London Heathrow Airport Passenger Reviews and Customer opinions

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 3 September 2008 : by David Leston

Customer Rating : 5/5

At last a world class airport at Heathrow. Terminal 5 is great; it's light, beautiful and absolutely enormous - in a good way. There were few or no queues - and the place gave the impression of being nearly empty, even though there was plenty going on airside, which was all clearly visible through the massive windows. Brilliant.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 2 September 2008 : by Gary Marsh

Customer Rating : 5/5

Flew out of terminal five for the first time. Loved the openness and airiness of the building. Not keen on the fast bag drop which was not fast at all in my humble opinion however the staff were friendly and cheerful. Good business class lounge facilities and fast track very good. Excellent shopping facilities and good layout. Baggage not marked priority which was disappointing which meant quite a long wait at both ends. On the return to T5 quite a long walk to baggage reclaim and it seemed a long time again to wait for the baggage to come through. Immigration staff welcoming and overall a nice airport certainly an improvement on the other terminals.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 21 August 2008 : by T Maddern

Customer Rating : 5/5

Terminal 5 - it is easy to find your way around, bright and plenty of room. If you want to go for a walk to any of the satellite terminals from the main one, make sure you allow 20 mins to get back by walking along a path in a tunnel. I thought prices were reasonable for an airport, I was happy with signs and the cleanliness if the airport. On our return home, we were off the aircraft, through immigration, we had collected our bags and were waiting outside for the shuttle to our car park within 25 mins. That sums up my experience really. I'm glad that BAA and BA have sorted out their bugs and they keep up the good work.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 21 August 2008 : by Bill Atkins

Customer Rating : 4/5

Starting a journey in T5 is very much better than a transit from the other terminals. Not the endless walking and escalators and much quicker and organized security. So far have not experienced a T5 connection - hopefully that will be better too. If Hong Kong can guarantee a 1-hour connect maybe we will one day enjoy that on BA, too?

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 20 August 2008 : by D Whalley

Customer Rating : 5/5

First experience of T5. After press comments and experiences of fellow travellers I entered the terminal with some trepidation. But an excellent experience. Despite travelling during August at the height of the main season, check-in was quick and efficient, as was security. Within 10 minutes of arrival was through security. Airsidewas comfortable with plenty of seating. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing. Loads of shops (not that I looked in any). If this experience is typical of the new terminal I would certainly want to use T5 in future.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 19 August 2008 : by G Morgan

Customer Rating : 4/5

We recently flew with BA from T5 to and from Hong Kong. After the nightmare stories in the media, we were also a little nervous whether our bags would make it but we were pleasantly surprised. Even the staff we spoke to liked working there! The only real criticism we had was on the return where all the signs are in English only. In Hong Kong, all the signs (including electronic) are bi- lingual and there are plenty of staff to help with customer queries. For flights arriving from Hong Kong into Heathrow, electronic screens could be programmed to display messages in Chinese and / or Mandarin, which would help visitors to the UK. Hong Kong's Airport Express train service is also much better value for money and faster than Heathrow Express.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 15 August 2008 : by John Jantzen

Customer Rating : 5/5

We used Heathrow T5 several times during a recent trip to Europe. After the horror stories we were nervous about what to expect, but all in all it proved to be very satisfactory. The assistance staff were excellent and helped us effectively. Security checkout was good and the staff efficient. The restaurant just past security was excellent, with a great "full English breakfast", but it would have been nice if they had advisory notices about the distance to some of the departure gates within the restaurant, as we almost missed one plane because it was a 20 min journey to the gate from a sign invisible until you walk about 100m from the restaurant!

