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-   -   Terminal 5 Heathrow Opens March 08 (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/terminal-5-heathrow-opens-march-08-a-740938/)

PalenQ Oct 5th, 2007 06:52 AM

Terminal 5 Heathrow Opens March 08
 
Terminal 5, a new era for air travel

The Latest British Airways e-mail to Executive Club members says:

"The countdown continues to the grand opening of British Airways-dedicated London Heathrow Terminal 5 in March. With 90% of British Airways flights using Terminal 5, you can be sure of a seamless travel experience. From the spacious departure area for all domestic and international flights through the Bag Drops to the single security area, everything has been designed to make travel easier, faster and more pleasant.

Getting there is a breeze, with direct access by London Underground, Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect and by road. And once there, you'll be able to choose from delicious dining options, including a Gordon Ramsay 200-seat restaurant. The shopping is impressive — Harrods, Ted Baker, and Mulberry, to name just a few of the luxury brands for you to peruse. It's all coming soon at Terminal 5."

Q- Wonder if the Gordon Ramsay restaurant will be booked up for months?

Can Heathrow really "make travel easier, faster and more pleasant" but then i guess that wouldn't take very much.


flanneruk Oct 5th, 2007 08:46 AM

How very unBritish - and fate-tempting.

When BA moved to the then "new" T4 in the mid-80s, the first month there was chaos. Ditto the baggage and cargo during the first couple of months at Chek Lap Kok. And as I understand it, Madrid's T4 hasn't exactly been the blissful customer experience its earlier propaganda promised.

You read it here first. Heathrow T5 will start off with a blaze of malfunctioning carousels and crashing IT systems. All because, now BA's run by a foreigner and BAA's owned by foreigners, they've forgotten the first rule of successful British organisations: under-promise, over-deliver.

They're over-promising. Underdelivery will follow as inevitably as an England defeat follows an Australian (or on Monday, even a bloody Sri Lankan) innings.

PalenQ Oct 5th, 2007 08:54 AM

Well it seems ther real winners will be whoever takes over Terminal 4 - if BA is moving 90% flights to Terminal 5.

Bet it won't be the likes of any competitor carriers on trans-Atlantic routes as terminal 3, one of the worst in terms of comfort and congestion i've been, does little to help them out so leave them there.

I suspose terminal 4 will be given over to Intra-european flights, etc.

rkkwan Oct 5th, 2007 08:57 AM

I know all Skyteam airlines will organize at T4, once BA moves out.

CO executives have said that they'll start IAH-LHR flight on 3/29 to T4, 5 days after BA moves. It'll be quite a mess for a while, they concede.

flanneruk Oct 5th, 2007 09:06 AM

There's a two-stage plan after March.

In theory, the rest of Oneworld, and the other 10% of BA (flights to Oz and nearby) move to T3, Star moves to T1 and Skyteam and non-aligned airlines to T4. Actually, that'll probably happen.

Then between 2008 and 2012, they're supposed to be rebuilding all of T1-3 as Heathrow East, starting with T2. But that requires both planning permission and a capex committment by BAA, who are currently in a fit of sulks because their regulator's trying to cap their extortionate profit, and the Competition Commission is threatening to break BAA up. BAA's idiot owners seriously thought they were buying a business they could manipulate government into exempting from proper supervision. Now that they're realising Britain's not the cosy world for government cronies they're used to at home, they're threatening to pick up their ball and go home.

The sooner the better, we all say.

PalenQ Oct 5th, 2007 09:45 AM

flanner - who owns BA now?

rkkwan Oct 5th, 2007 10:02 AM

BA's current CEo is Willie Walsh, who's Irish.

The parent company, British Airways PLC (BAY.L) is widely listed on the London Stock Exchange. Not sure who's the largest shareholder, but likely some big investment firms, and none hold a significant percentage of the shares.

flanneruk Oct 5th, 2007 10:58 PM

A couple of UK broker analysts have calculated that the majority of BA shares are owned by US-owned institutions.

Apparently, the way the legislation stipulated a 49% limit on foreign share ownership when BA was privatised didn't cater for UK-domiciled shareholding companies (like Goldman Sachs UK operation) being foreign-owned.

So BA - like all major "British" companies - is British only in the sense that its head office is here, and it's mostly the British taxman it avoids paying profit tax to. Its senior management, shareholders, workers and customers come from wherever is in the company's best commercial interest - which mostly means somewhere else.

Jean Oct 6th, 2007 09:20 AM

"You can be sure of a seamless travel experience..." That'll be the day.

rkkwan Oct 6th, 2007 12:08 PM

So, T5 is not even open, but already too small for BA?

alanRow Oct 7th, 2007 01:07 AM

Yup - cos they started the planning for this about 20 years ago before anyonw had ever thought of cheap flights. They are now building satellite terminals to T5

travlintoes Oct 7th, 2007 06:08 AM



Do you know which terminal AA uses at LHW?

Thanks.

Judy

rkkwan Oct 7th, 2007 06:21 AM

Since AA is oneworld, according the post by flanneruk above, they should remain at T3.

travlintoes Oct 7th, 2007 07:25 AM

rkkwan--Thanks for the info. Is terminal 3 decent to get through considering we'll have carry on's only? I was there in2003 and don't recall any real problems, but I know things have changed since then.

Judy

rkkwan Oct 7th, 2007 08:41 AM

Judy - I have no 1st hand information. I've successfully avoided LHR for 25 years. Really. :D

See if you get some responses here. Or post in the Airlines forum.

AAFrequentFlyer Oct 7th, 2007 08:51 AM

<b>Judy</b>,

one carry on ONLY and they mean it. A purse is one. You can always put the purse in the roller and take it out once past security but only 1 carry on per passenger through security. Don't forget the quart ziplock bag and all and any liquids have to be in 3 oz or smaller containers and fit into the ziplock bag. You need to have it out seperatly from your carry so the security people can exemine it. If you leave any liquids in your carry on they may be confiscated regardless of their size. They motto is &quot;declare it or lose it&quot;

Heathrow is a mess at the moment. If you are flying economy I would get there about 3 hours before. No &quot;fast track&quot; for economy passdengers through security and possible 3 or 4 secdurity checks. Interview before you check in, regular security, possible secondary at the gate and on the jetway. That's true for any US bound flights.


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