Originally Posted by
corporate-wage-slave
Let's focus on being helpful here.
So there are two Plaza Premiums in T2, Departures and Arrival. The Departure lounge is airside, after security tucked away past World of Whiskies / Harrods, The Arrival one is right by where the domestic arrival area for T2, not that it sees much footfall, by Marks and Spencer, kind of around the corner from the main arrival plaza for most T2 passengers. It is definitely landside, any member of the public can hop on the tube and potentially walk into that lounge without passing through any security controls.
If you are arriving into Terminal 3 you have two ways to get to Terminal 2. Airside route and landside. Airside means taking the Flight Connections bus to T2, at which point you have two further choices - to go landside there by passing through UK Border (passports) - so this get you to Plaza Arrivals. Depending on your passport this could take 30 or 40 minutes from T3 to Plaza Arrivals. The other alternative is to stay airside, and this gets you to Plaza Departures after a security check, but no passport check. I think this could take as little as 20 minutes since the lounge is immediately after that security check (look rightwards as you leave).
Now the alternative to the above airside options is the landside route, and in practical terms this only allows you access to the Arrivals lounge. In this scenario you pass via the UK Border in T3, so passport control, enter the UK, follow the signs for T2 down a underground walkway via the main tube station, over to T2 Arrivals and then the lounge. I would guess that is 30 or 40 minutes that way around, however occasionally the UK Border is slow for non EEA citizens, whereas T2 doesn't seem to have this issue. Having visited the lounge, at some point you need to return the same route to T3, continue on to the Departures building, and through main security back to airside. No passport checks in this scenario.
To be clear, T2 Plaza Arrivals is in the public area of T2, Departures is in the secured airside area. The comment you are quoting from seems to apply to someone who is already landside, they would therefore not need to clear security to get to that lounge.
Thanks, airside vs landslide were new terms to me and your explanation is very thorough with time constraints listed. One would think a 3 hour layover in an airport would be easy to traverse different terminals but not at Heathrow. I do have a EU passport that I could use to go between T3 to T2 and back to T2 but prefer to keep traveling on US passport as it may cause confusion.
I also prefer carry-on luggage since it's all the clothes I will have in Europe for 5 weeks of travel and dislike airline luggage screwups. Thus it means going through security check points more time consuming versus checking in luggage.
MIA is right ---
My goal was a free shower (w/ 3 hr layover) and a nice meal which many claim T2 Plaza Premium arrivals is superior than T3 (No 1, Aspire) - shower fees in T3 with PP are 10-15 pounds.. PP FREE showers is only valid in T2 Plaza Premium (arrivals). T4 has some Plaza options but was determined to be too far way time wise and T5 charges for showers as I was there last year.
Thanks again for the detailed and thoughtful explanation. It seems I can almost make the 30 minute T3 to T2 and another 30 minute T2 to T3 transit and still meet my goals of shower, data and flight boarding but with alot of hassle.
Appreciate all the help as it seems Plaza doesn't grasp the transit with security or passport control to access T2 from T3.