Did anybody fly with BA through London Heathrow recently with firearms?

[Doubleplay]

Did anybody fly with BA trough London Heathrow recently with firearms and how was the experience?

Thanks

 

[sierraone]

Did anybody fly with BA trough London Heathrow recently with firearms and how was the experience?

Thanks

There can be all kind of complications of carrying guns through Heathrow. Highly not recommended. Contact you travel agent and see what she currently says.

 

[Doubleplay]

There can be all kind of complications of carrying guns through Heathrow. Highly not recommended. Contact you travel agent and see what she currently says.

Thanks. I'm looking for a recent real life experience not hearsay. Also we don't do travel agencies. My wife works for a major US airline and trust me you get the best prices when you book direct unless you're a group and after a package tour.

 

[spike.t]

As long as you are flying BA on all sections should be fine..

 

[wesheltonj]

I've been thru Heathrow recently (May), but not with guns this past trip. When I have been thru, with guns it's not been a problem, just expensive. However, my daughter who just returned returned from Victoria Falls thru Heathrow had a cancelled flight from Heathrow to Austin on BA (July). They put her on an AA flight two days later. She was able to get an same day flight on AA from Heathrow. Generally BA does not cancel long haul flights. I have not heard of a Heathrow meltdown like last year, but I did not have any problems last year too.

As long as you are on BA metal from the USA/Canada to Heathrow you should not have a problem, just make sure you have a adequate layover each way (al least 2 hours). And Gatwick to Heathrow it can be done but not recommended. (Requires a very long layover and you have to advance notice the bonded carrier).

 

[Hunting Hitman]

BA is a nightmare waiting to happen. It may be more convenient as a flight but the staffing at BA is horrendous and loss of permits, flight delays, and a complete lack of disregard for customer satisfaction. I just lost 2 days of safari and had to book on Turkish because they couldn’t find my rifle authorization in the system.

HH

 

[IvW]

I would avoid it like at all costs.....

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I flew through Heathrow in 2019 but I don't think it involved British Airways. For a while they weren't carrying guns but last year they were again accepting them. Their fee for handling is insane. I always book with Star Alliance Group affiliated airlines. My guns are checked in with Air Canada when I leave home and I never see them again till I'm checking them in with police at Joberg airport. That included the trip through Heathrow (and 11 hour layover there!). I usually schedule my long layovers in either Frankfurt or Zurich with flights from/to there on Swiss or Lufthansa. It is possible to fly direct from Atlanta or New Jersey to Joberg but my understanding is the flights arrive so late there that overnight stay at hotel is required if connecting to a domestic carrier for last leg. ALWAYS give yourself at least two hours in Joberg to catch that domestic flight if guns are coming along. Always!

As mentioned above, connecting from a British domestic flight to an Africa flight is complicated at Heathrow. It involves moving the gun between terminals and that requires a bonded courier.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

BA is a nightmare waiting to happen. It may be more convenient as a flight but the staffing at BA is horrendous and loss of permits, flight delays, and a complete lack of disregard for customer satisfaction. I just lost 2 days of safari and had to book on Turkish because they couldn’t find my rifle authorization in the system.

HH

Weren't you carrying a hard copy?

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Weren't you carrying a hard copy?

I did however It didn’t matter. They claimed it was not in their system and no one was available or cared to fix it.

HH

 

[Major Bonkers]

If you live in Britain, you generally have a horror story about your experiences with the police, 'our' National Health Service ('the envy of the world'), and BA.

I actually have two horror stories about BA; the first when I was flying with a rifle from Heathrow to Barcelona, and they used the excuse of the rifle to send me off to the Indian ladies of doom and bump me from my flight, and the second when I was flying back from Marrakesh, where the cabin crew bizarrely served the tea or coffee, then lunch, and retired to draw the curtain and have their private piss-up in the back of the 'plane. When the chap sitting at the end of my row pressed the buzzer and asked for a cup of coffee after his meal, the flamboyant steward took umbrage, summoned the purser, and they were lining up to have the man arrested at Heathrow. It was at this point that I butted-in, and pointed out that the chap had not been rude or impolite, and everyone retired.

The direct Heathrow to Johannesburg route used to be carved up between SAA, BA, and Virgin. I always used to fly with SAA, but after the endemic corruption put an end to them I have always flown Virgin; and always in the cheap seats.

BA staff - generally - have an appalling attitude towards customer service, and the current public movement in Britain against safari hunting does nothing to help. By contrast, I have never had anything but excellent service from Virgin staff. This year, I had had a problem with my rifles at the Heathrow x-ray department: the Virgin staff came and found me (waiting at the customs office), sorted it out, and a cool black dude called Calvin walked me back through check-in. What could have been a catastrophic missing my flight was reduced to a pain the arse dash for the gate.

