London Heathrow Airport

Travelled through Terminal 3 to and from the US. Dedicated check in for Virgin and Delta passengers very modern. Security was speedy but thorough. I found the terminal layout to be very crowded. LHR has assigned more space to gates and flights at Terminal 3 than to shops and restaurants in comparison to the other terminals at Heathrow. Great selection of shops. Could be more restaurants however I was still happy. It is quite noticeable in Terminal 3 that there is a lack of windows in the shopping area. Terminal 3 size is quite deceptive, at first seeming small in comparison to the other terminals, but in fact is huge once you walk on. Signage was very good with information stands located around it. Boarding the aircraft was speedy.

Heathrow airport is big but organized, great amount of restaurants, shops, transit options. The facilities are spotless, and plenty to do during the long waits. Cannot really fault it.

I was motivated to write this review after the worst travel experience I have encountered. I arrived at LHR on an overnight British Airways flight from San Francisco, and thought it would be straightforward to manage passport control in time for my connecting flight, which was scheduled to depart 2 hours later out of the same terminal (Terminal 5). Several factors conspired to make me almost miss my connecting flight: 1) Terrible signage, which led to my standing in the wrong passport control line for over 40 minutes, only to be told (upon reaching the passport control agent) that I was in the wrong line and needed to go to the "Flight Connections" line. 2) The control agents in the second line were very efficient, and kindly gave me a fluorescent orange "Fast Track" note to expedite my transit, but this may have done more harm than good, since the "Fast Track" security line into which I was routed was a Kafkaesque experience. All passengers were required to pass through security (again), which involved removing all gels/liquids/pastes/etc. from carry-on luggage, transferring them into a small plastic bag, removing laptops etc., and standing in a incredibly slow line to go through a metal detector. Passengers were not asked to remove their shoes, but every single passenger I saw go through the metal detector triggered the alarm, which required a) removal of said shoes to be X-rayed and b) a thorough and very slow pat-down by one of two agents (one for men, one for women), which slowed the line to a crawl. I watched over 30 minutes elapse while standing in this line (again, this was the "Fast-Track" line), and then my bag was flagged for random screening, requiring an additional 10+ minutes while another security agent swiped my various bags and tested them by gas chromatography. By the time I got through this process, my flight was about to close, and I had to run at full tilt to the gate, roughly a kilometer from the security checkpoint. The terminal seemed to have some nice shops, restaurants, and other amenities, but I was unable to appreciate them while running at top speed from the security line to my gate.

The worse transit experience in my life. I've been through 100s of airports throughout the world, and Heathrow over 40 times. Aside for having to walk over a mile to transfer from gate to gate (and in the event arriving in another terminal from which your board your connecting flight taking an extended bus trip), going through security has become a nightmare. We had to do it twice both on our way to India and returning to the States. In both instances understaffed check points and truly bazaar search habits lead to extended delays. Our return trip we went through security checks in Mumbai, Delhi, Paris with no concerns or questions. We never left any airport - yet at Heathrow it took over 1 hour as the chap checked every small bottle, my wife's jewelry and other non-liquid items. No amount of complaining to a "supervisor" was effective as he said, there were new procedures for the UK. Well the UK won't see me again as it was truly a nightmare for two 60 year old individuals. Oh, and a tip for US citizens, the UK considers meds part of your one plastic bag (and make sure you carry the doctor's script).

On my recent trip to Cologne, I was lucky enough to fly out of and in to Heathrow Terminal 2. The terminal was clean and easy to get around, and the staff were friendly and helpful. Whilst the terminal was busy, I was able to find a comfortable place to sit, and I was served very quickly in the Leon they have. The range of shops that are present in T2 are pleasant and wide, and it reminded me just how much I love flying out of Heathrow. I have also recently flown out of T5 to America. This was also very pleasant, and I do not agree with the other reviews - I found the security staff quick and polite. Heathrow Airport is the finest airport in the UK, in my opinion.

Would agree with the review submitted by W Johnson 14/08/2015 my husband and I were travelling through T5 and at security the female tray handler was rude and condescending obviousley chosen the wrong career I wonder if it was the same member of staff. I did comment to another member of staff who thought she was maybe "having a bad day". Well we all have bad days now and again but when we come to work we leave the bad days at home. It was a pity as it creates a bad impression to passengers who use the airport.

We flew in from Frankfurt and had 6 and a bit hours before heading back to Auckland. We had no trouble at all finding our way on foot from Terminal 2 to 3 and we headed through security for the Family Lounge. This was brilliant. Our 4 year old son had a great time here and the two ladies running it were fantastic. If you are travelling with a young child then this is where to go. Dinner options in this area were pretty good, although all a bit pricey. Only criticism is of the security officer who binned our tin of rash cream - we had it in a bag and Frankfurt airport were happy to allow us to take it on board as it was medicinal for our son. The officer here was extremely rude and not interested.

After several years of transiting through it, I have come to really dislike Terminal 5. The security staff appear as a whole to be unconcerned with the fact that their very slow pace could cause people to miss their flights, and I am fed up with the ridiculous amount of expensive stores that clutter the entire terminal and cause traffic bottlenecks. I also hate the fact that they do not post boarding gates until close to boarding time, meaning that you constantly have to check the monitors. The bottom line is that Terminal 5 is not designed with traveler comfort and well-being in mind - it is, however, designed to divorce you from your money whenever possible.

Terminal 5 - the aggression of the security staff was something I have never experienced before in the UK. They seemed to genuinely enjoy being nasty to people and shouting as much as possible. A couple next to us were selected to have their hand luggage searched. The man asked the security officer whether this could cause them to miss their flight (they were running late) and his response was "it might do". He then proceeded to go and chat to a colleague leaving them helpless. They had clearly been on holiday in the UK and I felt so sorry for them. The terminal itself is great if you like endless luxury shops. If you do not, bring a book (there is nowhere other than WH Smith to buy one though). I will ensure that I do not use this airport again.

Flew with Continental/United out of Terminal 4 and had a very smooth run through check-in and security and was air-side in no time. We enjoyed a very nice full English breakfast which was just what we needed before an 8 hour flight. The terminal was very clean and tidy. Some people mention bad handling of baggage at Heathrow but I have never ever had any issue whatsoever. Overall, I highly value Heathrow Airport and would place it in the Top 3 in the world.