Over the following pages we publish excerpts from our comprehensive new online guide to the London hub. To kick off, David Churchill reports on how it has evolved and what’s new in the terminals
Airport operator BAA may still style Heathrow as the “world’s busiest international airport” but the real wonder is that, given its location so close to a major capital city, it ever became not only London’s premier airport but also a transatlantic gateway for Europe.
Back in the 1930s, in west London’s Harmondsworth, it was more by luck than judgment that several grassy fields, which had been used during the First World War for rudimentary runways, were acquired by aircraft pioneer Richard Fairey to provide a test-site for his aeroplanes.
His Great Western Aerodrome, along with nearby land around the ancient village of Heath Row, was eventually requisitioned by the government during the Second World War as a long-haul RAF transport base, although it never became fully operational.
Instead, in 1946 the Air Ministry decided the base – then styled as “London airport” – offered better existing and potential infrastructure. This meant it could become London’s main civil airport, replacing Croydon, which had been used by fighters rather than transport planes during the war and as a result had shorter runways.
The rest, as they say, is history. Heathrow airport (as London airport was renamed in 1966) grew as demand for air travel in the jet, and supersonic, ages boomed. From the 63,000 hardy passengers who experienced the rather basic terminals in 1946 – mainly ex-military marquees – the airport saw just over 66 million passengers passing through last year, with about one third travelling on business. On average, 180,000 people use the airport every day, roughly split 50-50 between those arriving and departing.
Heathrow’s location on the edge of Europe has long made it the hub of choice for transatlantic travellers to Europe, enabling it to claim global leadership in terms of international passenger numbers, although Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport claims to be the world’s busiest in terms of passengers passing through.
LARGE-SCALE RENEWAL
Whatever the competing claims, there is no doubt that London Heathrow is big. Often it is compared to a small town, given the scale of its responsibilities – fire, police, planning and so on – and the fact that more than 70,000 people work there every day. It is also popular because of its proximity to London (15-20 minutes from Paddington station on a dedicated non-stop train), although this strength is also its greatest weakness, as there is little room for expansion. (See “Pushing forward” in this issue).
The price of rapid growth has been a jumble of long-established terminal buildings and, for travellers, a confusing allocation of airlines to five separate facilities. Almost 90 carriers use Heathrow, serving more than 170 destinations, with New York being the most popular.
The old buildings, however, have either gone or are going in a huge renewal exercise – T2 and the old Queen’s Building have been pulled down, and the first phase of the new Terminal 2 is due to rise from the ashes by 2014. At around the same time, Terminal 1 will be knocked down to pave the way for T2’s second phase, which is due for completion in 2019.
Terminals 3 and 4 have already undergone substantial refurbishments, including Virgin Atlantic’s new Upper Class “Drive Thru Check-In” at T3, and they will continue. Both have also been modified to accommodate the new A380 superjumbo now coming into service, as has British Airways’ home hub, Terminal 5.
Rather fortunately for BA, T5 is also being expanded next year, which should provide scope for Iberia’s services to operate from the site (at present it uses T3) if the agreed merger of the two carriers is completed on schedule in the next few months. BA has also confirmed it is talking to JAL about the possibility of the fellow Oneworld member moving to T5 (see Upfront section).
AIRLINE ALLIANCES
Apart from the physical regeneration of Heathrow’s terminals, airport management has also realigned the airlines, using them to reflect their membership of ever-growing alliances. Consequently, the Star Alliance carriers (including Lufthansa, Bmi and United Airlines), which are predominantly found in T1, will relocate to T2 when it opens. Terminal 4, which until the inauguration of T5 in 2008 was British Airways’ home, is now occupied by members of the Skyteam alliance, including Air France, KLM and Delta Air Lines.
Apart from BA, the Oneworld carriers – which as well as Iberia and JAL include American Airlines and Cathay Pacific – are primarily located in T3, along with some Star carriers that aren’t using T1. Other non-aligned airlines are spread throughout T3 and T4.
Although the reassignment has helped to reduce confusion, it can still cause problems for international passengers, especially those transferring to other flights (almost 40 per cent of those using the airport are transferring). Enhanced clarity of the terminal transfer system via the Heathrow Express or Underground is, however, under review.
Extra spending on facilities has seen improvements in key areas – for example, T4 has expanded its capacity to handle 45 airlines (from the previous dozen) under the relocation programme, with 33 new check-in desks bringing the number up to 127, and 40 self-service kiosks. Security and immigration are also being enhanced throughout to speed up the process – T3, for example, now has the airport’s largest security search area.
RETAIL MAKEOVER
The shopping experience is not forgotten amidst all these changes. Terminal 3 is due to get a makeover by 2012, including the addition of new mid-market fashion outlets, as well as luxury brands. When T2 opens it will also include a dedicated collection of high-end brands, along with a champagne bar and restaurants with views of the departures area and runways
Download the complete guide free at businesstraveller.com/heathrow
