Drinking water while travelling with British Airways
Heathrow Terminal 5
Drinking fountains
There are essentially 2 types of water fountains available in LHR T5. This is the newer type from the Ohio manufacturer Halsey Taylor, recently installed at a cost in excess of £2,000 each. As you can see it is custom made for bottle filling, and the LED on the top right indicates how many bottles have been recycled via that machine. Water supplied is filtered and chilled tap water.
There are two of these units on the upper level, close to South and North Security. This one is by the Customs office by the main escalator in between North and South security. You can find it by following the red signs for Customs.
The other one is right at the end of North security, by Huxleys and the BA North Galleries Club lounge.
Departures areas - T5A, T5B, T5C
On the main departure floor of T5A, the floor with the departure gates, there are two of these lower specification units, which would perhaps be trickier with a bottle. They are by gates 7 (north, handy for many domestic departures) and gate 18 (south) by the Aspire lounge. Pictured below.
In T5B the same arrangement is available but gates B34 (near Starbucks) and B37. In T5C I've only found a single water fountain, by gate C53, which is also not so far from that terminal's branch of Starbucks.
Paid for water
The cheapest per litre is actually the One Foundation water supplied by World Duty Free, at £1.30 for 750 ml (£1.72 per litre), still water only. Available from the centre area on the west side by the tills. This is Natural Spring Water, so a lower spec than Natural Mineral Water. The cheapest water for the smaller 500 ml bottles is from Prêt à Manger, at 99 pence per bottle (£1.98 per litre). The very cheapest I could find for a small bottle came from Boots, which sells 300ml bottles at 65 pence, £2.17 per litre, Natural Mineral Water spec. All of this water comes from Wales, for some reason. There are other retailers selling water at higher prices, the Coca Cola vending machines seem the most expensive, at £2 for 500 ml, £4 per litre, however that water comes from Morpeth.
Heathrow Terminal 3
Drinking Fountains
Slightly less adorned, but better located, there are also two Halsey Taylor machines at main security (again by the Customs office) and at Flight Connections (at the end of Fast Track just before the airline customer service desks). If using Fast Track in T3 you may need to follow the signs round to Customs since that channel has a different exit route.
In the main part of the terminal you will find these fountains, often close by the larger toilet facilities. This one is close to the Emirates lounge by gate 9 and is therefore well placed for BA's European flights which often depart from gates 3 to 11.
Paid for water
Same comments and prices as T5, so World Duty Free is the cheapest per litre, but with one twist. Eat supplies Harrogate water at £1 for 500 ml, this is the same brand as BA's onboard buy on board water, the onboard price is £1.80 per bottle.