[FormerBA]

I used T3 to get to Vienna last week and it is, as it always was, a complete dump. Fast track was a joke!!

It saving grace however is the lounges and I spent a very happy 90 minutes in the new and vastly improved Qantas lounge. Great food super design and cheerful staff. The CX First Class lounge is also superb, but I lost my gold card in the pandemic and cant get in with a silver. The QF lounge more than makes up for the hideousness of T3

[Cwyfan]

Anybody able to complete the picture as to what it is like returning to T5 these days?

[DavidSmith2]

Just been mailed by BA to say that my flights to/from Accra (long haul) will now be arriving into/departing from T3 rather than T5.

[AlanOrton1]

Cwyfan – I suspect it all depends on what time of the day / how many flights have just landed before yours. I landed fairly early this past Saturday am and there was no queue at all at the e-gates. Luggage delivery was slow, however, it has been ever since I first used T5 after Covid, last summer.
Short term car parking is, I think, £5.30 for 20 minutes – in case you have someone collecting you. There is a £5 charge for using the drop-off lanes, in place since last November.

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Cwyfan, PeterCoultas, BPP

[ASK1945]

[quote quote=1205398]I suspect it all depends on what time of the day / how many flights have just landed before yours.[/quote]

Too right.

When I went out from the BA Lounge to get the shuttle to Pier B of T5 last Friday morning at 0800, I could see the queue into the immigration hall of Pier A stretched out from the entrance along the corridor leading back to the exit from the shuttle escalators. However, the line seemed to be moving fairly quickly.

Once down the stairs to the shuttle gate, the paasengers on the incoming train from Piers B and C were crammed tight, and were adding to that queue.

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BPP

[PeterCoultas]

Can anyone help me with the situation about the charges for local buses currently in the Heathrow area ? They were free even without bus passes but then charges were put on.

[SimonS1]

[postquote quote=1205169]

I did the same in reverse. Stuck in the plane for over 30 mins after parking as the jetty was jammed and BA had to bring some stairs from Terminal 5.

[ASK1945]

I came back to the UK via T5 on Thursday evening (at 1900) – a small queue for the border machines, but moved quickly so no real delay, and our bags came through literally as we entered the baggage hall.

There was only a tiny queue for the manual border control.

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BPP, Cwyfan

[pdwtrip]

The First check in had a queue 15 deep outside of the area last Sunday – but it did move pretty quickly with over half the desks in operation.
The whole of the T5 check in area was as busy as I have seen it. Concorde lounge was back to normal.

On return yesterday lunchtime arrival at C gates luckily that single shuttle running had just arrived. Just missed the need for PLF in immigration – which moved via egates pretty fast – although non UK looked pretty busy – about 50% of queuing area in use. Then, sadly, a 1 hour 20 min wait for baggage – in fairness for a change the priority bags came off first – but 1hr 40mins from landing to car pick up was disappointing – maybe baggage handling is now sponsored by the car park operator as they are certainly gaining the extra revenue.

Three simple suggestions that would make T5 a better experience:

1) Like, for example Dubai, make the lifts to/from shuttle level to main concourse automatic so that we don’t have the crazy and regular experience, of ‘doors closing’ repeated for all three lifts over and over while they sit stationary. Same could be applied to the car park lifts.
2) On exiting the baggage area please remove the ‘EXIT’ sign for the exit that is currently closed – did not really need the additional joy of dragging the bags down there in order to turn around and drag them back to the other end of the Hall.
3) Ensure every month the Airport management team / Border Force manager go through the full ‘customer experience’ – pretty convinced this would solve most problems!

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DavidSmith2, Jacob, Cwyfan, BPP

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