London Heathrow Airport

I really feel sorry for British Airways at T5 as they have an otherwise excellent terminal ruined by Security and Immigration which are out of their control. Having flown in on a BA flight from Geneva and departing to Manchester had to queue through the transit immigration desks rather than the electronic gates which took 20 minutes as only manned by 1 official despite there being 4 other channels! Then the joys of Heathrow security queuing for 15 minutes and then being told the equipment had broken and join the back of another queue for another 15 minute wait. I know security and immigration aren't the most interesting jobs around but some pretence at being human wouldn't go amiss as this is the first impression of the UK that most visitors get. Once inside the terminal is excellent!

I have to agree with previous comments for many years I used LHR from the ME en-route to Dublin. I found the Immigration a farce waiting for hours even though I was transiting through why I should have to clear immigration is beyond me. More security checks again if I am a transit passenger why should I? I have already cleared security in my departure point. Last but not least from immigration to bitter rude and ignorant staff at security. I have never come across such unprofessional staff in any airport and fly monthly. Shameful for the entry point to the UK as it is great country with super people luckily Emirates now fly direct so no more LHR for me. A blessing.

Having read some of the reviews for Heathrow Airport one could be left thinking that the UK's hub airport is a third world disgrace. My experiences however are quite the opposite. I've flown from LHR a few times over the last couple of years and my last trip was to and from Terminal 5 in April 2014. The terminal building is light airy and clean. Everything is well sign-posted and there's a good choice of landslide coffee shops restaurants and pubs. Along with a pharmacy bureaux de change and other amenities. Although there are plenty of staff on hand I would say that the queuing system for check-in needs an overhaul. Despite being able to check-in at any desk one is left to queue at each desk individually; if a problem arises with a passenger in front then you are stuck waiting for that check-in agent whilst other passengers on surrounding desks move to the front. Despite some reviews I have always found the security process through to the departures lounge to be very quick and professional. On my latest trip I waited around 30 seconds. You can tell that the airport authority has invested a lot of money on the screening equipment used. I don't know whether some passengers aren't used to stringent security but I feel reassured and have never encountered a rude member of security staff. In fact I've found them to be both approachable and friendly. Terminal 5 is a giant shopping mall it has to be said - and an expensive one at that. But the fantastic panoramic views and beautiful sunlight coming through the expansive windows is enough to compensate for the commercialism. There's a good choice of bars and eateries. Unlike some other terminals at Heathrow you don't have to walk nearly as far to get to your gate but be warned - If you are travelling from gates marked 'B' or 'C' then you have to get an underground shuttle train to a satellite terminal and this can take 15 minutes. On arrival back to the UK I was through immigration in a couple of minutes and had my luggage a few minutes after that. Back in the arrivals hall and then onto the Heathrow Express - an (incredibly) expensive but convenient way to get from airport to city in less than half an hour.

If you have respiratory ailments or allergies do not fly through or use London Heathrow! I have only mild allergies and had a two hour layover at London Heathrow. To and from my gate and from security check I was forced to walk past huge perfume displays with the scents wafting throughout the airport and terminal. I went to sit beside a "fresh" air vent only to discover there was perfume coming out of the vent! When I finally was called to my gate I had no choice but to walk through yet another gauntlet of perfume being sprayed around in a store that was open to the concourse. It ruined my trip and I will never use London Heathrow again. Customs was complete chaos. One agent would tell you to put everything back in your bag and the next agent would ask everyone to remove it again.

Had a transfer within Heathrow on 31 March 2014 which involved a security check from Terminal 5 into Terminal 3. The female security officer was officious and rude and the final straw was her comment "if you don't like it don't fly". What an appalling attitude. I usually fly from Manchester Airport where the security staff are friendly and extremely courteous and I hope never to have to use Heathrow again after this experience.

T5 Immigration. I flew in from Cape Town on 28th March. The lines of people at immigration was a disgrace. We shuffled for ages in the EU passport line. It would have been faster not having an EU passport. Staff were slow and there seamed to be no urgency in clearing the hall that totally filled up. All the staff do is scan a passport not hard. The UK Govt should be ashamed of itself. You get though far quicker in third world nations where they do more than just scan your passport.

