A query folks...used to be that the little red buses offered a free hop-on hop-off between the terminals and hotels. Is that still on offer? T5 to Renaissance, then hotel to T3 the next day...I see you can book at Hotel Hoppa, but can't find the red bus option. I think it used to actually pull into the Renaissance car park.

I think several of the airport hotels have terminal shuttles. Whether they're free to non-residents (or red) I don't know.

Never been aware of any little red buses??? However TFL services on single and double decker buses (world famous red livery) used to be free around the "Heathrow Zone". They no longer are, and are the standard TFL £1.65 fare per journey. You can pay only by either an Oyster or Contacless bank card (apple/android pay also accepted) or by displaying a pre-paid London Travel Card to the driver.

They can often be quicker than using the Hoppa buses to most Heathrow area hotels and ofcourse much cheaper. Check out the https://tfl.gov.uk/ journey planner or use google directions. I believe the 423 is an option from T5 bus station to the Renaissance on Bath Road. Then either the 105 or 111 to Heathrow Central Terminal bus station (For T3).

I believe the free local services were cut by HAL during COVID. You can still get between terminals for free on the underground or Heathrow Express, but to get to the local area you probably need to pay your dues on the TFL busses tap in/out with credit card (£) or Hotel Hoppa (£££) or taxi(£££££)

Thanks folks, advice is much appreciated!

You cab use your "twirly" pass on the red buses too.

they also today just loaded a 4th and 5th weekly flight for summer, one extra LHR - SGN on day 5 and one extra LHR - HAN on day 7 from 2 July .

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64885252Heathrow Airport has been told to cut passenger charges for airlines next year, in a move that should feed through to ticket prices.

The Civil Aviation Authority decided lower charges were required due to passenger numbers recovering quicker after the height of the pandemic. Passenger charges are paid by airlines and go towards costs for terminals runways, baggage systems and security.

The average charge per passenger at Heathrow for 2023 is £31.57. But the regulator said this will fall to £25.43 in 2024 and "remain broadly flat" until the end of 2026.

Although, the charges are paid by airlines, they can impact flight prices if companies decide to pass on some costs onto passengers via airfares.

It is understood bosses at Heathrow wanted charges to actually increase to more than £40, while airlines proposed they should be no more than around £18.50. In response to the decision, the airport said the CAA's decision made "no sense" and warned it would "do nothing for consumers". "The CAA has chosen to cut airport charges to their lowest real terms level in a decade at a time when airlines are making massive profits and Heathrow remains loss-making because of fewer passengers and higher financing costs," Heathrow said. The airport said the regulator should be "incentivising investment" to rebuild aviation services following the heavy blows dealt to the industry during Covid.

But the CAA said its decision to introduce lower charges from 2024 recognised that passenger numbers were expected to return to pre-pandemic levels. It said as well as benefitting travellers in terms of lower costs, the charges would also allow the airport to continue investing in its operations, including planned upgrades to its security scanners and a new baggage system in Terminal 2. "Our priority in making this decision today is to ensure the travelling public can expect great value for money from using Heathrow in terms of having a consistently good quality of service, whilst paying no more than is needed for it," said Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the CAA.

In 2021, Heathrow was given permission to raise the passenger charge for airlines from £19.60 to £30.19 for the summer of 2022. The aim was to help it get through the pandemic. But British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, two of Heathrow's largest airlines, have long complained that fees at the airport, the busiest airport in western Europe, are the highest in the world.

'Abuse of power'

Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, said the the regulator had "not gone far enough" in lowering passenger charges or ensuring that a "monopolistic Heathrow" was fulfilling its statutory duty to protect consumers. "Heathrow has abused its power throughout this process, peddling false narratives and flawed passenger forecasts in an attempt to win an economic argument," he added.

