Transiting in London airport and coronavirus

[ntoskrnl]

Hello guys!
Our visa is expiring soon, and we are thinking to try to fly to Canada before it expires.
Looks like our options are quite limited: we have to transit in London, Heathrow for 20 hours. Our flights are operated by two different airline companies, so we’ll have to enter the UK, check out the luggage and check it in for the next flight. We are going to stay at the airport for 20 hours, not planning to go out.

We found out that there are special self-isolation rules in place, for travelers who enter the UK. We can’t leave the airport and self-isolate in the UK for 14 days, as we have the an onward flight the next day to catch. And of course we will self-isolate once we land in Canada.

Do you think they will let us transit? I would really appreciate your thoughts. Maybe there is someone on the forum who is/was in a similar situation...

Thank you!

 

[Bs65]

If you read the attached link it implies transit without quarantine only allowed if not leaving airside so a 20 hour layover does not seem possible at present as you woud be leaving airside.

The UK is planning to review quarantine guidance every 3 weeks given there has been major objection from airlines who have just about grounded all of their flights and the surprise quarantine requirement that started June 8 has put all plans on hold..

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules

People transiting airside (individuals who arrive in the UK but do not pass border control)

You’ll need to complete the Public Health passenger locator form before you travel to the UK. You will not need to self-isolate for 14 days as you are only transiting via the UK.


You will not need to show anything as you will not pass through the UK border.

 

[ntoskrnl]

Thank you for your reply.
Looks like we have to stay home and wait for the time being.
Our COPR will expire next week.
Hopefully, we will be eligible for extension.

 

[Alt_]

If you are from Russia you are able to get to Minsk by bus and take a flight Minsk-Amsterdam-Toronto.
Landside transit is forbidden in UK right now.

 

[ntoskrnl]

We have read the rules many times... it looks like we might not need transit visa for overnight stay plus we don’t have to quarantine for 14 days, only for the period of our stay (which is 1 night)....

 

[ntoskrnl]

So for those who are or will be in a similar situation:

1. Even though we bought 2 separate tickets from 2 different airline companies, when checking in for our first flight to London, we were offered to redirect our luggage to our connecting flight from London to Toronto. So we didn’t have to cross transit zone in London to recheck our luggage.

2. Our transit in London is quite long, and we wanted to stay in a hotel (also we booked it in advance and didn’t want to loose the money). So we decided to enter the UK without visa. And they let us in.
The rules are:
- arrived and will depart by air
- have confirmed connecting flight on the same date or the next day
- the connecting flight must be to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and you must have visa to enter that country
So: we qualified for transit without visa, because we are flying to Canada for immigration.
But this decision (to let us in the UK) is the discretion of border force office, they might have said no if they saw anything suspicious.

 

[ntoskrnl]

Landslide transit is not forbidden in UK.

You just need to have some place to stay to self-isolate. We stayed in a hotel near the airport.

I have to say the airport is quite empty, hotels are empty too. The room service doesn’t work, you order from the restaurant and they give you food in containers, which you have to eat in your room. They don’t allow delivery.
So, not so pleasant experience, considering the prices didn’t change (while the quality decreased). Anyway, ok for one-day transit.

 

[Alt_]

Landslide transit is not forbidden in UK.

Are you in London now? Did you purchase two separate tickets?

 

[zabrodov]

Landslide transit is not forbidden in UK.

You just need to have some place to stay to self-isolate. We stayed in a hotel near the airport.

I have to say the airport is quite empty, hotels are empty too. The room service doesn’t work, you order from the restaurant and they give you food in containers, which you have to eat in your room. They don’t allow delivery.
So, not so pleasant experience, considering the prices didn’t change (while the quality decreased). Anyway, ok for one-day transit.

Hey, which airlines did you end up using? Was it Aeroflot regular to Heathrow and then Air Canada to the final destination?
Could you tell a little bit about the tickets please? Like where did you find the tickets.

I have been monitoring the forum vinskogo for weeks now but I think you are the only person on the web so far who managed to get to Canada via this route.

Моя жена всё улететь не может из Мск)

 

[ntoskrnl]

We managed to buy Aeroflot. Because we were unsure that they let us out of Russia (with the restrictions in place), we didn’t book the next flight from London.
But at check in time they (Aeroflot) required us to but the ticket from London, and said that once we got the ticket we would able to fly, you would be able to transit without visa and your luggage will go to Canada automatically. So we bought the tickets.
Also if you try to buy tickets via booking websites, it’s gonna be more expensive. Like 400 000 rub, but if you buy yourself from airlines directly - 150000 (price for 2 people)

 

[ntoskrnl]

Hey, which airlines did you end up using? Was it Aeroflot regular to Heathrow and then Air Canada to the final destination?
Could you tell a little bit about the tickets please? Like where did you find the tickets.

I have been monitoring the forum vinskogo for weeks now but I think you are the only person on the web so far who managed to get to Canada via this route.

Моя жена всё улететь не может из Мск)

If you destination is Toronto, last time I checked, there was a flight through Frankfurt on 19 June.I think you can transit there without visa. Aeroflot - air Canada.