Originally Posted by
aristoph
No one goes in there! (Or the BA lounge to be fair.) G&Ts with Qantas followed by champagne and noodles courtesy of CX.
In general I find T3 so much less stressful than T5 but that's mainly due to a) not having to deal with the ridiculous escalator up-down layout at T5 and, most of all b) not having to use the dreaded transit. It's just about bearable for a long-haul flight where you have 2 hours + to waste, but T5 is at the bottom of my London airport list for anything shorthaul. The best thing OW could do is shift AA/BA longaul to T5 then put all short-haul together in T3.
This roused a chuckle - you do realise the formalities at T3 are also stacked on two different levels: escalator or lift up from check-in to security, whereas at T5 its escalator/lift down after security. The BA south lounge pavilion at T5 is stacked above the main departure hall; a similar arrangement exists at the CX lounge over at T3, so no matter which terminal we use, we end up in one vertical flow or another.
The T5 transit is not obligatory - Personally, I prefer to walk over to T5B/C. Its a short stroll and the distance from T5A to T5C really isn't much further than the walk from the CX lounge to the Gate 36-42 rotunda at T3.
I must confess though, the F Wing does create a certain bias. Its a blessing compared to fast track at T3.