 

[wesheltonj]

I certainly understand those, living in the UK not liking BA. Most of us in the USA or Canada have horror stories with AA, UA, DL and AC. I have DL for a ski trip with no bags - thus no ski clothes and I have so many with United its hard to list them all. However, the worst would have to be on United from Heathrow to Houston on their POS 767, transferred to a different flight, only regular cattle class available (not what I paid for, and no refund either), left 4 hours late, only available seat - broken, no recline, overweight stinky guy next to me with part of him rolling over into my seat and having to turn my head for 8 hours to keep from smelling him and NO "free" drinks in Economy.

BA is much better to fly long haul then any USA airline. Now, I will agree that Emirates is certainly better then BA. BA certainly has one of the same problems that effect USA carriers too, that is FA that have been overdue for greener pastures are still working.

 

[spike.t]

Yeah used to fly BA when I was other side of the counter hunting...ie a client...was years ago in what was considered the bad BA days into where it changed ,and cost for security people to handle it, as opposed th baggage handlers ( who in those days I used to give a nice tip to) yeah it cost but your gun cases are accounted for by a security person who you had a signed document from...who had to put them in secure storage then put on the correct flight....in all those years never had a problem...and with the document in later years you had if something went wrong a name of the person to hold responsible....am sure there are fkups but the way any airline travel is after the Chinese virus shitstorm and the airlines still playing catchup....crap going to happen....just been counting on my fingers and that time period was over more than 15 years.....so

 

[BRICKBURN]

I wish I could share recent tales of a BA trip with guns. I will bet that the COVID experience has not been fun for anyone with any airline. More excuses and lack of service than I want to hear about for sure.
My biggest bitch is their new tax for taking your firearm along. Each leg, each plane,
Otherwise, I have never had an issue flying BA to Heathrow and onward with a firearm. Always arrived with me.
Hope someone can provide recent experience for your digestion.

 

[Doubleplay]

I've been thru Heathrow recently (May), but not with guns this past trip. When I have been thru, with guns it's not been a problem, just expensive. However, my daughter who just returned returned from Victoria Falls thru Heathrow had a cancelled flight from Heathrow to Austin on BA (July). They put her on an AA flight two days later. She was able to get an same day flight on AA from Heathrow. Generally BA does not cancel long haul flights. I have not heard of a Heathrow meltdown like last year, but I did not have any problems last year too.

As long as you are on BA metal from the USA/Canada to Heathrow you should not have a problem, just make sure you have a adequate layover each way (al least 2 hours). And Gatwick to Heathrow it can be done but not recommended. (Requires a very long layover and you have to advance notice the bonded carrier).

I fly thru Heathrow at least 3-4 times a year and I'm very familiar with the airport and it's problems. However I never flew with guns trough there and that's why asked the question. I'm looking at a point booking JFK-JNB all with BA metal all the way. What deters me is the tight connection time and the firearm fees.
As far as nightmare stories goes even the better airlines mess up. Last month coming back from SA via Doha(Qatar Airlines) we waited 3.5 hours at the Frankfurt airport for our priority tagged luggage delivered to the belt and no one to be found around.

 

[spike.t]

How long are connection times?

 

[IvW]

I would be more concerned about rifle received times......

 

[Doubleplay]

How long are connection times?

Same terminal(Terminal 5) 1.5 hours. I will be on the fast track but still need to clear security.

 

[spike.t]

Should be OK as long as no delays with first flight...but not much leeway...basically have to go straight to next departure gate.....

 

[Hank2211]

I have transited many times through Heathrow and never understood all of the negative comments. Now, I haven’t done it this year, but I’ve been told that nothing has changed Since my “COVID” trip and before.

There is an easy way and a hard way to transit LHR with a firearm.

If you want it to be easy, book both the arrival leg and the departure leg on the same airline or at least the same alliance. I have always booked Star Alliance and have never had an issue with the luggage going straight through, regardless of change of terminals.

If you want to make it harder, use different airlines in different alliances. If you want to make it hardest, arrive at Gatwick or Stanstead and leave out of LHR. Still doable, but a significant pain (you have to hire a company to convey the firearms between airports, etc. and it has to be arranged in advance).

Lastly, unless the UN has very recently changed its embargo on firearms to Zimbabwe, you can make your life even more difficult (which is to say, impossible) if the firearm is checked to that country.

Otherwise, pretty simple.