HEATHROW

[edi_local]

Not sure that T5 is set up to accept Irish/Northern Irish flights or if they have plans to make it so.

Separate arrivals processes are needed for ROI flights due to them bypassing immigration but still needing customs check facilities (doesn't mean they are checked on a regular basis though). Belfast flights also need police monitoring on arrival. This is why EI have their own area at T1 and BA flights to ROI/NI depart and arrive down at the far end of the terminal along with them. These gates are not used for any other destinations. I think it's 78 on wards. Even BHD departures don't go from Gate 8 like the rest of the UK flights do.

On departure they are treated the same as other domestic flights and T5 only has a few domestic gates which are already all in use at more or less the same times.

Terminal 2 will have a dedicated domestic/Irish/Northern Irish set up as they originally planned the terminal to accommodate bmi, but will now serve EI and VS little red.

[rutankrd]

Are DUB and BHD flts likely to move to T5 anytime soon?

Current plans have Irish services remaining in T1 through to at least November along with Virgin Atlantic Little Red.

Are Lingus however are scheduled to move into New T2 on the 9th July.

The Irish pier will be the last part to be closed and demolished to make way for T2 second phase development.

Only scheduled BA terminal move at the moment is Tel Aviv with the flights being reduced in frequency and deploying a 772/77E from summer timetable start date 30th March and moving to T5.

[Skipness One Echo]

Even BHD departures don't go from Gate 8 like the rest of the UK flights do.

Are you sure? I think they might nowadays but I could be wrong, cetainly I have seen them using the usual domestic pier but it may involve bussing on arrival rather than departing from. Unless BA are dumping DUB, and I understand they're not about to, then T5 will be modified accordingly.

[Una Due Tfc]

In relation to a couple of posts at the top of this page about pax avoiding Heathrow. I would crawl through hot coals naked with Eric Pickles sitting on my back to avoid transitting through LHR. It's fine if it's your dest but transfer between terminals is a joke. I work in ATC and I know how vulnerable LHR is to weather/strikes/incidents. The field is at 99% capacity most of the time. Any kind of disruption and there is chaos for at least 24 hours. AMS, FRA and even bloody CDG are busier and better to fly through. I always fly long haul through AMS now to avoid LHR, and it's a pleasure in comparison. It's such a shame too because BA have always treated me brilliantly, but sadly due to circumstances outside their control I'm a KLM customer now. Runway 3 was needed 20 years ago. The U.K. is losing alot of transit pax to other parts of Europe who do it better. Build 2 new runways, link the terminals better and get the best airport in the world before it's too late

[Richard Taylor]

The UK has far too many/much of the following:

i. NIMBYS
ii. incompetent dithering politicians
iii. long grass

and too little of:

i. people with vision

[EI-BUD]

even bloody CDG are busier and better to fly through

CDG is awful for connecting , I avoid it like the plague. Much rather LHR with BA and T5.

Even BHD departures don't go from Gate 8 like the rest of the UK flights do.

I've certainly flown on BA departures from gate 8 and other gates at that end of the terminal though if late if been from the 70's beside EI.

It is shocking that in this day and she Flights to/ from the Island of Ireland need special arrangements. Dublin should be treat as an international destination just like Other short haul routes and BHD like any other domestics.

I've so been on flights that were bussed from the terminal to the aircraft on BHD flights...

[Heathrow Harry]

"The move away from constrained cul de sacs to open plan toastrack layout deserves credit"

Atlanta started building the first big toast rack in 1977.... and it was in service for 25 years before LHR got round to opening T5 in 2008. T4 was opened in 1986 and just made things worse

I don't think that deserves any credit whatsoever - more like the ostrich award for ignoring an obvious choice

[Skipness One Echo]

The only place available to build was on the South Side. You are intentiomally ignoring the fact the T5 site was full of sh1t until recent years, wafting the famous Heathrow welcome across with the wind. To expand the central area into a toast rack something would need to be demolished and airlines moved out. T5 was a gamechanger but due to dithering it came years late.

If you're not aware, T5 was built on the Perry Oaks Sewage Treatment Facility, yet people were against it. They'd prefer the neighbourhood to smell of sewage! God it was prevelant.

[stab3.5up]

1986 omg it only seems like few years ago. And I agree why treat DUB or BHD flights any different. No other country in the world does. And a bit pointless as BA dont need any identification to travel BHD - LHR

[rutankrd]

No other country in the world does. And a bit pointless as BA don't need any identification to travel BHD - LHR

There is a unique legal framework called the Common Travel Area that exists between the UK and Eire this is reflected in the fact that you do not require carry a passport/ID card when crossing frontiers.

