London Heathrow Airport Passenger Reviews and Customer opinions

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  27 February 2009 : by Kiran Param

Customer Rating : 4/5

Flew out of T3 recently. Granted early morning departure, very pleasant from check in to airside in about 25 minutes. In my view T3 has improved a lot over the last 18 months. On return once again pleasantly suprised with no delays at immigration and baggage arrived fairly quickly. Once again from disembarking aircraft to waiting at platform to catch the tube in about 30 minutes.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  23 February 2009 : by Jonathan Granato

Customer Rating : 4/5

Departing T5. On the surface it appears to work just fine. I was examined all ends of up a Fast Track Security by efficient and polite agents. I was never told that the SEA flight left from Terminal 5 A or B, and that I had to hop a tram to get there. No, instead, blank stares, a denial of an escort when I finally broke down and admitted that I was lost as all get out. Finally, after making my way to the terminal that contains gate 38 or 44, I found the Galleries Lounge. It's well set up, lots of food, multiple quiet workstations. Superb views. The tables and their lingering detritus seems to not be much of a problem for the staff working there. One thing I noticed across the board in the attitude of the ground staff was an apathy, a lacking of bonding with the pax. There was nobody else around to prevent welcoming arrive pax in this fashion. Arriving at T5 we circled forever. Once chocked up to the remote stand, the pax were informed that the driver of the tow truck was on a tea break and would be there asap. Not ironed out all the kinks yet!

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  19 February 2009 : by Bill Atkins

Customer Rating : 3/5

Whilst I am not a huge fan of T5, I find Mr. Drake's comments very strange since Hong Kong uses escalators and trains to get through the huge terminal and even Changi has a train between terminal buildings. Seems T5 is not getting a fair comparison.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  18 February 2009 : by Shane Kitt

Customer Rating : 3/5

Recently transferred through LHR on Malaysia Airlines en route to DUB. My inbound flight was delayed and had to suffer an incredibly long walk and a bus transfer before I finally got to T1. I was confronted with long lines and badly organised staff who seemed to think joking amongst themselves was more important than doing their jobs. As I was late for my onward flight I and a few other passengers literally had to beg the staff to get us through security quicker. Once through, I found the departure lounge quite pleasant with a good selection of shops and restaurants. Although my nightmare began again when I had to endure a nearly 20 minute walk to my gate through a series of depressing corrugated metal tubes and bland prefabs. Heathrow does have redeeming qualities but my particular experience was exasperating. My main gripe was the staff who seemed unenthusiastic and were very unhelpful.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  18 February 2009 : by C Drake

Customer Rating : 1/5

Having breezed through Singapore Changi and the terminals of Hong Kong, I wonder how we ended up with such an dire user-unfriendly terminal at Terminal 5. Its split into three hubs and all long haul goes from either the "B" or "C" sector. To get to these sectors you need escalators or lifts + a train (or a bus) + more escalators and/or a lift. Why on earth couldn't this terminal be on one level as T4 and more importantly an elongated "T" design with moving travelators taking passengers to the outer gates, within ONE building. The costs of the train system and bus system would have been eliminated as well as reducing the need to dig down and create such a system. If we can get it wrong in Britain we surely do.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  17 February 2009 : by Alasdair Brooks

Customer Rating : 4/5

In common with several other comments, Heathrow does seem to be pulling its socks up. My most recent experience this January, flying economy class on Air Canada, was typical: easy check-in (just dropping off bags after checking in on-line), fast and efficient security (I particularly like that you can keep your laptop in its bag!), and if the main shopping/waiting area in T3 isn't that inspiring, it's better than a lot of US airports. The immigration queues on the return leg also seemed much shorter, and baggage claim worked efficiently. Most problems with T3 now seem to be sorted out. Let's hope that the same holds true when I start using T1 (I'm a Star Alliance frequent flyer) later this year.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  9 February 2009 : by G McNab

Customer Rating : 4/5

T1 was surprisingly pleasant to use on a late Saturday afternoon. It was a swift passage through the security screening with staff quite polite at all points. I had to take my shoes off as usual. This practice seems to vary enormously from airport to airport and is surely a complete waste of time now. Couldn’t BAA at least put carpets down or something instead of having to stand and walk through the machine on dirty rubber? Airside T1 & T2 is all one big departure lounge and with fewer flights on a Saturday evening than weekdays it seemed calmer and less frantic than usual.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  2 February 2009 : by T Neyrinck

Customer Rating : 4/5

LHR T5 is excellent, a huge improvement compared to T1/2/3/4. Airy, modern, no long walks to the gates, and fantastic views of landing and departing air planes.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  2 February 2009 : by D Moir

Customer Rating : 3/5

Why is it the case that every flight I ever get is always to and from a departure gate at the furthest points from each other? Terminal 3 to Terminal 5, arriving from Singapore on SIA & connecting to Edinburgh was quite a bizarre experience of long walks, funny little bus journey and even though only mid-evening, a ghostly absence of people (apart of course, from the millions of security personnel ensuring that every last bottle of water has been incarcerated).