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 15 August 2008 : by H Knight

Customer Rating : 5/5

Flew out of T5 on 21st May and back through it on 4th August. Both experiences were excellent and much better than any experience I have ever had at T1 or T3. The building is striking and a wonderful piece of architecture. It is airy and light and a far cry from the claustrophobic low ceilings elsewhere in the airport. Check in with the self-check in machines and fast bag drop is quick and easy. Security was also quick but thorough at the same time. The departure lounge is great. There is a wide range of shops and restaurants / cafes and the gigantic windows provide great views over Heathrow. We had to get to terminal 5b for our flight and took the pretty pointless train to it, surely an automated walkway would have been cheaper since the distance is tiny. Terminal 5b is smaller but there are still a few shops and cafes. (The bags did make it to our destination, HKG). Coming back through was just as easy. Arrived again at 5b so had to get the pointless train again. Nevertheless immigration was very fast for an apparently busy time of day and the bags arrived so quickly that the screens were still saying that we'd just landed. Now Terminal 5 appears to be working it's an excellent facility that makes you never want to return to any of the other terminals.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 12 August 2008 : by Yevheniy Kahanovych

Customer Rating : 5/5

LHR T5 - used it five times within 2 weeks. The building is very functional and bright and its design remarkable. Those who used to crowded layout of older Heathrow terminals may find this building too big and walks too long, however, long in length, they are not long in time. From deplaning at the most remote 5B-gate to reaching passport control via baby-train, it took me 11 minutes. The queue to immigration took another 10 minutes together with short interview. Then 3 minute walk to the baggage hall, another 5 minutes to retrieve bags, and 30 minutes after disembarkation I was off the terminal. It is fairly fast. The signage was sufficient, easy to read and done in many languages including Russian. On departure, fast bag drop off took 10 minutes which was not good and somewhat longer than manual check-in at the desk. Security was a breeze. Toilets were clean, however the new model of hand dryer leaves a lot of water on the floor, so could it be thought before going ahead with it? Choice of food and drink is good, but given the size and design of the building it feels like sitting on the street rather than indoor, so “outdoor” version of design for cafes, coffee shops and restaurants would be more appropriate there. Another problem was too bright daylight. No kind of shadows is used to protect passengers from bright midday sun. After security, the facility is airy and convenient. The choice of stores is good. Gates are well signed; overall signage is a big plus of this new facility. Big minuses are non-working or creaking escalators and elevators. Gate areas are open type, so sitting at the gate doesn’t mean being isolated from main facilities, except for 5b-gates area, which is isolated, because going back to 5A building brings you to the passport control or transfer hall (WHY?).

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 11 August 2008 : by Nigel Hirst

Customer Rating : 5/5

T3 out and back. An absolute joy both times! From bag drop off to London lounge 10 minutes. No wait at fast track security, although staff there seemed to have had personality bypasses! On return, two minute wait at EC immigration, baggage on carousel When I got to hall. No one can complain at that!

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 11 August 2008 : by E Caldwell

Customer Rating : 3/5

Checked on United in Terminal 1 last weekend. Very fast and efficient. One of the bags was a bit over the 24kg per bag limit so we had to redistribute some stuff to the other bag that was under the limit. This was a bit strange since we had only two of the four bags that we could have checked in. Big issue at security when they had us fit our carryon rollaboard into the wire contraption. Did not quite fit due to the wheels. This bag has never been a problem before at any airport but somehow caught the eyes of the LHR T-1 security. So we had to take out the cameras, coats etc, go back to United to check in the, by now, almost empty bag. We then proceeded through security like bag ladies. No problem now. United told us that the T-1 security had been giving them all sorts of problems over check in bags. Beware.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 2 August 2008 : by N Crocker

Customer Rating : 5/5

Check in is fast and easy, the shopping area is great with loads of shops and restaurants for all tastes and pockets and the toilets are clean and very big. Coming back into T5 was a pleasure too. It is a bit of a walk to the Baggage Reclaim area (like in any other major airport) but it is a pleasure to walk through such a new and shiny building! The bags were already on the carousel when we got there and this has never happened to us before! I think in time people will admit that T5 is an extraordinary facility.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 29 July 2008 : by David Leston

