The Heathrow Survival Guide
Let's face it, travel is fun, but getting there is a pain in the neck. If you have to fly through London Heathrow, this could be painful, or you can make it a 5 Star experience. Here is my Heathrow Survival Guide!
First, leave yourself plenty of time in your layover. Terminals are far apart and if you are stuck at security (and trust me, you'll get stuck at security) or anywhere else, you're going to need extra time. I like 3 hours. Yes, 3 hours. Don't worry, there's plenty to do; free Wi-Fi isn't your only distraction.
Working
If you have to work, Heathrow is a pretty good place to get some done. Regus, the company that rents offices all over the world, has facilities in all terminals. Meeting rooms with full office facilities are available in:
Terminal 2 and 3: Regus
Terminal 4: Plaza Premium lounge
Terminal 5: Regus Express
Located in the arrivals area of London’s busiest airport, this drop-in workspace at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 allows you to work productively before or after a flight. The centre (yes, centre, you're in London after all) has a dedicated business lounge, offering co-working space with private Thinkpods, complimentary refreshments, meeting rooms, printing and copying facilities. As with every Regus, you have a dedicated support team and everything you need to run your business activities effectively including free, secure WiFi and videoconferencing phones. If you are a workaholic and travel frequently, we recommend a membership. https://www.regus.com/membership/membership-checkout-page
Shopping
Armani, Boss, Bulgari, Burberry, Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Zegna, Gucci, Harrods, Hermés, Kate Space, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Rolex, Ferragamo, Tiffany, Valentino, Tods, and more. Spend money. They won't mind.
There's a little gem called World of Whiskies that offers a commendable collection of fine whiskies from around the world which you can pre-order and collect at the airport, including Abelour and even a 50-year-old Glenfiddich. Lucky for all of us, there are locations at Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5. Two words: whisky tasting. Go. Taste. Fly. By the end of the tasting, you'll probably be a little less stressed about work or flying.
Eating
There are 118 restaurants at Heathrow, and really, the airlines are doing their best, but you can do better than eating their galley fixings . For example, in Terminal 2, Heston Blumenthal is working hard and making some great dishes at The Perfectionists' Café. You can also get a gorgeous takeout (or take-away) from Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food in Terminal 5. If you don’t already have the GateGuru app, get it. It is the decoder ring you need for every airport, especially when searching for the food you want, be it Pret a Manger or Caviar House.
Lounges
Heathrow has 44 lounges. No other airport in the WORLD has as many. If you are not flying Business Class or higher (and why aren't you?), you can buy access to many lounges and for just a few hours, it's completely affordable.
There are also a few great websites and apps including Priority Pass (https://www.prioritypass.com), LoungePass (https://www.loungepass.com/), Dragon Pass (https://en.dragonpass.com.cn) and Lounge Buddy (https://www.loungebuddy.com). If you are a Diner's Club card holder, you can access all of the lounges that Priority Pass offers for an £18 fee. Also, many airlines offer day passes.
The beauty of all of these services is that you can use them at hundreds of airports around the world.
Here's the list we've assembled for London Heathrow:
Terminal 2:
Plaza Premium Lounge T2: Priority Pass, LoungeBuddy, Lounge Pass, Dragon Pass, Amex Platinum cardholders, or $55 for 3 hours ($92 for up to 6 hours), book ahead at loungepass.com
Plaza Premium T2 Arrivals Lounge: Priority Pass, LoungeBuddy, Lounge Pass, Dragon Pass, and Amex Platinum cardholders, or $66 for 3 hours ($92 for up to 6 hours), book ahead at loungepass.com
Lufthansa Business and Senator Lounge: LoungeBuddy
Regus Express Business Lounge T2: Regus BusinessWorld, Dragon Pass
Aer Lingus Gold Circle Lounge: paid pass £30
United Club Lounge & United Global First Lounge: paid one-time pass $59
Arrivals Lounge (United): paid one-time pass $59
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge: purchase access on the Air Canada website, restrictions/fees vary.