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  25 January 2009 : by G Jardin

Customer Rating : 3/5

Heathrow does seem to be getting its act together. T1 is much improved following BA’s departure. The departure lounge feels less crowded and the overall experience is pleasantly calming. No criticism. T5 is rather different. I’m not saying that’s actually bad, and the architecture is great, but it seemed rather busy in places for a January weekday morning. Security was hectic and the staff seemed agitated and on the edge of rudeness. It’s also easy to miss the seats to sit whilst replacing shoes. On our return from Washington, we had to be bussed to T5, which isn’t in keeping with a self-proclaimed world class terminal, even if baggage collection was very quick indeed. Also long flight connection queues, as others have noticed. T5 is far from being a disaster but already it can feel pretty full and a bit stressful.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  14 January 2009 : by M Holster

Customer Rating : 4/5

Travelling thru from ARN-JFK and back, both times T5. The Stockholm flight was a bussed one both ways and have to say I was surprised - did not expect this from this new and top modern terminal. One passenger slipped and fell on the bus. Huge terminal and confusing at first, crowded but all in all everything worked. Liked the B terminal not so busy but lots of walking.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  6 January 2009 : by Grisha Cleaver

Customer Rating : 3/5

London Heathrow terminal 2. It was a very good day to go to the airport as it was Boxing Day. No traffic on the motorways, very quiet inside, good cafes and good shops. If flying with Lufthansa, don't bother with the quick drop in check in. We used it and found out that there were less people not using quick drop in. Only one clerk serving in security check for about 30 people or more but easy board on the plane. Is Heathrow terminal 2 always like this or only on Boxing Day?

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  6 January 2009 : by Phillip Watson

Customer Rating : 5/5

Flew from T5 to Toronto, and it is a massive improvement from T2/T4. It is open, spacious well planned and thought out. I suspect that the same number fly through there than from T4 but it feels less claustrophobic and you don't feel cramped. Plenty of shops to choose from and the prices for refreshments are reasonable.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  6 January 2009 : by Simon Smith

Customer Rating : 4/5

Terminal 1 for BMI. It appears to have been much improved in last 3 months with new check ins open and more space. Security was reasonably quick and well organized. New Star Alliance lounge (in old BA lounge area) is quite impressive.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  3 January 2009 : by Bill Atkins

Customer Rating : 4/5

T5 is a great improvement - however there are some bottlenecks in the Flight Connections procedure which will get worse if not addressed. If arriving in the early morning rush, the security area is swamped and cannot cope in the space available. On connecting for an outbound international flight, each time I have had to queue for boarding pass inspection, then be sent to a BA desk for a documentation check (even when this was already done at my point of origin) and go back to the inspection again. These are the kind of things that spoil what should be a new and refreshingly easy experience.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  3 January 2009 : by Charles King

Customer Rating : 4/5

Even with T5 I always seem to get bussed in off the flight from EWR, which is pretty annoying and unacceptable for a new "world class" terminal. Maybe the new "C" satellite will mean that one is more likely to get a proper pier once it is built. Overheard a BA crew member saying that every 777 gets buses rather than a pier at the moment. However, immigration was swift (about 5 people in the queue ahead of me) and, given that I was the first off the plane (travelling First) it was impressive to see my bag waiting for me when I got to baggage reclaim. An incredible improvement over the half hour plus waits I used to have at T4. BA arrivals lounge is great.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  28 December 2008 : by Mark Bickerton

Customer Rating : 4/5

T3 arriving from DXB on Emirates. The opening of T5 has meant that the other terminals are less busy at peak times. I was off the plane, through passport control and onto a train in less than 10 minutes, which is amazing. The airport was quiet, good signage and the staff even smiled a bit!

