New London Heathrow check-in areas for Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines

Sorry, if this has been posted before.

03/08/2011
Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa will be moving from their current check-in location in Zone K at
London Heathrow’s Terminal 1. From 23 August both airlines’ check-in and ticket desks will be relocated to Zones A and B. Premium check-in will take place in Zone A while tickets desks and all Economy Class check-in will be in Zone B. Both new Zones are ideally positioned in the main terminal, close to the London Underground and Bus Station entrance and Heathrow Express lifts as well as the airport car parks.

Miles & More HON Circle Members, Senators and Frequent Travellers and Star Alliance Gold card holders as well as passengers flying in First and Business Class can use the Premium check-in area in Zone A and will also be able to use the Fast Track facility in the main terminal. Economy Class passengers have the option of using one of the many check-in machines and bag drop counters as well as selected check-in desks in Zone B which also has its own security entrance.

SWISS and Brussels Airlines remain in their current locations

Booooo! Hissss! Booooo!

This is awful news - the separate security line was one of the major benefits of flying LH. Wonder what's taking their space - enlarged UA/CO premium check-in?

I'm not sure that this is an improvement. (We should probably call it an "enhancement"... )

This means that we will have to go through the main security zone, not the smaller one that is used for zone K only.

It sounds like there will be another fast track option available in the main hall, or did you mean that the current one actually works whereas the one in the main hall probably doesn't work as well?

It really boils down to whether there will be a new fast track or not.
In zone K (previous BA premium checkin in old T1 times) the fast track was pretty good.

I have a feeling that this might be an "enhancement" even if the new areas are closer to the HEX train station .

There is fast track from the main hall, but if you're checking in at busy periods, there can still be a wait. To be fair, I've never waited long (since BA moved out, previously, don't ask...). In contrast, I can't recall once seeing a line at the Zone K security.

Nearer to the HEx station? That should win some sort of award for Grade-A PR nonsense.

The fast track security off the First Class/*G check-in area in Zone K has worked well with no queuing whatsoever. Since there was only one agent (and four check-in counters @:-)) you often had to wait for your turn to check-in, but once through there was no one in front of you! ^

According to this post in the BD forum, it sounds like they are building a new fast track in Zone B. I don't know if there will be enough space for five security lanes in that area.

Also if 200 former Menzies employees are now wearing BMI uniform as reported, no wonder the service hasn't improved. Another reason to avoid LHR.

if the fast track in the main hall takes longer than the smaller one at K, wouldn't you be able to continue using the K security?
The BP scanner might still work I suppose, unless extra IT effort goes into it, as right now it obviously beeps green for all LH group BPs and TAP IIRC.

Bear in mind that if you proceed to the Star Alliance Lounge after security you have to take that extra walk anyway which means the time saved with shorter walk from HEX to checkin area is lost again with longer walk to the lounge. And most LH flights depart from the right wing of T2, so you need to walk in that direction anyway.

I believe FRA flights at least depart from 05 gates close to the BMI lounge.

Well I really liked Zone K, gave you a bit of privacy from the big main terminal when you had to checkin luggage. Now if they move it to A or B lets call it simply "a change", would not use enhancement or improvement yet.

Actually if you go through security at the main hall, and keep towards the left at security, your distance to the BMI lounge is minimized. Most of the LH flights depart from Gate 05 area, next to BMI lounge. Sometimes its the Gate 20+, which is quite a walk from the BMI lounge and the stuff you stuffed yourself with, might come back out on the way to your gate due to short valuable time you have in the BMI lounge.

Assuming you have checked in online and have only hand luggage makes it easier to get through the CI in general at LHR. Previously I already used to go through the main hall if I had CI online and handluggage only. Sometimes the scanned my boarding pass and said LH security is at K, but I just told them to get on with their life and continued.

But during rush our, that can be very busy indeed.

I miss LCY already, they have done major & very good security area improvements over there. LCY is just the best !!

I always fly to MUC from LHR, and only 2 out of 15 flights this year were from gate 5. Twice I had the middle wing (short walks, around gate 20) but the majority were from the right wing (including the marathon walk to the far end like gate 32 yesterday).
This is why I always go the Star Lounge and never ever tried the BMI lounge yet. The problem is that the gate is only announced when it opens and you don't know whether you might be better off at the BMI lounge. How is that lounge compared with the Star lounge? I find food options in the T1 Star lounge superior to almost every SEN lounge.

LCY surely is the most convenient of the airports in London. However, it used to be much better than it is today. I use LCY on a weekly basis right now and security can be a real pain nowadays compared to the super fast experience a few years ago. When stuck in the queue I always wish they had a fast track for C/F pax.

Anyway, LCY is off-topic here so .....

DUS

I always use the BMI lounge because I love the view. :-) However, I recently also had to run the marathon to gate 3x. Boy, being overweight and waiting in the BMI lounge till the boarding sign came on wasn´t/isn´t a good idea.

DUS

While being overweight isn't a good idea. The running will help with that.