London Heathrow (LHR), the UK's largest and busiest commercial airport, presently consists of four terminals. Numbered from 2 through to 5 (following the closure of Terminal 1 in 2015), each of these serves a variety of different airlines. As such, when departing from Heathrow, it is crucial to know who goes where. Having looked at Gatwick's terminals recently, now it's Heathrow's turn.
Terminal 2
The newest terminal building at London Heathrow Airport is Terminal 2. This facility opened in June 2014 under the name The Queen's Terminal, following the curiously British trend of naming as many things as possible after aspects of the royal family. The terminal primarily serves airlines from the Star Alliance, which allows passengers easy access between flights operated by these carriers.
This is useful for connecting itineraries featuring multiple member airlines. You can find a comprehensive guide regarding which airlines are members here. However, Star Alliance carriers aren't the only ones using Terminal 2 at Heathrow.
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Indeed, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, all SkyTeam members used Terminal 2 due to closures elsewhere as the airport looked to consolidate its operations amid low demand. In terms of non-alliance airlines, the likes of Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Eurowings, Icelandair, JetBlue, and Loganair are all present.
Terminal 3
Terminal 3 sees more diversity when it comes to airlines and alliances. Indeed, it is home to most oneworld members and SkyTeam carriers, including Aeroméxico, Air France, China Airlines, Delta, KLM, and MEA.
Virgin Atlantic was the most recent SkyTeam addition at Terminal 3, although it was using this facility long before it joined the group on March 2nd this year. British Airways also has a presence at Terminal 3, although this isn't its main base. Heathrow's new CEO, Thomas Woldbye, is pictured below outside the facility.
Aside from alliance members, one of the most significant other users of Terminal 3 is Emirates, whose Airbus A380s serve the UK's largest and busiest airport multiple times a day. The other non-alliance users also have a long-haul focus, including the likes of Iran Air and LATAM Brasil, serving Tehran and Sao Paulo.
Terminal 4
Terminal 4 at London Heathrow Airport represents the base of operations for the remaining members of the SkyTeam alliance. These are China Eastern Airlines, ITA Airways, Kenya Airways, Korean Air, Saudia, TAROM and Vietnam Airlines. One exception to this rule is Taiwan's China Airlines, which uses Terminal 3.
Meanwhile, oneworld's Malaysia Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, and Qatar Airways are also present, in contrast to the rest of their alliance members in Terminal 3. Away from the main groupings, the lesser-known Vanilla Alliance sees representation at Terminal 4 in the form of Air Mauritius' flights to Ramgoolam International Airport.
Several major non-alliance carriers also use Terminal 4. Indeed, the likes of China Southern Airlines, EL AL, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Oman Air, and Royal Brunei Airlines rank among the most notable examples in this regard.
Terminal 5
Terminal 5 is the second-newest terminal building at Heathrow, having opened 15 years ago in March 2008. It did so under challenging circumstances, with various teething problems plaguing the brand-new facility. Simple Flying took a look back at this difficult period in an article last year. Luckily, these issues are now consigned to the past, with Terminal 5 generally offering a pleasant experience.
Today, British Airways is the only airline that uses Terminal 5. The facility serves as the primary hub for the UK flag carrier, although some of its flights depart from Terminal 3 due to capacity constraints. As well as the main terminal, BA uses satellite concourses known as 5B and 5C. Some of its oneworld partners previously used Terminal 5 as well, but they moved back across to Terminal 3 last summer.
What do you make of Heathrow's various terminals? Do you have a particular favorite? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comment section!
Source: London Heathrow Airport
