It appears that a new trial at London Heathrow airport will simplify international connections starting on Tuesday. Dubbed “One Stop Security,” the initiative will initially allow passengers arriving from the U.S. into terminal 3 to bypass the standard security check.
- Currently, connecting passengers have passports checked and then are routed through security, even though they do not have to enter the U.K.
- Under the trial, U.S.-arriving passengers at terminal 3 will be able to connect to a flight in terminals 3 or 5, with a bus meeting the aircraft to provide an airside drop off at those terminals.
- The test runs through March 25, 2025, but is expected to be extended and also expanded to all U.S. arriving flights.
From 4 February 2025, passengers arriving into LHR on BA226 Atlanta to LHR into T3, can connect to their next T3 or T5 flight without passing via a security check. There will be a coach system in place from the aircraft direct into airside T3 or T5, allowing passengers easier and faster connections.
This covers all services from ATL and DFW, with BA, AA, VS, DL into T3, and again covering connections via T5. I don’t think BA192 (DFW-LHR) is in scope just yet, since it comes into T5 not T3, but that presumably would be the next option.
If the test is deemed successful, it could be extended to European arrivals as well. There have been discussions around offering similar international-to-international connecting services at U.S. airports (which for the most part aren’t well set up to segregate outbound international passengers – they usually leave from domestic terminals, and passengers could just exit the airport into the U.S. if they wished).
This would certainly make London Heathrow more desirable as a connecting airport, even with having to do busing. About a year ago changing terminals took me 3 buses and 95 minutes and that didn’t even save me from going through passport checks and security.
It would also help to offset the inconvenience of the new UK ETA program which operates like an electronic visa. While not strictly speaking necessary for connecting passengers, it’s advisable to be able to enter whatever country you’re connecting through if possible, in case of irregular flight operations.
Please fire that thief of a security agent who keeps stealing from transit passengers at LHR T3–She literally takes one token item from every passengers toiletries. Watch out everybody!
This is great news.
Very good. It is too bad that the UK’s electronic system is good for only 2 years while the EU’s is 3. It would have made travel simpler if they had gone to 3 also.
@drrichard That’s what the new President should do. Threaten tariffs and nuclear war unless the ETA for the UK and EU are free to US citizens and be willing to make a deal to not start tariffs or nuclear war as well as offer the UK and richer EU countries free ETAs.