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Heathrow Airport
 Location
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Airport
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Essentials
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Airlines
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Location –
London’s busiest airport is located in the London Borough of Hillingdon.
It is just 15 miles west of the famous Charing Cross in Central London.
The airport is operated by BAA. The airport is recognized as the best connected
airport in the whole of United Kingdom. This is one of the reasons behind
Heathrow being the world’s third busiest airport. The services offered
here are world-class.
Know your Airport - Heathrow is one of
the world's busiest international airports. It is regarded by many, as the
core of the aviation world. This accounts for nearly 90 airlines making
Heathrow their base. The airport currently has four terminals (with a fifth
under construction). The airport connects more than 180 destinations in
over 90 countries around the world. The airport has been held and operated
by BAA plc. before its privatization in 1987. The pier 6 at terminal 3 of
Heathrow will be hosting the first Airbus 380's by the end of 2006.
Airport Structure
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Terminals
– 4 terminals are situated. A fifth terminal is going to be
finished by 2008.
Transit systems – There are many public transit systems
available in and outside the Heathrow airport.
Tunnels connect various parts of the Airport.
The Heathrow Cargo Tunnel connects Terminals 1, 2 and 3 to Terminal
4 as well as to Perimeter Road.
The freshly completed Heathrow Airside Road Tunnel connects Terminals
1, 2 and 3 to the site of Terminal 5.
Inside the terminals – The terminals serve as excellent
arrival and departure platforms for Heathrow’s UK & Ireland,
European and Long-haul flights. The check-in areas vary in each of
the 4 terminals. All flight numbers and destinations are displayed
on the monitors at the entrance to the terminal. This signifies the
zone for check-ins. Check-in zones (A, B, C etc) are clearly signposted
by bright illuminated yellow cubes. Self service check-ins are quite
popular in the terminals. Boarding procedure begins around 45 minutes
before departure.
Safety - Recent enhancements to security procedures
have taken place due to the 2002 and 2004 incidents. As passengers,
one is advised to check-in and declare small items such as lap tops,
belts, overcoat, cell phones and keys etc. for screening process.
Hand baggages are usually paid less attention. Safety and security
are of highest priority at Heathrow. The presence of armed police
at the airport is a common sight. Passengers pass through an archway
metal detector, which is safe for pregnant women.
Business facilities – There are 3 Executive
Lounges at Heathrow, located in Terminals 1, 2 and 3, operated
by Servisair. The lounges recommend a wide range of beverages and
snacks, work areas equipped with phone, fax and e-mail. The Travelex
Business centre is situated in the Queens Building between Terminals
1 and 2. It is a large complex, replete with facilities to host small
private functions as well as large corporate meetings. They are fully
equipped with state of the art facilities to host board meetings,
product launches, training sessions and private interviews. There
is also a Fast Track Priority Service for business class travelers
with assistance in committed parking, duty free counters, and priority
passport & immigration control channels. Click
here to know more.
Family interests – There is no dearth of good family
restaurants and bars at Heathrow. They provide high chairs and menus
catering to specially children. Boots deliver baby essentials such
as nappies, formula milk and baby wipes. There is a Garfunkels with
a full children's menu complete with activity pack. There is also
Giraffe a fun family restaurant in Terminal 1 offering a children's
meal deal comprising of a main course, ice-cream and fruit juice.
Baby changing facilities are located with other toilet facilities
before and after security perimeter in each of the Heathrow terminals.
There are more than 24 changing facilities at the terminals.
There are a number of unattended soft play areas at Heathrow
airport. The play areas are appropriate for children aged
between two to six. The play areas also have educational gaming options
and interactive fun-centers for pre-school children. For the adults,
WHSmiths and World News offer a wide range of magazines and other
reading materials. There are also a large collection of comics and
puzzle books to keep children entertained. Panoramic views of the
runways and planes can be found at Heathrow Terminal 1 |
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A special needs
service is open for all the passengers who require assistance
in planning travel-route and shopping. Services are rendered to the
visually-challenged, hearing impaired individuals. Several help points
are located, as are reserved seating arrangements. All terminals offer
ramps, wider access pathways, telephones at a height accessible to
wheelchair users, facilities for the disabled and reserved seats for
disabled people in check-in areas.
Parking options – There are numerous safe and fast
parking options in and around the Heathrow airport. Short stay parking
is suggested for stays up to five hours and is available from all
four terminals. Business parking option is for travelers with parking
needs for up to three or four days. Many who prefer fast services
also use business parking facilities. There are some very good ‘long
stay’ car parks located at Heathrow Airport
which offer secure parking facilities. There are separate arrangements
and discounts for valet parking.
Extra information - Terminal 1 handles all domestic flights
and most UK airline departures to Europe. The 2nd terminal handles
most European carriers' flights to Europe and some longer haul destinations.
The 3rd terminal is entirely dedicated to the long haul terminal for
US, South American, Asian and Asia Pacific airlines and most African
carriers. Terminal 4 is for British Airways long haul, Concorde flights
and BA flights to many places. BAA offers flight information using
the BAA's mobile service. It is designed for mobile phones and hand
held computers. But for the more traditional travelers, the BAA live
flight arrivals information system works just fine. BAA announced
in March 2006, that Terminal 2 will be closed down when the new Terminal
5 opens in 2008 (expected).
Leaving from Heathrow airport – London Underground
Piccadilly Line with three stations offers a good transit option.
Heathrow Express line non-stop service directly connects with London's
Paddington station. Many coach services operate from the central bus
station, which can be reached by the subways linking Terminals 1,
2 and 3.
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Essentials - Currency exchange can be done by using
the Currency pre-order and pick up services at the airport. Exchange rates
for over 50 currencies are available at competitive rates.
Airlines operating from Heathrow Airport
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Prominent
airlines from terminal 1 - Aer Lingus, Air Sahara, Air Seychelles,
bmi, British Airways, GB Airways, Cyprus Airways, EL AL, Finnair,
LOT Polish Airlines, South African Airways and Sundor.
Prominent airlines from terminal 2 - Aeroflot, Air Algerie,
Air Astana, Air France, Alitalia, Bellview Airlines, China Eastern
Airlines, Croatia Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Icelandair, Jat Airways,
Libyan Arab Airlines, Lufthansa, Luxair, Malév Hungarian Airlines,
Olympic Airlines, Swiss International Airlines, Syrian Arab Airlines,
TAP Portugal, Uzbekistan Airways, Yemenia etc.
Prominent airlines from terminal 3 - Air Baltic,
Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air Jamaica, Air Mauritius, Air
New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Biman Bangladesh,
bmi, British Airways, British West Indian Airways, Cathay Pacific,
Egyptair, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad, EVA Air, Gulf Air,
Iran Air, Japan Air Lines, Jet Airways, Pakistan International Airlines,
Qatar Airways, Royal Brunei, Royal Jordanian, Singapore Airlines,
Thai Airways International, United Airlines, Varig, Virgin Atlantic
Airways etc.
Prominent airlines from terminal 4 - Air Malta, Asiana
Airlines, British Airways, British Mediterranean Airways, Kenya Airways,
KLM, Qantas, SN Brussels Airlines, SriLankan etc.
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