I was very annoyed with the immigration controls this morning when arriving from Sydney via Singapore on a BA flight that arrived at 4.45 am. When we arrived at passport control there was not one single person to speak to. Many passengers were getting connecting flights and looked so confused. They were just left to read the electronic boards. Surely someone should have been on duty to help these passengers. Then as we approached the Passport control area several big flights had obviously come in at the same time but as we had electronic passports we thought we would be okay and would get through quickly. Wrong! UK and EU citizens were all herded into one area and it was not clear that the EPassport area was not available but we did finally see a small A4 sheet of paper which said that the epassport scanners were not operational until 5.30 am. It was 5.20 am so decided to stay in the long queue although some people started queuing for the epassport section. There were two female attendants to the right of this area and when I approached them to ask if I could go through with my epassport I was told quite sternly that I should join the large queue to my left. Then another official came on the scene and looked confused at the large queues and then proceeded to check the scanners and eventually invited people to use the escanners. However these did not appear to work properly because they were not giving any messages out. When one guy removed his passport because it didn't seem to be working the gates opened. This happened to a couple of people. Another member of staff joined the one guy on duty but they did not seem capable of helping people. I stood for ages with my passport in the scanner and eventually tried another one which eventually worked. My husband said that maybe the scanners need to warm up but surely the staff should know this and be on hand to help and advise. What an awful welcome for overseas visitors I was embarrassed because Terminal 5 is a super terminal but the staff need to be more helpful and welcoming to visitors. I flew through Sydney New Zealand Honk Kong and Singapore Airports and Heathrow was not up to the standard of these other airports which quite frankly is a disgrace and someone should be doing something about it.

Flew out of terminal 3 on Monday the food offering once checked in and through security is very poor. Unless you want sandwiches (which are offered in about 10 different shops) eat before you check in. Great train service to and from London is a huge thumbs up!

T5 Passport Control is an absolute disgrace. The queue for EU Passport holders today was horrendous. The passport staff look disinterested demotivated and miserable. What a terrible first impression overseas visitors must receive. The rest of the airport is great but how many people are avoiding using it because of this diabolical experience. Who is in charge of this mess? Replace them and rethink the strategy. There is no excuse in this modern world for such inefficiency particularly at the UK taxpayers expense.

I have to say that reading past reviews about terminal 5 relates to the inconsistent performance where one day can be a fantastic experience and the next a forgetful. On outward leg (LHR-IAD) with British Airways bag drop was very quick although the check-in lady could do with a smile. I'm impressed with the structure of this terminal with its wide open walkways and high ceilings very reminiscent of the Asian Airports. It also has the sense of freshness something that all the other 4 terminals lack. Security was a bit slow and took an age considering the number of people in the queue. One thing I must say was after security it was very very busy. Quite surprising considering the vastness of the terminal! Perhaps it was because of the holiday season. Very good range of shops and restaurants/cafes etc and good to see that duty-free isn't a rip off! Next came the walk to our gate which was in the 'B' section of the terminal which meant using the light rail system. Very long escalator trip down to the bottom where the train was located. Must've taken a good 2 minutes without walking. Train was punctual and quick. Disappointing though that if you have a gate located in the 'B' or 'C' section you are cut away from the main terminal which contains the best of shops. Only shop in the B area was a whsmiths. Nevertheless I liked the effort Heathrow have made to move away from the '10km' walk to the gate so to speak. Plane left on time and was overall a pleasant experience. Inward journey was from EWR back to terminal 5. Disappointed that we were not given an air bridge to leave our British Airways plane; somewhat strange considering that this is their hub which means they should have the best facilities for their passengers. Bus took us to the main complex which was near passport control. We were wary of the times we've had to wait in the past so 25 minutes seemed standard. Bag carousel was big and 'airy' and bags were there ready to be picked up. Heathrow connect service to terminal 4 was okay; somewhat tedious since there is no direct service so an interchange is required. Bus to car park was punctual but a bit small. Overall an impressive turn around from the horrible days of cramped airports and long marathon walks to the gate. Hats off to BAA and BA.