Already a member?
Sign in
| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 16 2008, 7:00 PM EDT (current) | jimglab | 457 words added |
| Mar 16 2008, 7:00 PM EDT | jimglab |
Changes
Key: Additions Deletions
Queen Elizabeth cuts the ribbon on Heathrow’s new T5
If London’s Heathrow Airport is on your travel schedule in the future, look for big changes starting next week. On March 27, British Airways will start flying out of the airport’s new mega-terminal, T5 – an $8 billion project that has been under construction since 2002. Last week, Queen Elizabeth II cut the ceremonial ribbon on the facility and took a tour with Prince Philip. BA, which will be the sole tenant of T5, is now hustling to shift flight operations from Terminal 4, which is only one-fifth the size of T5. Other airlines will be moving around at Heathrow as well – for example, carriers of the Oneworld alliance will be consolidating their operations in Terminal 3, and SkyTeam member airlines will consolidate their presence in Terminal 4 -- so passengers traveling to or through LHR over the next several months should double-check which terminal their flights will operate from. The airport’s operating company, BAA, has set up a terminal/flight search area on the home page of the LHR web site, at www.heathrowairport.com.
Not all of British Airways’ flights will be in T5. Some will move to a refurbished BA check-in area of Terminal 3. “In addition, flights will move to Terminal 5 over a series of weeks, so customers should check the ‘flight checker’ on ba.com nearer the (departure) time to confirm which terminal their flight departs from,” BA said. The carrier will spread the move to T5 over several months, from late March through October. When it is finished, more than 90 percent of BA’s flights will leave from T5, the rest from T3. BA said that by October, the T3 operations will include its flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Sydney, Madrid, Barcelona, Helsinki, Lisbon and Nice, as well as code-share flights with Iberia, Qantas and Finnair. For more detail on British Airways’ changes at Heathrow, go to www.britishairways.com/travel/terminal5/public/en_us.
The Terminal 5 project – with a total of 60 aircraft gates -- includes T5A, the main building; T5B, a satellite; and the planned T5C, a second satellite due to open in 2010. All will be linked by a transit system of underground driverless trains. The project also includes an underground rail station with six platforms; extensions of the London Underground’s Picadilly Line and Heathrow Express routes; a road linking the terminal to the M25 highway; and a new air traffic control tower. Passenger amenities at T5 will include chef Gordon Ramsey’s first airport restaurant and the first Tiffany & Co. airport boutique in Europe, among many other retail options. In addition, Sofitel Hotels says it plans a June opening for the new 605-room Sofitel London Heathrow, linked to T5 by a bridge.