However this does not extend to customs and excise.

That said there are provisions to allow ids to be inspected by the border agencies/PSNI/Garda and the Met plus custom authorities indeed random checks are made all the time.
Many not actually at the frontier either !

Until relatively recently there were numbers of named individuals some UK citizens ! that were subject to exclusion and travel restriction orders preventing their access to the UK mainland.

To comply with the CTA though the UK Security forces have required Airlines and Shipping companies submit passenger names and vehicle registrations in advance for years. Yes the embryo of the US system !

Like it or not there remains a real and present (Through diminished) risk from a known core on the emerald isle and the UK security forces retain their vigilance

[edi_local]

Originally Posted by Skipness One Echo

Are you sure? I think they might nowadays but I could be wrong, cetainly I have seen them using the usual domestic pier but it may involve bussing on arrival rather than departing from. Unless BA are dumping DUB, and I understand they're not about to, then T5 will be modified accordingly.

I have never seen a BHD go from gate 8, it's always mainland departures. I could just have missed it happening, but certainly at the EI flight connections desk there is a sign stating that all of their flights go from gates 77-88. BA often use the remote stands down that end of the terminal (there are extra gates boarded up beyond gate 88, all the way up to 92 I think which are used as dumping ground for old BA and Air UK signs from the looks of it, as well as some ops offices for Menzies) and coach people to/from flights leaving from T3.

Any flight can, in theory pull up to a stand on the domestic part of T1 and the passengers can then be coached to/from the relevant part of the terminal.

Gates 74 and 76 at T1 are physically in the Irish pier, but are more often than not used for international flights, in deed you get to them by walking through the Gate 5 area, which used to be BAs domestic gates. Gate 5, 74 and 76 are located in between Gate 8 and the Irish Pier as the whole lot used to be domestic before T1 was revamped. It's a bit of a mess navigating the stairs and corridors to get to these gates as a passenger! When international flights use 74/76 they simply close off access to the EI gates and in coming passengers are coached to an area where they then enter the main terminal and go through immigration. outbound flights then board using a jetty as normal. If an Irish flight uses the gates then they simply open up access to the pier and close off access to gate 5 and back in to the main terminal, allowing passengers to enter the terminal directly on arrival.

Gate 2 in T1 is also mixed use and has the same set up as 74/76 where pax are coached in but boarded directly out, unless they are domestic in which case they can enter the terminal directly, just one set of doors is opened instead of another.

At EDI, for example all DUB/SNN/ORK/NOC flights used to board solely from gate 1G/H as that is directly above the Irish arrivals area which leads passengers directly into the international baggage reclaim area.These days the ROI flights can also board from Gate 14, but the inbound passengers have to be coached round to Irish arrivals. All Belfast flights arrive and depart from the total opposite end of the terminal, usually gate 12/12B. There is a door marked "Belfast Arrivals" which leads down a separate corridor from other domestic arrivals before the passengers come out at domestic baggage reclaim. This is to enable remote monitoring of the passengers on arrival. How strict it is these days I don't know, but all Belfast arrivals are still led this way, so the set up must remain for a reason.

[Skipness One Echo]

Gate 2 in T1 is also mixed use and has the same set up as 74/76 where pax are coached in but boarded directly out, unless they are domestic in which case they can enter the terminal directly, just one set of doors is opened instead of another.

It's an odd set up. I recently got a talking to for taking a quick photo of the Virgin A320 I had landed on as I walked up to the lounge from Stand 104 (via Gate 8a). The HAL staffer said there was a sensitive area I wasn't allowed to photograph. The only thing in shot was the aircraft I had arrived on so I assumed he meant Stand 102 / Gate 2 behind. After arguing the whole "you're not allowed to take photos" point, he said you can take photos anywhere airside so long as it's not a sensitive area like security, but I was still baffled as to what was sensitive about the view from the old domestic pier in T1 !

[NWSRG]

I have never seen a BHD go from gate 8, it's always mainland departures.

Did all BMI departures for BHD not leave from the gate 8 area?

[Dannyboy39]

I believe Gate 2 is only used in certain circumstances, or as essentially a 'holding point' for some passengers.


T1 is a real mess - you can clock up a few miles going from the T2B pier to the Irish arrivals area. Perhaps a 10-15 minute walk at a brisk pace! Perhaps not far off half a mile. I'd hate transiting from an El Al or UA/NZ flight onto a flight bound for Ireland!

[edi_local]

Originally Posted by NWSRG

Did all BMI departures for BHD not leave from the gate 8 area?