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  24 December 2008 : by Vincent Borlaug

Customer Rating : 5/5

I first used Terminal 5 in October when connecting IAD/LHR/BUD and back, and was generally impressed by the more open, less claustrophobic design compared to Terminal 4 - also the shuttles between the A and B gates worked well, and there is even (as in T4) a nice pub airside, with real ales and a decent fish-and-chips platter - arrival formalities and security went well for the most part. Now on 20th December I used the departure hall for the first time (again to IAD) and this is a vast improvement in every way: the contrast between the new and old (T4) designs is even more vivid, check-in queues were much shorter, the 'Fast Bag Drops' finally lived up to their name, and the extra spaciousness of the general layout made for a much better experience overall. On these showings, T5 is a winner! (Further interesting bit: T4 veterans may remember the free malt whisky tastings at the duty-free there - I am pleased to report that these have continued at T5.)

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  24 December 2008 : by Alan Wan

Customer Rating : 4/5

T1 outbound and return with United Airlines. I have not flown international from T1 for several years and thought it was fine the queues for security were short at 8am and we ate at the Pret a Manger which was reasonably priced. On our return we got from the gate and picked up our bags within 45 minutes. Overall much better than previous experiences at T3.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  20 December 2008 : by Gavin Stewart

Customer Rating : 4/5

Generally T5 is a pleasure but I note some creeping issues coming in. T5 Flight Connections is starting to fray at the edges a bit. Only one immigration officer active on the UK queue last week. If there are any issues with a particular passenger then everybody waits. Sure enough, a non-UK national got into the wrong line and had all sorts of queries, immigration were very helpful, but come on, enforce the process please. What worries me really, is that one of the two escalators up to security from FC seems now to be permanently shut down. I assumed it was maintenance, but it's still roped off on 3 successive visits and now I suspect it's deliberate to choke the passenger flow. Welcome back to the old-style FC queue management? Catch 22, you reduce the functionality, you just choke the flow even more, then you do something else - I hope not! This escalator also has a needless extended zig-zag at the base, again I presume to slow us all down. The design at the top of the escalator is a bit of a bottleneck, which may explain it. If so the designers want shooting. In every other respect T5 is a great experience.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  19 December 2008 : by David Leston

Customer Rating : 4/5

The Terminal 3 piers are looking really smart now, much better than the horrible, old patterned carpets they used to have - it used to be really embarrassing - although the immigration hall is still very shabby. Transited through arrivals in less than 20 mins (including baggage reclaim), impressive. LHR does seem to be getting better.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  13 December 2008 : by P Ameil

Customer Rating : 4/5

LHR/ARL with SAS and return from/to terminal 3. Used compulsory (?) self service check in at LHR; slightly disappointed this didn't give option to choose a seat. Going out everything fine, although did take a fair while to pass thru' security. Returning, it took me a little over 20 minutes from exiting the plane to standing on the platform waiting for the Heathrow Express - and that was with hold baggage to retrieve! I have to say I was well impressed with that!

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  10 December 2008 : by Nick Paul

Customer Rating : n/a

T1 and connect to T2 at lunchtime on a Monday - T2 restaurants nearly empty, few pax around. No queue at security at all, all very prompt service. Note some gates are 20 mins walk so allow this if making connections with short times between flights - signage comments on this in the Terminal, as well. Rather tired decor, but perfectly fine for transitting through. The usual comment that there are far too many shops, but its up to the traveller to decide to use them or not. Typical meal costs - pizza £6 - £8, water £2, hot drink £2.50. Waiters were checking pax departure times to advise them of time for service which was a courteous service to avoid rushed meals. On returning after return flight, once through the arrival hall, there were no signs that I could see for connection to T1 for onward flight - the first sign was outside the hall - other terminals were noted, but not for T1, so if connecting, make your way outside and then follow directions as indicated. T1 another shopping centre experience. Security again very quick - no queues at all for a mid morning dept. Check the prices at the various cafes/restaurants as quite a difference for the same meal at hdifferent outlets. Again, fine facility for passing through, and some further building work in evidence - no doubt further shops.

LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT review :  3 December 2008 : by C McCafferty

Customer Rating : 4/5

Flew out of Terminal 2 with Swiss on a Friday evening. As I had checked in online I was able to avoid queuing in the dingy check in area, and from then on the experience was remarkably pleasant. The security check was swift and hassle free and the terminal building was much less crowded than I expected (possibly because T2 contains a mix of mostly continental European airlines, with no large UK carrier). As boarding cards are checked when passengers enter the gate area, the boarding process did not involve the frantic scrum to get on the plane which is the usual experience these days. One major irritant was that I followed the signs from the Heathrow Express to T2, (which basically brings you towards T3) when it would have been much quicker to follow the signs to T1 and walk over to T2 from there – I shall know for next time. Other that that a pleasant experience.