[Anonymous]

[michaelj2]

Ever since BA moved its Lyon flight to Terminal 1, it has generally (not always) become the Cinderella of the schedule – remote gates, buses to domestic terminal where you board via stairs from the back, long walks to immigration or buses to immigration. Does anyone BA know that Lyon is France’s second biggest city? Many connections are missed now going from and to Terminal 5 due to long queues at security at both ends.

Please move this flight back to Term 5 where is rightfully belongs.

[SimonS1]

I thought the same about the T3 flights a couple of weeks ago, check in at some grotty dump in the corner, long walk to immigration, remote stands etc.

5 years after Terminal 5 opened and the airline still has flights scattered around 3 different terminals.

[Bucksnet]

France’s second biggest city is Marseille. BA flights there are also from T1.

[dutchyankee]

True, Lyon is the thrid largest, but it is the capital of Gastronomy so deserves more respect, back to T5!!! I have to fly from Helsinki to Dublin via LHR so get to experience T1 and T3, both of which I havent been to in years.

[michaelj2]

PARIS (capital) 10.41 million; Marseille-Aix-en-Provence 1.457 million; Lyon 1.456 million; Lille 1.028 million; Nice-Cannes 977,000 (2009)

Yes you are right. But still …..

[SergeantMajor]

It’s good to see BA expanding despite the constraints of the site at Heathrow.

It’s BA’s rescue and turnaround of a failing Lufthansa-owned bmi which has caused BA to be using Terminal 1, as previously it only operated across two terminals.

The operation from Terminal 3 was in place to ease connections with other oneworld airlines (Finnair, Iberia, Qantas, Cathay and American Airlines) which operate from that terminal.

It makes sense for BA to have a presence in T3 for that reason and it was necessary because its operation is of a scale that all flights could never have operated from T5 in its current form.

An extension of T5C and the removal of the fuel farm to create T5D have been mooted, but no firm date is set; unfortunately the constrained footprint of Heathrow site demonstrated its shortcomings yet again, as T5 isn’t large enough for the airline it was intended for. Though BAA could have done more to increase capacity from the start, it chose not to.

With the bmi acquisition, BA’s operation continues to grow, and the introduction of the A380 will only increase passenger numbers at T5 further, impacting passenger capacity there.

It’s a shame HAL/BAA hasn’t yet managed to extend the shuttle from T5 to T3 which would make this cross-terminal arrangement considerably more seamless and would allow all BA T3 flights to use T5 check in and lounges.

Until then T3 and T1 boast an additional four BA lounges in total.

[Bucksnet]

2010 Census: –

Marseille – 850,000
Lyon – 484,000

Approx populations for city only.

P.S. Hello VK, we can recognise your style!

[dutchyankee]

@SergeantMajor – 22/08/2013 08:07 GMT

Speaking of lounges, any idea if BA will ever open a lounge in T5C?

I was always under the impression that the whole idea of T5 was to get all BA flights under one roof. It was obvious that when BA was at T4 all flights could not be there, but T5 is so much larger than T4, but now BA is split amongst 3 terminals. A real hassle. I hope what you say of a T5D will be realised as that would go a long way I imagine to solving this issue.

[ImissConcorde]

It is very easy to blame BA for all the ills and woes of T5. However in the planning stages BAA (as it then was) were very shortsighted in their outlook. Post 9/11 their passengers projections were reduced. Consequently they scaled back building capacity in T5. This is very noticeable in T5B Go to maps.google.com, satellite view, and you can see where the building was shortened at both ends.

[IanFromHKG]

SergeantMajor – 22/08/2013 08:07 GMT : The operation from Terminal 3 was in place to ease connections with other oneworld airlines (Finnair, Iberia, Qantas, Cathay and American Airlines) which operate from that terminal.

I may be wrong, but I thought BA only flew long-haul from T3. On that basis, why on earth would a QANTAS or Cathay passenger want to connect to or from BA through that terminal? If you’re flying from HKG to BKK, there are much easier ways than through London!

[Bucksnet]

BA have a lot of short haul flights from T3.

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Moving Luxembourg flights to T1 has actually been a blessing in disguise for me as I fly regularly between LUX and Belfast and it’s a very smooth connection. However, I can understand other travellers’ frustration.

[dutchyankee]

@Bucksnet – 22/08/2013 08:48 GMT

Do you know if the plan is to at some point have all BA flights then at T3 and T5, moving their shorthauls currently in T1 over to T3? Or will it remain for the foreseeable future in three terminals?

[SergeantMajor]

I doubt there would be any significant terinal re-alignment until the “new” T2 opens in 2014.

T1 will be demolished when this happens, so a solution for the ex-bmi BA flights will have to be clear by then.

The short term future is, however, bright, as Heathrow is currently functioning “one terminal down” – let’s hope enough capacity is in place for the upturn in air travel which is likely to accompany the economic recovery.

Whatever happens, the existing terminals will be functioning at capacity within the decade, and there isn’t much space for terminal expansion at present.

[Author]

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