corporate-wage-slave

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.

corporate-wage-slave

London Gatwick South (BA terminal from 25 January 2017)

See cziwkga's post 59 by clicking here.
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London Gatwick North (BA services finish there on 24 January 2017).

There is a fountain, suitable for bottle and flask filling, outside the toilets nearest to Harrods in the South Terminal. If you are using the BA lounge, specifically when leaving the lounge to go to your flight, the lift to level 3 - the departure level - will take you past the fountain en route to all gates.

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London City
A rather poor state of affairs. I liaised with customer relations at LCY and they said they have no fountain and no plans for a fountain either. I did point out they were now being outgunned by LGW and LHR in this area, and I will continue to lobby. However LCY management did say that they had arrangements with Caffè Nero (first photo below, near gate 2) and Panopolis (near security), where water jugs and cups were left out. And indeed it is the case as shown by the photos below. However the keen eyed FTer may notice that all 3 jugs are empty when there were many weather related delays and so LCY was heaving with the Storm Barbara precursor. In the case of Caffè Nero they were rapidly refilled when this was pointed out, in the case of Panopolis it was also done, but with the maximum amount of bad grace that filling a water jug could possibly inspire. So LCY users: if you see a lady with a LCY uniform on bearing a tablet airside, kindly add to the pressure by mentioning it to her there.

EDIT 14 March 2020: LCY has now installed a water dispenser, suitable for bottles and flasks, in the departure area after security (awaiting details of the precise location).




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Edinburgh

See cziwkga's post 58 by clicking here.

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Glasgow

There is this water fountain airside after security between Boots and the Sandeling Wetherspoon's public house.



There is also a handy water dispenser at the back of Costas in the usual BA gates for LHR and LCY, facing into gate 19

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Manchester

A good bottle and direct drinking facility to be found in T3 between the Lion and Antelope pub and the Trattoria Milano restaurant. See this post from LordBuckethead for more information.

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Newcastle

No facilities identified yet.

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Aberdeen

See this post.

cysyuen

I thought if you go to WH Smith and buy the Telegraph you get a free Evian bottled water?

MarkFlies

I think it was at Chicago - the AA terminal at ORD - where at security they have things (a drain, I suppose) and encourage you to empty your bottle before security. Then after security they have water fountains.

I was reminded of them by the counter on the water fountains at LHR. The ORD drain was counting too

Deltus

Thanks for this thread CWS! I always carry an empty bottle through security but don't always remember to fill it up - if I've got a specific location to plan into my route that will be very helpful.

jackr27

A very useful resource - so thanks CWS

However, it's rather shameful it's got to the point where people have to fill up a water bottle in the terminal because BA won't provide any.

jerry a. laska

Indeed. See (pictures aren't very good):
http://www.flychicago.com/OHare/EN/A...vironment.aspx
SFO also does this:
http://www.flysfo.com/services-ameni...&title=&page=4

BA or bust

Brilliant idea to post this, thank you cws ! ^

DeanB

Great thread.

FYI Boots in T5B does 750ml water for £1.15 (just checked my receipt from Saturday). Probably same price in T5A I'd imagine.

Worcester

I wonder how much your post is going to cost BA when they start charging for water...

Thanks

shobday96

Yep, that's the standard UK airport price and they're 2 for £2 so ideal when travelling with someone else.

headingwest

Great thread.....but how very, very sad that flying with the UK's flag carrier has ended up like this.

Rami Tamimi

AA Flagship Lounge in Heathrow's T3 has 0,5 Evian bottles now.

Dan72

I wonder how long that will last. I noticed that QR no longer provide small bottles of water in the their business lounge in DOH. You can understand why... like BA they do provide individual bottles onboard in J.

But more importantly really good/useful thread that reminds me how good this board can be.

I haven't weighed in on the BOB point, perhaps best left for that very active thread.

Flexible preferences

Extremely useful and thoughtful thread. Love the newer machines.