Customer Rating : 4/5

DOH-LHR. Arriving at Terminal 3 on QR from Doha on a Sunday, I was prepared for a long wait and endless queues, however I was evidently lucky with my timing and managed to get from aircraft to underground in about 40 minutes - no problems, perfectly efficient.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 29 July 2008 : by Kevin Halouska

Customer Rating : 4/5

Heathrow Terminal 5. BA plane could not get to the finger at the new terminal 5. Fortunately we were allowed to walk rather than a shuttle being summoned. The architecture of the airport looks attractive from the outside. Inside I was surprised that there are already workmen’s maintenance huts in situ, and dingy area to wait for hotel shuttles and taxis. Great architecture so why the hideous car park next to the terminal? Great architecture at other airports is not spoilt by such things.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 26 July 2008 : by M Corsetti

Customer Rating : 1/5

The first thing we were told when checking in, expecting to connect T4 to T5, "You must check your stroller as luggage, because T5 doesn't allow you to gate check it". So we arrive, after a 10 hour flight, connecting from T4 to T5 without the help of a stroller, with 2 children under the age of 3. Thank you BA for making an already difficult situation even more frustrating. Arriving at T5, needing nourishment after our marathon power-walk with two children in tow, we find nothing to eat but overpriced, over rated, over the top Gucci shops and "gourmet" food. We only found a sandwich shop by accident, as I thought it was a pastry shop, as its front display was a wedding cake! I expect long walks, delays, and hassles, but could there be one shop or restaurant for those of us poor saps that just want a glass of water and bite to eat without taking out a loan from the bank? And can we parents please use a stroller to cart around young children?!

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 15 July 2008 : by J Henson

Customer Rating : 3/5

Outbound - Very impressed with the improved terminal 3 - the new concourse area and check in is a vast improvement. T3 check-in area seemed far less chaotic than when I had used it in the past. I was shocked at how quickly I passed through security - I only had to wait for a couple of minutes (had waited nearly an hour on a flight to NYC 2 years before). The negative media attention and result investment by BAA are clearly making a difference. Huge variety of shops. World Duty Free very good. Gate areas also appeared to have been refurbished. Toilets used both land and airside were spotless. Return - far worse. Sat on the plane for 20 minutes (felt far longer) waiting to have the airbridge connected to the plane. Cleaning staff waiting to board the plane were swearing which appeared very unprofessional. Also, immigration were checking passports as people walked off the flight. Seemed very strange. Then had to go to the actual immigration hall. Looks awful - old stained carpets and peeling paint, low ceilings etc. Such a contrast to other airports. Difficult to believe this is the UK's supposed premier airport! 2 people to check EU/EEA passports for a flight with around 250 people on it! Queue very slow moving. I hope BAA is planning huge investment on T3 arrivals.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 15 July 2008 : by B Hodge

Customer Rating : 2/5

T5 rather like a shopping centre from which aircraft happen to depart, but a managable experience as we had plenty of time to work out what is where. Arrival, with a short connection time, was very stressful. A meandering route around the terminal with decidedly unhelpful staff (we were connecting to a UK domestic flight). Bored staff stared at us until we worked out where to go - we were not alone - and we felt we were interrupting a conversation between the four BAA staff clustered around the security transfer desk (for photo ID). That particular person didn't know where we should go next and the sign was obscured by a pillar. Eventually reached the security search area, where we did not know that we had to procure our own tray, and were treated as though we should. Altogether a poor traveller experience - increasingly one feels that passengers are an inconvenience to airlines, but most of all to airports, and T5 is certainly no exception.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 11 July 2008 : by Ian Lancaster

Customer Rating : 2/5

LHR T5. Departing T5 is a pleasure, arriving is a joke. The route for an arriving passenger is up, down, up, down and more - and doubling back. What happened to the idea of a straight run from gate to customs exit? And how does a meeter-and-greeter know which exit from the baggage hall - north or south - an arriving passenger will come through? After all, they're only about 350m apart so it's not a problem if your ride is waiting at the wrong one!

