up about 5 bags, so first you had to wait for other searches and then had to deal with your own hand search, where electronics, liquids, and shoes were double checked in addition to EVERYTHING being removed. One time, a person in front of me made it very clear (in a worried not mean way) that they were running out of time waiting for their bag to be searched. The security line did not make any special accommodations for them and made some comment about all airlines knowing that customers would be taking longer to get through security. I doubt anyone had a plane held for them.

Good luck.

OMG.  Fall 2012 sucked at LHR!  I flew through T5 twice and had all of my bags hand searched both times!  They didnt had seach my bag this month but I guess if the threat level is still high in November I need to be prepared to be delayed yet again because they really like to search my stuff!

[audette]

They're all BA flights, booked on BA's website, so if we miss a flight, resolution should be as easy as is possible when we're talking about getting halfway around the world... But, at least this means all the flights will be in/out of terminal 5.

I always check the transfer boards to see if I need to go back to the main terminal. I always seem to have to. Hopefully I can take advantage of fast-track, even though it really isn't all that fast a lot of the time.



And, no, flying with limited/no carryon stuff is not an option. Part of this trip will be for work for me, and there are work items I have to hand-carry. No other option. Each direction includes a 12 hour flight, plus connections. Nope, not going to go without stuff for that long.


We're pretty much assuming the 1 hour connection on the return is highly unlikely. DH has booked an extra day of leave at the tail end of our trip, which was to recover from jetlag, but it does mean he won't be in trouble if our return is slightly delayed. My employer will be mildly annoyed by an additional day away from the office, but they can suck it up - I've taken 1 vacation day in over a year, and it was on the tail end of a business trip so I could spend the weekend with family and fly home on the Monday...

[alleinesein]

Is this for your Germany trip? My BA flight from Germany landed at T1 and my connecting flight was at T5; not sure if that was a one off or the norm for flights from the EU.

[audette]

Aug 30, 2014 11:53:11 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

Is this for your Germany trip? My BA flight from Germany landed at T1 and my connecting flight was at T5; not sure if that was a one off or the norm for flights from the EU.

Yep, it is. That sounds unusual for BA flights, though. Most of them are via T5 these days. Some of their partner airlines operate out of other terminals, though, so those may have inter-terminal connections...

If we have to change terminals on the return flight with the short connection, we're screwed, regardless of security issues.

[frlcb]

Aug 30, 2014 23:43:16 GMT -5 audette said:

Aug 30, 2014 11:53:11 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

Is this for your Germany trip? My BA flight from Germany landed at T1 and my connecting flight was at T5; not sure if that was a one off or the norm for flights from the EU.

Yep, it is. That sounds unusual for BA flights, though. Most of them are via T5 these days. Some of their partner airlines operate out of other terminals, though, so those may have inter-terminal connections...

If we have to change terminals on the return flight with the short connection, we're screwed, regardless of security issues.

BA flies in and out of T1,3,5, depending on where you are going/coming from. You can check and see which terminals here: www.britishairways.com/travel/routedest/public/en_us

Honestly an hour even in and out of the same terminal without the security risk elevated is short, I would never do less than two at heathrow. I say hope for the best but prepare for missing your flight and see what your other options are if you do. We fly to the UK often, to Newcastle, and stopped flying through heathrow and now go through Paris or Amsterdam because the security at heathrow is such a hassle.

[audette]

Aug 31, 2014 6:42:46 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Aug 30, 2014 23:43:16 GMT -5 audette said:

Yep, it is. That sounds unusual for BA flights, though. Most of them are via T5 these days. Some of their partner airlines operate out of other terminals, though, so those may have inter-terminal connections...

If we have to change terminals on the return flight with the short connection, we're screwed, regardless of security issues.

BA flies in and out of T1,3,5, depending on where you are going/coming from. You can check and see which terminals here: www.britishairways.com/travel/routedest/public/en_us

Honestly an hour even in and out of the same terminal without the security risk elevated is short, I would never do less than two at heathrow. I say hope for the best but prepare for missing your flight and see what your other options are if you do. We fly to the UK often, to Newcastle, and stopped flying through heathrow and now go through Paris or Amsterdam because the security at heathrow is such a hassle.

*shrug*  BA is one of the airlines partnered with my FF airline of choice.  So I get to see a lot of Heathrow.

That link is worrisome, though - it doesn't show _any_ of our flights, not even the ones tomorrow (and while the short flight _might_ be operated by an affiliate, the long-haul is most certainly a BA flight)...

[frlcb]

Aug 31, 2014 7:04:09 GMT -5 audette said:

Aug 31, 2014 6:42:46 GMT -5 frlcb said:

BA flies in and out of T1,3,5, depending on where you are going/coming from. You can check and see which terminals here: www.britishairways.com/travel/routedest/public/en_us

Honestly an hour even in and out of the same terminal without the security risk elevated is short, I would never do less than two at heathrow. I say hope for the best but prepare for missing your flight and see what your other options are if you do. We fly to the UK often, to Newcastle, and stopped flying through heathrow and now go through Paris or Amsterdam because the security at heathrow is such a hassle.

*shrug*  BA is one of the airlines partnered with my FF airline of choice.  So I get to see a lot of Heathrow.

That link is worrisome, though - it doesn't show _any_ of our flights, not even the ones tomorrow (and while the short flight _might_ be operated by an affiliate, the long-haul is most certainly a BA flight)...

I'm not suggesting you stop flying through Heathrow, just sharing my experience with Heathrow, which I have spent a lot of time in between living in London for 3 years and my IL's living in the UK. I don't know why your flights aren't showing up, that is strange. You could get lucky and have plenty of time to get through, but I would have a backup plan in case you miss your flight.

[audette]

Aug 31, 2014 8:01:26 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Aug 31, 2014 7:04:09 GMT -5 audette said:

*shrug*  BA is one of the airlines partnered with my FF airline of choice.  So I get to see a lot of Heathrow.

That link is worrisome, though - it doesn't show _any_ of our flights, not even the ones tomorrow (and while the short flight _might_ be operated by an affiliate, the long-haul is most certainly a BA flight)...

I'm not suggesting you stop flying through Heathrow, just sharing my experience with Heathrow, which I have spent a lot of time in between living in London for 3 years and my IL's living in the UK. I don't know why your flights aren't showing up, that is strange. You could get lucky and have plenty of time to get through, but I would have a backup plan in case you miss your flight.

No worries. We have a backup plan (DH has an extra day of leave at the end of the trip, and an extra night hotel somewhere won't be the end of the world, my employer will not freak out if I have travel interruptions, as most of us fly enough that we're familiar with it happening every now and then).

I fly thru heathrow about 6-8 times a year for work. So I'm moderately familiar with the flights I usually take thru there, and what security is like. Hopefully our return will work out, but if it doesn't, well, maybe we'll get to meet UnderProtest... That would be kinda cool!