Using LHR Terminal 2 - connections to T5 and T3 and BAEC lounge access



Connecting to T2 from T5 or T3

For information on connections from T5 you best look at KARFA's connection guide, available from the Forum Dashboard. In essence, if connecting from T5 or T3 you best take the airside bus service and then use Flight Connections at T2. There is a landside option, where you take the Tube or Heathrow Express from T5, or walk from T3, but both are slower. The landside walk from T3 is quite long and not terribly attractive but there probably isn't a lot in it time wise. From T5 the landside route could easily take you 30 minutes to do, whereas it shouldn't take 20 minutes airside. I've timed T5 domestic gate to Gold Circle lounge in T2 at 25 minutes. Note, if going airside from T5 Domestic arrivals, you will need to show your passport in T2 even though you've not left the country. You will also need to show a boarding pass or itinerary in T5 from Domestic, this doesn't apply for international transfers.

The basic process from T5 or T3 airside is: Follow signs for Flight Connections T2, take the bus to T2. Up the stairs, to the arrivals level, around the corner and a short moving walkway. Then straight on to Flight Connections T2 (the UK Border for T2 is left at the end of the passageway). This looks like this, with security at the back of the photo:



Then continue on and turn left into security - you don't need a boarding pass for this - up the escalators to the departures level, biometrics (see below), immediately next to that is the UK Border, transfer desk (if a boarding pass is needed) and then you are through to the main departure hall of T2. There is a Fast Track for Security but I can't see how BAEC members would be eligible for it when travelling EI.




Doubtless many in this forum will want to make a bee-line to the Aer Lingus lounge, which is open to BAEC Silver cardholders and above. The above photo show the main seating and shopping area after emerging from Flight Connections, the lounge escalator is in the middle of this photo, at the back of the seating, furthest end from World Duty Free.

Biometrics at T2
Similar to T5, as you enter T2 from either landside or Flight Connections, they will take a photograph of you and attach it electronically to your boarding pass. This is to ensure you leave via the Common Travel Area, whilst allowing you to mingle with passengers and facilities for international travel. It will be checked when passing through the departure gate, and the photo will be erased from the system after 24 hours. If you arrive at Flight Connections without your onward boarding pass then they'll print out a barcode, put it on these stickers (which finally explains the mystery of the same stickers in T5 incidentally). Then when you get your boarding pass from the transfer desk or Gold Circle lounge, they can then transfer your biometrics to the new boarding pass.


Travel documents
The Aer Lingus website gives the list of documents they accept for travel to Ireland. For UK and Irish citizens born in either country, then photographic ID is sufficient for Aer Lingus, they even mention a photographic bus pass, though I have my doubts about the wisdom of that. Driving licence photocards are OK, along with passports. Note that if transferring airside from T3 or T5 you will need a passport at T2 Flight Connections, even if transferring within the UK or Ireland. If transferring landside from T5 Domestic then you won't pass the UK Border and you'll only be asked for (e.g.) a driving licence by the Aer Lingus staff at the boarding gate.

Gold Circle Lounge LHR T2
For the full BAEC access restrictions, see below, but in essence all BAEC Silver cardholders and above get access to this lounge in T2 when flying Aer Lingus, whether as BA codeshare / Sold As or as a straightforward Aer Lingus prime booking. The Gold Circle lounge is indicated in T2 as "Lounge A2" and it's on Level 5, one up from the main departure level 4. From the main shopping and seating area of T2, Level 4, use the escalators going upwards from Smythson, at the other side from World Duty Free. The lounge is at the top of the escalators, to the left of the rather larger Lufthansa lounge.







This is quite a nice lounge, in terms of comfort and design, though the spotlights run rather hot. Not as good as the BA lounges on the food and drink side, the range is quite limited in comparison - soup, rolls, Walkers mini cake slices and biscuits, crisps, savoury snacks, Guinness, wine (white is in the fridge).



Aer Lingus gates
Though T2 is quite spread out, the Aer Lingus service is just underneath the Gold Circle lounge, at the opposite end from World Duty Free (gates 21 and thereabouts).

Arriving into T2 from Ireland



This is really quick and easy. There are are no passport controls, just baggage and customs (you can use the Blue channel), and it's even quicker than the T5 version. You can get to the tube station in 6 minutes. Just follow the signs to arrivals, on the left of the photo above, this will take you directly into the baggage hall (no passports), customs and then landside into the main arrival hall. Just cross to the other side, following the large overhead sign, thereby leaving the building into an atrium like area, then over a bridge to the lifts. Take this to the lowest level to the floor for the Central Heathrow T2, T3 Tube station and Central Heathrow Bus station - these are both a very short walk away. The Heathrow Express is slightly further on.