corporate-wage-slave

LHR Terminal 5 passageways - a pictorial guide for arriving passengers

Overview
This thread is for passengers arriving at T5B or T5C and interested in taking the passageway to T5A, the main building. Step by step instructions are in the next post. There is a separate thread for departing passengers, to be found here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...assengers.html

LHR Terminal 5 has 3 buildings, the main terminal often known as T5A plus 2 two smaller terminal buildings which are generally known as T5B and T5C. Arriving passengers can find themselves at any terminal building, or indeed on a remote stand off the terminal. Domestic passengers normally arrive at T5A, if not they will get a bus transfer to their dedicated arrival area. Remote stand passengers are bus transfer to the UK Border and Flight Connections in T5A. Longhaul typically arrives at T5B or T5C but this is by no means guaranteed.

There are flight connection centres in each building (see the Dashboard for more information), and a Galleries Club lounge in T5B, but for exit, the main lounges and many onward connections you need to leave via T5A. If you use the Flight Connections in T5B or T5C then you becoming a departing passenger, and therefore the thread above applies. Also note: if you arrive in T5B and you are connecting to T1, 2, 3 or 4 with any airline, and you don't have to collect your luggage, then there is a direct bus pick up from Level 0 of T5B. This is better than going to T5A, again details in the Dashboard, you don't need an onwards boarding pass for this.

The usual way to get between these building is with the transit, a tram like people carrier. This runs at regular intervals from T5C to T5B and then on to T5A for the UK Border and Flight Connections. But there is an alternative, known as the Transit Walkway. To avoid confusion with the transit process, it is referred to here as the passageway.



There are 2 parallel sets of passageways that sit below the transit level, which allows passenger to travel on foot between T5A, T5B and T5C. The northern passageway is allocated for arriving passengers - which is the focus of this thread. There is a separate southern passageway for departing passengers.



Why use the passageway?
- It's good exercise.
- It's a quiet and cool place to collect your thoughts away from crowds of people.
- You get to meet The Queen.
- It's generally quicker from T5B than the transit.
- You can hedge your bets: if you are on the transit platform and there appears to be delays / too many people, you can get to the passageway directly down some steps on the platform.
- The transits occasionally have long gaps between services, particularly in the morning. Walking takes more or less the same time, every time.
- Though there is a lot of detail here, it isn't complicated and is clearly signed.

Arguments for not using the passageways
- If you have luggage you may find the distance uncomfortable, particularly from T5C.
- The transits can be quicker.
- The enclosed spaces and eeriness may be offputting or even scary to some people, perhaps children too.
- It was never designed to be the main way of getting between buildings, it's not as user friendly as the transits
- There are moving walkways which cover about two thirds of the distance but they can sometimes go out of service.

Timings
I have done a number of timed tests on this
From T5B to the UK Border, using the lifts.
- From T5B by transit - minimum = 4 minutes, maximum = 18 minutes, reasonable average = 9 minutes.
- From T5B by passageway = 5mins.

From T5C to the UK Border
- From T5C by transit - minimum = 6 minutes, maximum 22 minutes, reasonable average = 12 minutes.
- From T5C by passageway = 8 minutes.


"Staff Only"
The lifts in theory offer direct access from the T5B and T5C hallways to the passageways, but the relevant floor is marked "staff only" and when pressed, the button will light up briefly and then will extinguish itself. However you can use the passageways easily and with confidence via the platform entrance, which can also be reached via the lifts.

corporate-wage-slave

Arriving at T5B or T5C and using the passageway to T5A

This post tells you have to use the passageway from an arrival into T5B or T5C. The passageway will take you to the UK Border and main Flight Connections.

Firstly, check that you have arrived in T5B or T5C. Look out for these white signs at ceiling level:


Then in the main area of T5B and T5C you will see the escalators and lifts that take you down to the transit. I suggest you use the lifts, it's a long way down. In the lift you will see a button for the passageway, but as already noted it won't work. So go down to the transit level, marked Arrivals, along with everyone else.


For T5B: Then in the middle of the platform you will see a set of stairs and escalators going downwards, these take you the short distance down to the passageway system. For T5C is fairly similar except the escalators are at the end of the platform, with a clear sign indicating the direction.


Then it's straightforward, follow the signs.



You will notice that the sign panels have a UK sporting theme, including horse racing and Wimbledon.




And Her Majesty the Queen gets in on the act, hitherto a feature of ARN airport.


And then finally we come to the end of the passageway, and again you should take the lift up to Level 1 for the UK Border and Flight Connection.


I hope you have a good arrival into London Heathrow, the home of British Airways.

corporate-wage-slave

So this is draft at the moment, please let me know if anything isn't clear to you - it probably isn't clear to someone else too - so that I can correct or improve as necessary. I'll try and improve the quality of some of the photos in due course.

irishguy28

Eariness...this does seem to be how our North American friends spell the word!

But it's not listed at all in the OED.



That spelling is quite eerie, if you ask me!!! (should that be "earie"/"eary"?)

layz

Do you have any HAL/HAH contacts that would fix the staff only nature of the lifts? Seems a bit of an oversight.

Jenzo

Do you mean T5 C to T5B and then T5A?

corporate-wage-slave

Many thanks for the corrections from Jenzo and irishguy28, typos duly corrected. I do spend a lot of time in the USA, and I'm possibly getting infected in the process.

Passmethesickbag

Great thread - but I can't see any of the photos!

UpperDeckDude

I used the passageway from T5C to T5A late on Friday evening after a delayed arrival from Paris. When I arrived at the Border Control, there were no other passengers to be seen and the Border Guard confirmed that I was the first through from my flight. Using the passageway was certainly faster than the train on this occasion.

It is possible to use the escalators to go up at T5A. There is a small one just before the lifts at passageway level and at the top of this, just double back on yourself to find the next escalator to continue upwards

Palmer

I came through from 5C the other morning after arriving from SIN. Border control was empty. I'm not sure if this was because I'd beaten the crowds, the time of day or whether I'd just taken too long to walk.

It certainly got the blood flowing and the heart pumping after a long flight.

Palmer

jcm9000

Great guide. I now use the tunnels for arrivals every time. Finding them now quite busy in the morning crowds. I don't use the lifts as usually crowds of people waiting to use them down, and for back up at t5a i am not confident of how long it will be until a lift gets there (to then be crowded in on the train arrival floor - although do these lifts skip that floor?), so escalators it is there too. There is a sign at the end of the corridor saying the lifts are the quickest way to border control mind you. Rebel that i am, to my folly i am sure.

corporate-wage-slave

Getting down to the transits the lifts is always faster. From the transit to UK Border it is still generally, but not always, quicker, provided you don't get everyone trying to pile into the same lift. The lift doors used to be constantly re-opened by stragglers pressing the lift summons button, but that has now been fixed. If you run off the transit and get the doors closed quickly then it's a bit anti social but you'll be first to the Border.

SJC AA

If arriving at 5A and connecting to a departure from 5B or 5C, is there anything preventing one from using the passageways in the reverse order of what's described here, in order to use the 5B FCC (which typically has much shorter lines than the one at 5A)?

Calchas

Nothing I can think of. Not sure if the escalators are configured for this but presumably you could use the lifts.

matinicus rock

Mods can this become a Wiki? Or a sticky or whatever it's called? Please?