T2 Lounges available to only business and/or first class passengers:
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge
Terminal 3:
No1 Lounge: Priority Pass, LoungeBuddy, Lounge Pass, Dragon Pass, or $45 for 3 hours, ($52 for the Champagne Package) book ahead at loungepass.com
Club Aspire Lounge T3: Priority Pass, Lounge Pass, Dragon Pass, or $40 for 3 hours, book ahead at loungepass.com
Regus Express T3: Regus BusinessWorld, Dragon Pass, LoungeBuddy
Plaza Premium T3 Arrivals Lounge: Dragon Pass, LoungeBuddy, Amex Platinum cardholders, or £25 access fee
Emirates Lounge: paid access $100 for Skywards members
American Express Centurion Lounge T3: Amex Platinum cardholders
American Airlines Admirals Club Lounge: day passes are $59
Qantas Lounge: day passes at LHR are $99
Heathrow Family Lounge: free for traveling families
Heathrow Rest & Relaxation Room: free for all passengers
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse: Maybe; it depends on how busy the lounge is. Rates vary.
Virgin Atlantic Arrivals Lounge: Maybe; it depends on how busy the lounge is. Rates vary.
T3 Lounges available to only business and/or first class passengers:
American Airlines International First Lounge
American Airlines Arrivals Lounge
British Airways Galleries Club Lounge
British Airways Galleries First Lounge
Cathay Pacific Lounge
Emirates Chauffeur Drive Lounge
Terminal 4:
Plaza Premium Lounge T4: Regus BusinessWorld, Priority Pass, LoungeBuddy, Lounge Pass, Dragon Pass, Amex Platinum cardholders, or $53 for 3 hours ($82 for up to 6 hours), book ahead at loungepass.com
Plaza Premium T4 Arrivals Lounge: Priority Pass, LoungeBuddy, Dragon Pass, Amex Platinum cardholders, or £30 access fee
Art & Lounge (EL AL): Priority Pass, Dragon Pass, or $35 for 3 hours, book ahead at loungepass.com
Skyteam Lounge: Priority Pass, Lounge Pass, or $47 for 3 hours
The House (Etihad): Priority Pass, Dragon Pass (+£10 fee), or $52 access fee, book ahead at loungepass.com
Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge: Online purchase 279MYR (about $68); walk-in rates 320MYR (about $78)
T4 Lounges available to only business and/or first class passengers:
EL AL King David Lounge
Gulf Air Falcon Lounge
Qatar Airways Lounge
Terminal 5: (BA operates out of T5, so lounges can get pretty busy.)
Aspire Lounge and Spa T5: Priority Pass, Lounge Pass or $50 for 3 hours ($90 for up to 6 hours), book ahead at loungepass.com
Plaza Premium Lounge T5: Dragon Pass, LoungeBuddy, Amex Platinum cardholders, or £35 access fee
Regus Express Business Lounge T5: Regus BusinessWorld, Dragon Pass
T5 Lounges available to only business and/or first class passengers:
British Airways Galleries Club Lounge South
British Airways Galleries Club Lounge North
British Airways Galleries Club Lounge T5B
British Airways Galleries First Lounge
British Airways Concorde Room
British Airways Galleries Arrivals Lounge
The cherry on top: Heathrow VIP Windsor Suite (located in T5) is a special experience for business and first class passengers. For £2,250 +VAT, you get a private lounge facility for up to groups of 12, a dedicated security and passport control area and a limousine transfer to or from the aircraft. For an extra £500 (+ VAT) fee, you can also get transfers withing a 25 mile radius of Heathrow. You can also host meetings there with 2 non-flying guests and you are very well taken care of. Need a Heathrow personal shopper? They have that service, too. https://www.heathrowvip.com/#about
We all know that Heathrow can be a bit of a challenge. Hopefully, this will help you fill your free time if your flight gets delayed or you find yourself hanging around with nothing to do. To find out everything else you need to know about Heathrow, visit https://www.heathrow.com/
Where will you go next?
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