Luis Gallego, chief executive of IAG, the parent company of British Airways, said "high charges" were "designed to reward shareholders at the expense of customers" and risked undermining the competitiveness of Heathrow. Willie Walsh, director-general of the International Air Transport Association, which represents airlines, said the regulator was "hostage to Heathrow's pessimistic passenger outlook", and added the decision still meant airlines and passengers would "continue to pay one of the highest airport charges in the world". "Given that Heathrow have succeeded in securing this generous settlement, we'll be watching their performance this summer and beyond very closely. Any repeat of the failures we have seen over the past few years would be totally unacceptable," he added.
Last summer, many airports across the UK struggled to cope with demand for international travel returning, with flights delayed and cancelled due to staff shortages. Many workers in the travel industry lost their jobs at the start the of the pandemic. Mr Moriarty said the CAA had "considered the sharply differing views" from Heathrow and the airlines about the level of fees. Understandably, their respective shareholder interests led the airport to argue for higher charges and the airlines to argue for lower charges," he added.

Both airlines and the airport have six weeks to appeal the decision.

I love it when the govt privatises something but still wants to keep control by setting fees. If the CAA is truly independent in all of this, I'd be surprised.

Alasdair Osborne in the Times pouring another load of brown stuff over Heathrow owners and management this morning - pointing out how much the shareholders take out (a lot) over what they've put in (not a lot)

Air France and KLM are relocating back to Terminal 4 on Sunday 26 March 2023. A move was expected beforehand but it seems likely that it will occur at the start of the IATA summer season which commences on Sunday 26 March.

This move by Air France and KLM was requested by Heathrow Airport Limited due to expected congestion at Terminal 3 this summer as LHR returns to pre-pandemic passenger numbers.

Happy days at T5, again. This must include staff that have just joined.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64994967

Arring at T5 on 27th, mid afternoon, baggage delivery was very slow. Particularly as the terminal was so quiet. I don't think that they have fixed their baggage handling staff shortage.

Logan air
 

Logan Air have leased 30 weekly slot pairs from BA to start additional flight to LHR.
flights will start in May.. Routes to be announced shortly.

Those are the package of ( bmi ) remedial slots

Vistara will commence 5 weekly flights with B789 to BOM from 1st June.

China Southern daily to PKX from 7th June with A359.

I take it LDY is a given with LM from LHR. Surely they won't take on the old BE BHD route???

BA recently took on the BHD-LHR route from Aer Lingus, so no point wasting slots on a route you already codeshare on

BA have operated BHD/LHR since they absorbed BMI. They have recently increased frequency as Aer Lingus have withdrawn from the route as a European based carrier they can’t fly a U.K. Domestic route.

When I fly, three things usually matter - preferring nonstop over one-stop, schedule and price - similiar to a lot of people I imagine.
I live in London and am increasingly finding that for travel within Europe, Heathrow is becoming far less relevant - it seems that if you're not travelling long-haul, the like of LGW, STN and LTN are London's primary airports. Yes, I imagine LHR's fees are a factor in this.
I'm wondering if some of the European shorthaul network carriers may eventually decide the prestige of the LHR name just isn't worth it any more given the costs of being at LHR
Do the following really need to remain solely at LHR ? Could they decide to move elsewhere ?
Air Algerie - Algiers
Air Serbia - Belgrade
Bulgaria Air - Sofia
Croatia Airlines - Zagreb + Split
Tarom - Bucharest
Tunisair - Tunis

I'm wondering also if ITA, KLM or SAS are really benefitting from their Heathrow focus to their hubs, or whether it's time to move some of their less connection-heavy flights out to other London airports. Emirates can make LGW and STN work... so why not KLM ? I'm wondering also if Eurowings might want to look at LGW or STN - Lufthansa are opening a Gatwick-Frankfurt route this month
I'm sure the FF crowd will harrumph and moan (they always do about anything)... but an airline should be focussing on profit.

I know the received wisdom that moving from LHR to LGW never works well... but at some point, an airline has to question received wisdom.

Any thoughts ?