I can't really remember, but perhaps they did and perhaps BA still do. I know that EI won't be seen at any other gates than 77-88 and that BA DUB flights also go from there, so I assumed that all flights destined for Ireland would be lumped together for ease. I don't visit that part of T1 that much though to be honest.

I believe Gate 2 is only used in certain circumstances, or as essentially a 'holding point' for some passengers.

The gate room for Gate 2 is a bit odd, it has it's own check in desks (unused) and large windows overlooking the stand, as well as sun lounger type seats and lots of 1990's style BAA tables and chairs. It's almost like a time capsule where they locked up all the old stuff. There are also large metal shutters which seem to block access to the gate from the corridor leading down to gate 8, like a shop front which is closed a night.

I've heard rumours that any passengers stuck in T1 overnight are rounded up and allowed to sleep in Gate 2 (hence the dedicated toilets and lounger type seats) although I can't confirm if that's true. Don't really see the point. Certainly whenever I've been in T1 at midnight or 4am there are passengers milling about freely.

T1 is a real mess - you can clock up a few miles going from the T2B pier to the Irish arrivals area. Perhaps a 10-15 minute walk at a brisk pace! Perhaps not far off half a mile. I'd hate transiting from an El Al or UA/NZ flight onto a flight bound for Ireland!

That's certainly true. It's got to be the worst airport terminal in the UK. I don't think it has any redeeming features apart from the new gates which will be T2B. It is the worst case of BAA's style of patchwork construction. Just bits added on here and there with what seems like very little thought of how people will flow through the building or any attempt to organise it properly.

I know the stands were numbered years ago and that's why the gate numbers don't make sense, but that wouldn't be hard to fix. Why not make the gates have at least some numerical order rather than the total mess they have at the moment?

You have 88-77 at one end, then 76, 74, 5 ABCD (with C and D leading to the same place and the whole gate area which can't have flights boarding and offloading at the same time due to a single corridor being in use for both), 8, 2, big gap filled with shops, 16-21A/B (which is an awful area full of more crossover corridors) and then you have a 10 minute walk to 37 (which is a coaching gate that is never used), which then leads on to B28, B29, B33, 32, 31, 49, B48, B47 (yes in that order and only some start with the letter B to mark what will become T2B, even though B28 and B29 [former 39 and 41] are the old Europeir and will be knocked down and 32, 31 and 49 will be T2B).

It is no wonder passengers get lost in T1 very easily. Thank God the whole lot will be torn down in the next few years, it's well beyond it's sell by date!

[Skipness One Echo]

The domestic pier gate room for gate 2 is long out of use, was the old pre bmi British Midland gate. The one currently in use boards from the intl pier. The green mile gates were tolerable until recent years when all non UK security cleared flights has to be segregated and rescreened meaning all ROI arrivals needed to be kept sterile from departing passengers. Hence all the doors close and barriers go up every time a flight arrives.

The whole building is a mess long past redemption. Not long to go now!

[LAX_LHR]

Im not sure if this has been posted, but, the Emirates A380 model on the roundabout to the T1/3 access tunnel will be replaced by 3 slightly smaller B787 models of Etihad Airways.

Not sure when the change will take place, or where the A380 model will go, but a firm in the UK has won the contract to make the Etihad models.

[NWSRG]

The green mile gates were tolerable until recent years

They are absolutely the worst gates ever! Hate that prefabricated tunnel...it looks like it was put up in the 70's as a temporary fix and never replaced!

Love Gate 8 though...whenever I'm leaving from T1, and if I have half an hour to spare, I amble down to Gate 8, buy a Costa, and chill in front of the massive wondows. Last time I was there, the first BA 787 was towed right by!

T1 is a real mess - you can clock up a few miles going from the T2B pier to the Irish arrivals area.

It is...but it made for an interesting walk! Managed to get right into T2B, watched the construction site for a while etc. The old terminals are a mess, but you can almost see the history of the place.

Not sure when the change will take place, or where the A380 model will go, but a firm in the UK has won the contract to make the Etihad models.

Airfix?

[Una Due Tfc]

I know it must earn great money for BAA, but it should be a Concorde where that A380 is. Maybe a Trident and a VC10 or BAC111 too, show off your nation's previous contributions to aviation. No comets though . Seriously though Heathrow is your gateway to the world, and that roundabout is one of the first sights millions of tourists get of your country. Do the right thing and stick a Concorde on it

[FlyingEagle21]

With T2 opening in June, I'm assuming the Europa pier stretching over taxiway Kilo from T1 will be knocked down and the eventual toast rack will become as designed with a straight through Kilo taxiway.

Anyone have a time frame for knocking this down? I'm assuming it is still there?