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 11 July 2008 : by D Bicker

Customer Rating : 4/5

Outbound to JNB from T3. Early morning with Virgin - check in quiet. Used their clubhouse but during our shopping made the conclusion that for a busy time there are not enough seats by far in the public areas. On the way back into LHR from JNB we were off the plane through passports in next to no time and bags were waiting for us. Was expecting a nightmare as we circled for a while as the pilot said LHR was very busy. 45 minutes or so from plane to M25 - not bad at all. Overall, efficient airport - just a bit drab and tired looking (Virgin checkin and clubhouse excepted!)

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 11 July 2008 : by Brian Crockford

Customer Rating : 2/5

Terminal 5 - the walk from Immigration to the lounge is a joke - up, along, down, back along the same way, up again and then the lounge split on two levels requiring you to go in and out and in again if you need to take a shower. The signage in the airport is also poor (couldnt find the Departures level after arriving on the Paddington Express) and already the terminal feels crowded even though it didnt seem particularly busy. Completely disjointed and not user friendly.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 8 July 2008 : by Peter Harrison

Customer Rating : 1/5

Terminal 5 - all the BA staff I came across in T5 were professional courteous and helpful - a credit to the company. As for the building - no doubt it is an engineering, construction and logistical triumph - but architecturally it would not come anywhere in a beauty competition. A vast hangar into which has been dropped blocks of shopping units and a security maze - looking very tired already. Apart from getting on or off the plane there are only three things that most passengers really want - a drink, to use the toilet and a seat in a reasonablly quiet environment. Terminal 5 failed miserably on all counts. At every catering outlet (except the outrageously priced Ramsay's Restaurant) long snaking queues waiting to get drinks - I can't comment on the ladies facilities - but the male toilets were a disgrace - not clean and too few cubicles. More queues! A massive space but insufficient seating and certainly no tranquility .Yes the shops are glitzy but I fear the whole place gives a terrible impression to visitors arriving or leaving the UK.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 5 July 2008 : by Guy Senior

Customer Rating : 4/5

Flew out and back from T4 to Boston in late June. Going out, minimal waits at checkin and security and very comfortable BA lounge. Coming back, a 20 minute wait for a bus, the relevant travelator now seems to have been out of service for 9 months and the carpets are worn through to the floor. However, no queues at immigration and my bags were waiting for me - so out within 30 minutes of the bus arriving.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 5 July 2008 : by Bill Harvey

Customer Rating : 1/5

LHR terminal 1 has now started photographing domestic passengers at check-in since they mix with international passengers in the lounge. You are matched with your photo when you leave the lounge at domestic departures. I can see the logic but as usual with BAA the implementation leaves much to be desired if my experience yesterday is typical. Very poor signage and instructions, so most passengers walk right up to the clerk with their boarding pass, then are asked to step back - and back further, and further - to allow a facial photograph. So each interaction takes 60 seconds instead of 10. There were only 5 people working the cameras, with another 5 unused bays. So at 1500 yesterday we had a 15-minute queue to get through. The security scan was also slow, especially since we had one of Heathrow's random "shoes off" days. I dread to think what the queues will be during rush hours. If you asked why this is happening at all, I expect it is because BAA want to give UK passengers more retail opportunities. I for one would rather have the old check-in arrangements which saved me 15 minutes on my journey time.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review : 30 June 2008 : by D O'Meara

Customer Rating : 5/5

I recently got a connecting flight to LAX through the notorious LHR and arrived in terminal 1, 45 mins before my departure in terminal 3! It took about 10 or 15 mins just to get to terminal 3 from there! It seemed like an impossible task to board our flight! At check in with United, the guy asked us where we were going. We said LA and he looked up at the clock and said "good luck with that mate!” However, the guy then swiftly made a few calls and said "today’s your lucky day!” The guy then printed out our boarding cards and went through our US connections in record time. He then led us all the way through security, skipping the line and into our gate. We were the last people to board. This all took about 15 mins! So with all the horror stories of LHR we had a super experience as economy passengers from a super nice check in person who in my view went above and over his call of duty!