Tweet
Terminal 5: Heathrow's Flagship Terminal, for good reason too!
Most travellers avoid Heathrow like a smelly sock, or an ugly baby. But Terminal 5 is the most bearable of the 5 LHR terminals, it is the terminal that is exclusive to British Airways and is located a good way away from the rest of the terminals. As you walk in, you're amazed and surprised by the high ceilings, the HUGE number of check-in desks, self check-in machines and so on.
1st Complaint: Club and First Check-in are at the very very very end of the terminal. It makes no sense if you're coming up from the Heathrow Express.
2nd Complaint: The self check in boarding pass looks like it is made from old school fax machine paper. Floppy and embarrassing.
3rd Complaint: Service from BA's ground staff is inconsistent, there is no way around it. Initially I thought it was confined to the immigration staff, then I realised this is the case with the check-in counter personnel too. The lady serving the customers before me was polite and patient, she left and was replaced by this girl who seemed to think I was an inconvenience to her, and failed to put the Priority Bag tag on without me reminding her.
All that jazz done, I breezed through security *Fast Track is a god send. The queues look monstrous otherwise* And popped out on the other side to see Gordon Ramsey's Plane Food on my left. I'd made a reservation there ahead of time and hustled over to have a most luxurious lunch, which came out to 50 pounds with drink. *Definitely an indulgence*
I then proceeded to check out the Lounge. I did not really have time to look into Galleries North, but made my way to Galleries South. Club customers get to go to the top floor, and as you walk in, the first thing that hits you is how airy the lounge is... but for the sheer mass of people milling around. It's a bit of a shambles, but only a bit, because the food is constantly replaced and there's a lot of it, there're drinks, there're cafe bars, and a bartender at the extreme right hand side of the lounge should you desire. My distinct impression was that there were enough seats for everyone. You just won't have much sense of personal space even if that is the case. There's internet access, and photocopying/printing services available and one does get the definite idea that this flagship lounge is truly a flagship in every sense of the word. If only the people would get out of the way.
As my flight was called, I headed down, and it is clear that however packed the lounge was, the waiting area was worse. My flight was quite full and people were milling around waiting for the plane, and boarding was thankfully not a complete melee. As I settled into my seat, it became quite clear that this was going to be a nice flight. There's enough space, and slightly more leg room. BA provides FT and The Independent for free as one boards, and they provide good company for a short flight like this.
Most travellers avoid Heathrow like a smelly sock, or an ugly baby. But Terminal 5 is the most bearable of the 5 LHR terminals, it is the terminal that is exclusive to British Airways and is located a good way away from the rest of the terminals. As you walk in, you're amazed and surprised by the high ceilings, the HUGE number of check-in desks, self check-in machines and so on.
1st Complaint: Club and First Check-in are at the very very very end of the terminal. It makes no sense if you're coming up from the Heathrow Express.
2nd Complaint: The self check in boarding pass looks like it is made from old school fax machine paper. Floppy and embarrassing.
3rd Complaint: Service from BA's ground staff is inconsistent, there is no way around it. Initially I thought it was confined to the immigration staff, then I realised this is the case with the check-in counter personnel too. The lady serving the customers before me was polite and patient, she left and was replaced by this girl who seemed to think I was an inconvenience to her, and failed to put the Priority Bag tag on without me reminding her.
All that jazz done, I breezed through security *Fast Track is a god send. The queues look monstrous otherwise* And popped out on the other side to see Gordon Ramsey's Plane Food on my left. I'd made a reservation there ahead of time and hustled over to have a most luxurious lunch, which came out to 50 pounds with drink. *Definitely an indulgence*
I then proceeded to check out the Lounge. I did not really have time to look into Galleries North, but made my way to Galleries South. Club customers get to go to the top floor, and as you walk in, the first thing that hits you is how airy the lounge is... but for the sheer mass of people milling around. It's a bit of a shambles, but only a bit, because the food is constantly replaced and there's a lot of it, there're drinks, there're cafe bars, and a bartender at the extreme right hand side of the lounge should you desire. My distinct impression was that there were enough seats for everyone. You just won't have much sense of personal space even if that is the case. There's internet access, and photocopying/printing services available and one does get the definite idea that this flagship lounge is truly a flagship in every sense of the word. If only the people would get out of the way.
As my flight was called, I headed down, and it is clear that however packed the lounge was, the waiting area was worse. My flight was quite full and people were milling around waiting for the plane, and boarding was thankfully not a complete melee. As I settled into my seat, it became quite clear that this was going to be a nice flight. There's enough space, and slightly more leg room. BA provides FT and The Independent for free as one boards, and they provide good company for a short flight like this.
Comment