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[edit] General
Heathrow Airport, located west of London, is the busiest airport that serves London, England, UK. Other London airports include Stansted and Luton to the north of London, Gatwick to the south of London, and London City Airport along the Thames River in the Docklands Area of London.
BAA offer official Heathrow Airport Maps online.
[edit] Carry-On Luggage
The policy of the Heathrow Airport operator (BAA) is to strictly enforce the IATA Recommendations on carry-on luggage size. This means that the maximum dimensions of carry-on baggage are routinely verified using test bins located at the entrance to pre-flight security screening. The IATA rule (below) is different from the customary US rule of "45 linear inches", as it has fixed maxima along each axis.
To quote the IATA Web Site:
Cabin baggage should have maximum length of 22 in (56 cm), width of 18 in (45 cm) and depth of 10 in (25 cm). These dimensions include wheels, handles, side pockets, etc.
Of course, one might get lucky at the checkpoint, but the above rule is normally strictly enforced at all LHR Security Checkpoints.
[edit] Security Information
Destination-specific current Security Information is available from the LHR web site here.
[edit] Airline/Terminal Changes
BAA, the commercial firm who operate London/Heathrow, are undertaking a "Grand Plan" to realign which terminal buildings are used by which airlines. Their overall goal is to put airlines with common alliances into the same terminal building. BAA keep altering the airline move schedules, so it is wise to verify one's arrival terminal and departure terminal before arriving at Heathrow.
[edit] Heathrow Terminal Updates
- Terminal 1 is being gutted and refurbished wing by wing at present, while still being used for flight operations.
- Terminal 2 closed forever in November 2009 and will be demolished to make room for the initial phase of the Heathrow East terminal.
- Terminal 3's entry area was reworked during 2009 to provide improved physical security.
- Terminal 5 opened in 2008.
[edit] Airline Alliances
Many airlines have cooperative arrangements. The three main airline alliances are "Star Alliance", "One World", and "Sky Team". All of these have at least some presence at Heathrow Airport.
[edit] Star Alliance
Terminal 1 is where all of the Star Alliance carriers will eventually operate. Austrian, British Midland (BMI), Croatia, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand, South African Airways, Swiss, TAP, United Airlines, and US Airways each operate from LHR Terminal 1. (Terminal 2 is being demolished starting in late 2009 to create space for construction of a permanent Star Alliance Terminal, to be known as "Heathrow East" terminal.)
As of November 2009, Continental Airlines (CO) continues to operate from LHR Terminal 4, which primarily serves "SkyTeam" airlines. Because CO has a limited number of daily flights to/from LHR, and there is some spare gate capacity at LHR Terminal 1 now that the refurbishment has progressed there, and gates are tight in Terminal 4, some people have speculated that CO might move to LHR Terminal 1 sometime in Spring 2010.
Most other Star Alliance airlines (e.g. Air Canada, Air China, All Nippon Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Scandinavian Air System, Thai International Airways) continue to use Terminal 3 (correct as of December 2009).
British Midland (BMI) have significant UK domestic and Ireland routes, and reasonable connectivity into continental Europe as well. Star Alliance passengers often connect to BMI for UK/Ireland destinations. A separate wing of Terminal is 1 used for these BMI flights within the UK and to/from the Republic of Ireland.. BMI have their own Star Alliance Gold lounge in the UK+Ireland area of Terminal 1.
[edit] Star Alliance Lounges
In Terminal 1, a joint "Star Alliance Gold Lounge" has been open since June 2009. One must show one's Star Alliance Gold card and a same-day boarding pass to enter this lounge. Because boarding passes printed at home using "online check-in" are easily forged, the lounge staff do require one to have one's Star Alliance Gold card actually in-hand to gain entrance to the lounge.
United Airlines fliers should note that this is NOT a Red Carpet Club, so different rules apply about sponsoring guests/colleagues to enter the Star Alliance Gold Lounge at LHR.
US Airways Club members should note that one must have a club card with a Star Alliance Lounge logo printed upon it to gain access. The US Airways Club card with only a Red Carpet Club logo is not good enough because this is NOT a Red Carpet Club.
There is also a "Star Alliance Arrivals Lounge" (by invitation only -- reception staff check for a paper pass) in Terminal 1, after clearing UK Customs and UK Immigration. This has limited operating hours, and is primarily used for early morning arrivals from overseas with paid business-class or paid first-class tickets (not including upgrades from Economy to Business).
In Terminal 3, Singapore Airlines (SQ) has a Kris Flyer Lounge and Scandinavian Air System (SAS) also have a lounge. Air Canada offers access to the SAS lounge for outbound flights and operates its own arrivals lounge for inbound flights.
[edit] One World
British AIrways has Heathrow as its primary hub airport, of course.
- British Airways primarily operates out of the new Terminal 5, which is rather distant from Terminals 1 & 3.
- American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Qantas also operate from Heathrow.
[edit] One World Lounges
British Airways (BA) have 2 Terraces lounges in Terminal 5A (at North and South ends respectively), and a further Terraces lounge in Terminal 5B. Terraces lounges are available to passengers travelling in Business Class or those with OW Sapphire (or better) status. There is also the FIRST lounge in Terminal 5A (open to passengers travelling in FIRST or with Emerald OW status), and the invitation-only Concorde Room. Both of these are at the south end of Terminal 5.
Cathay Pacific (CX) have a lounge in Terminal 3. American Airlines (AA) have a departure lounge and an AArrivals lounge, both located in Terminal 3. The AArrivals Lounge has a somewhat restrictive admission policy, but at least some non-AA One World airlines have arrangements to use this arrivals lounge.
[edit] Sky Team
Air France, Delta, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Korean Air all operate from Heathrow, but none of them have a major presence.
- Most SkyTeam Airlines operate from LHR Terminal 4.
- The long-term plan is for all SkyTeam airlines to use Terminal 4.
[edit] Sky Team Lounges
Several Sky Team lounges are located in Terminal 4.
[edit] Transportation within the Airport
Inter-Terminal buses exist, but are difficult to locate and use. One can use the Heathrow Express train to connect between Terminals 1/2/3 and Terminal 4 at no charge. Allow lots of time to change terminals at Heathrow if connecting there.
[edit] Transport to/from LHR
There are 3 primary public transport services to/from Heathrow Airport. Most public transport services shutdown between 2200 and 2300 daily and do not restart until early morning (perhaps 0500 to 0700).
[edit] London Underground
London Underground's Piccadilly Line runs between London Heathrow and central London. As this service stops numerous places along the way, it can take an hour or more to arrive at the airport from central London, depending on how well the London Underground is operating that day. This service is economical and serves all Terminals at Heathrow, including the new Terminal 5.
[edit] Heathrow Express
The moderately expensive Heathrow Express railway service connects London's Paddington railway station to Heathrow Airport, with stops at Paddington, Terminal 1/2/3 (a joint stop), and Terminal 4. The service normally runs every 15 minutes and takes about 15-20 minutes between the airport and Paddington. Paddington railway station connects to the London Underground's "Circle Line" and "Hammersmith & City" line. Both standard class and first class seats are offered.
[edit] Heathrow Connect
During 2008, a new Heathrow Connect rail service was added to London/Heathrow. This operates from the same railway platforms at Heathrow Airport as the Heathrow Express, and travels the same route, but is much more affordable. Unlike the Heathrow Express, this is a slower stopping service, also running between Heathrow and Paddington railway station. This service is especially convenient for passengers connecting to National Rail services to the west of Heathrow. One can connect to the west-bound Great Western Railway (GWR) mainline services at the Hayes & Harlington GWR station.
[edit] Other National Rail Services
An express bus runs at scheduled intervals between Heathrow Airport and the Reading railway station. There are also express bus services to selected other cities, including Cambridge and Oxford. From the Heathrow Bus Terminal there are also express bus services to Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport. These services all operate from the Heathrow Bus Terminal.
Local bus services (Route 140) connect the Hayes & Harlington railway station with Heathrow Airport. These buses are relatively low cost, compared with the intra-Airport 'Hoppa Bus' scheme, so this can be one of the best ways to reach a hotel along Bath Road if one is staying near the airport the night before one's departure. These local bus services do accept a London Oyster Card (electronic payment card).
[edit] Airport Car Hire
You will find all major car rental companies where you can find heathrow car hire. You will find car hire desks for the following companies:
- Avis
- BabaCar
- Europcar
- Hertz
- NationalCar
[edit] Airport Hotels
A number of hotels exist on Bath Road adjacent to the northern runway at Heathrow Airport. Most of these have "Hoppa Bus" connections every 20 minutes or so during the main part of the day (0530 to 2230).
- The bus costs about 5 UK pounds/person.
- Hoppa Bus tickets can be bought from the Front Desk of the hotel, and normally can be added to one's room bill.
- Be careful to verify that the bus you board is going to the Airport Terminal that you intend to go to.
- Some buses only go to Terminal 5, other buses only go to Terminals 1 & 3.
