rkkwan

I've avoided it since 1982! 8-)

jean253

I was born in Uk now live in USA .We arrived there on the day of the car bombs & left the next day 3 hours in the security line !!! apart for all the reasons stated what about treking your luggage from terminal 4 to 1 about a 15 minute uphill walk , I also think the general attitude is "CUSTOMER NO SERVICE. if I can't find a way of avoiding LHR I for one will stay here.

Gavin

Apart from a breakdown of baggage machinery one night after I arrived from Addis I have had no bad experiences with Heathrow. That said, seeing how passangers have been treated in various "alert" situations has me rethinking my non-aversion to LHR. Since my next two trips will be to South America I don't have to think about Heathrow for a while.

alya

Thankfully there is now a direct flight from Boston to Manchester - I will always avoid LHR, it's such a depressing airport.

We used to live 5 miles away and rarely used LHR - although my favorite garden centre was next door and I enjoyed watching the take-offs/landings while buying plants

LeighTravelClub

If at all possible, avoid Heathrow.Surely it has to be one of the worst airports in the world.

Libretto

Heathrow is nowhere near as bad as CDG in Paris, which I think is the airport from hell, but Heathrow is a big black hole that sucks every plane into its maw.It's incredibly crowded,badly sign posted, noisy, and has limited seating, although it does have the advantage of the train right at the airport.

Sadly,I'd have to say there is nothing quite like facing a Heathrow employee after a 24 hour flight from Australia - unfortunately it's rarely been a positive experience.

I would never choose an airport because of its shops. Prices are no better and really shopping at airports is just a way to kill time, give me a book anytime!

Carrybean

I love LHR but I've never transferred through there & fly Biz class so I get fast-tracked. Never a problem with my luggage (knock wood) so far & I really like AA's lounge there.

Sue_xx_yy

I actually think the signage at LHR is pretty good. (I especially think that after my last trip through CDG.) I also think the airport's managers do pretty well given the constraints they must deal with - it's not like they can rip the whole thing apart and just rebuild from the ground up.

On the other hand, I make a point of never connecting through LHR. As we are on holiday, we have the luxury of opting for an overnight instead. (We also not infrequently have to change airports anyway, say from LHR to LGW.)

The tax is a bore - but if it discourages yet more growth in traffic when they already struggle with present levels, then so be it.

Gordon_R

It's hardly surprising LHR's reputuation has sunk so low. The place is an incompetently-managed, overcrowded hell-hole, which has only become worse over the past few years (9/11, BA strikes, last summer's bomg plot, last December's fog, the list goes on...). Heathrow really is a national disgrace, especially when you see how well "flagship" airports in other countries are run (Schiphol, Hong Kong, Munich,....)

Small wonder frequent business travellers (myself included) are now preoccupied with ways to avoid LHR. Wherever possible I use teleconferences, my local airport (Southampton), or LGW (a pain to get to but slightly more sane than LHR). One colleague of mine is even taking long distance overnight trains to get to business meetings in Madrid and Rome, just to avoid the stress of flying.

lauralamb

I've never had any bad experiences at Heathrow and I think they do very well to keep it going relatively efficiently given the chronic shortage of space and only two runways. It is the world's busiest international aiport after all! The new terminal 5 is due to open next Spring which should free things up considerably in the other terminals except terminal 2 which will be demolished...