The Star Alliance connection service is now available at London Heathrow Airport.

This assists passengers with tight connections between two Star Alliance member airline flights.

Dedicated connection service staff use special software to monitor the transfer window for customers with onward flights.

Cases, where passengers and checked bags appear in danger of missing a connection, are automatically highlighted.

This allows agents to consider the various options available to ensure the customer reaches their onward flight, the most common of which is to arrange for the customer to be personally escorted between their arriving and departing gates.

For some customers, the service agent will instead book alternative options, before the in-bound flight lands.

“This year, we are marking five years of serving our customers at Heathrow’s state-of-the-art Terminal 2. 

“We understand just how important it is for our customers to make their connection on time. 

By introducing the Connection Service to London Heathrow, we aim to further improve our customers’ journeys, allowing them to connect from one Star Alliance airline to another, knowing their transfer is being taken care of,” said Julie Murphy, chair of the country steering council of Star Alliance member carriers in the UK.

London Heathrow is the 12th biggest Star Alliance transfer hub worldwide, with more than 430,000 interline transfer passengers connecting from one Star Alliance carrier to another each year.

The following Star Alliance member carriers serve London Heathrow: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, Ana, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, Eva Air, Lot Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Swiss, Tap Air Portugal, Thai, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.

The Connection Service was first introduced at Chicago O’Hare in 2017 as part of Star Alliance’s strategy of further improving the customer journey.

London Heathrow is the seventh Star Connection Centre to offer this service. 

The combined passenger and baggage expedite is now available at the following Star Alliance hubs: Chicago, Frankfurt, Houston, Munich, Newark, and Toronto.

At present, baggage-only expedite is offered at Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington.