London Heathrow, do you hate it?
 

There isn't a single part of Heathrow that I like. Why?

- only 1 piece of carry-on permitted regardless of travelling class
- old buildings / dirty
- overcrowded
- expensive tax
- extremely slow immigration
- rude customs staff
- horrendously long ques at security check (non-fastrack)
- too much airside shops
- expensive duty free
- insufficient airside seating (outside of lounges)
- insufficient gate seating
- short-notice of gate announcement (usually only 30 mins before boarding)
- long-distance walk between gates and main building
- escalators and moving walkways often broken or not working
- coaches park at the central bus station which is a 20 minute walk from most terminals (extremely tiring) and only two elevators are available
- the soon to open terminal 5 is reserved to BA operated flights only? how selfish is that

The list could go on and on and on and on..................................

Actually, I quite like this. It means you get overhead locker space without having to battle for it. Besides, that's hardly a unique situation in Europe these days.

Oh yes. When Heathrow East is complete, this will be alleviated somewhat, but I suspect it's always going to be dirty and behind the times as long as BAA are in charge.

Absolutely. It's simply in the wrong place, with no room for expansion. It should have been moved (or converted to a regional airport) long ago.

Well, depends on the class you fly, but yes, this applies to all UK airports. CDG/AMS/FRA aren't exactly cheap these days, though...

Slow, yes, but it's still got a way to go before it beats many other places I've been to (most US arrivals points, for example...)

I've always found them rather courteous. My only beef with them is how long it can take to get someone to stamp a carnet.

Fastrack isn't always that much better. But yes, it's atrocious, and has barely been improved since the new security restrictions. LCY practically doubled its security overnight, and guess what? No queues to speak about...

I find the shops very handy - particularly the books, chemists, etc. What I do object to, however, is being forced to divert through acres of duty free (T1 and T3) to get to your flight or the lounge. Look, no, I don't want anything, drop the hard sell!

Don't drink, don't smoke. What do I do?

But you'd spend less in the shops if you had somewhere comfy to sit! Think of the profit margins!

Not just that, but the gate areas are frankly disgracefully shabby.

Well, they don't always know the gate too far in advance! But I much prefer this to the situation (AMS and SIN, are you listening?) of "YOUR GATE IS CLOSING, GO THERE NOW NOW NOW!" only to find it hasn't even started boarding yet. Grrr!

Bar a few gates at T3 and Victor pier at T4, I find LHR rather reasonable in this respect, for the size of airport.

But if BAA spent money on maintenance, how would they fund new shops?

I find it closer to 10, and it is along travelators, mostly. Coaches are a minority access to/from LHR, I would say. What I find more galling is that, in the plans for T5, despite the train supposedly being aimed to be the primary access to the terminal, the station is miles away from departures/arrivals. And the Tube setup is a joke, despite the original T4 loop being designed with T5 in mind. Integrated transport in this country is a joke. Anywhere else, and the GW mainline would have been diverted to the airport when it opened!

Ask the Star Alliance airlines what they think of it... It's taken so long to get off the ground, too, it looks frankly behind the times already.

Well, pity those of us who live in London and have little choice but to use it for soooo many journeys! I can't wait until the A318 is cleared for LCY.

Yes, its the worst airport I use.

Seem to recall there was another "i hate LHR because" thread a while back.

One other thing I've noticed happening alot recently is that on arrival we're told that one of the piers (or whatever you call it) is broken/not available and disembarkation will be through one door only...

Sorry... I could think of more, but I just don't want to think about it.

Apart from BA's Zone R in T1 and the VS Clubhouse, the place is an horrible dump. In a perverse kind of way it is also amazing that it functions at all given the demand placed on the infrastructure.

I have got to the point of dreading each trip through. Not good when it is your local airport.

I think LHR is a disgrace to London given the reputation of the city being one of Europe's largest financial hubs.

Which is why those in the Financial community tend to use LCY ;-)

If I hate it? Hmmmmmm.....

YES !

I actually don't mind Heathrow in general. I actually like T3. I think that we must have quite different travel habits. I don't like getting to it, though!

I agree. It's not a Heathrow thing, but a UK thing I think, and it sucks! I'd add the liquid ban to that, but that's becoming an international problem now.

As an EU citizen I fly through. Much quicker than any non-EU nation I've been to.

I've gone through once as a Canadian and they were friendly. In the EU line it's so quick that they don't have time to be rude!

What are you comparing it to? The US staff are way beyond rude at times (though at times quite professional). I've been treated very rudely by a couple of agents returning to Canada as a Canadian.

Agreed - it has definitely got worse.

How is this a problem? I occasionally buy a sandwich, or something from Boots. I would prefer that the perfume area be more avoidable, but that's the same of department stores too. I just don't bother with the rest and they don't bother me :). I still prefer it to having absolutely nothing which I've seen before.

I never buy duty-free there since as you say it is too expensive. It's always cheaper on the plane. There's occasionally a deal for a 2-pack, but I can't actually bring that duty-free anywhere! They do occasionally have some nice tasters, though :).

I guess these are related. I've never really had a problem, but I always use the lounge.

I wouldn't want to go more than 30 minutes ahead (more lounge time). I like the walk to loosen up before my flight.

I don't take the coach any more, but it is a long walk from any of the public-transit ways of arriving, and a terribly long walk between terminals as a transit passenger.

So?


Thanks,

Dr. PITUK

LHR sure beats most of American airports...

Have you guys ever been to MIA?? IAD??

Besides, Heathrow has the best shopping!

I find that (outside the lounges) IAD and LHR could have a deathmatch for the title of "worst possible gateway airport to a 1st world capital."

With that said, if you think LHR is bad, I give you LGW South. It could be worse.

^ ^
I'm really in the minority, but I kinda like LHR. I agree with many of the flaws and faults that above posters have pointed out, but for some reason, I enjoy walking through all the shops in T3 on my way to the lounges, and the transit options are pretty good.
Gatwick seems so much farther away than LHR, and you can't get there on the Tube.
There is no argument about one thing: LHR on it's worst day still blows IAD out of the water. IAD is easily the most awful excuse for an airport in the history of aviation.

Just why you would WANT to get there using the tube, I don't understand. I found the trains to LGW (from Victoria or London Bridge) much better than the Piccadilly Line.

SmilingBoy.

Agreed. Much better value and a wider choice of direct connections than the Heathrow Express too. Also the HEX takes ages to get to - all those escalators before you get to the subterranean pokey platform (unless you can be bothered to wait for the lift).

From memory Gatwick airport station is only one flight of stairs from the main concourse.

1. I'm a massive cheapskate. ;)
2. I almost always stay with friends near Wimbledon Park, so the tube ride isn't very long.

I flew through LHR a week ago today. This is what I like about Heathrow:

• Terminal 2. I know it's going away soon, but I love the art deco style
• the viewing terrace and spotters shop on top of the Queen's building
• easy access to public transit
• lots and lots and LOTS of trolleys
• The KLM Holideck lounge at Terminal 4!!

Where I disagree with skyrider:

• extremely slow immigration. I have a UK passport, and while I can't just wander by while holding it open (the way it used to be), I still never have to wait
• rude customs staff. If you're rude to them, they'll be rude back
• short notice of gate announcement. I wander the terminal until I see where my plane will be going from
• escalators or moving walkways broken/not working. Did not see a single non-working people mover. I also enjoyed bouncing on the Dunlop-built moving walkway in Terminal 4.

Airside shops, expensive duty free, and gate seating really don't matter to me. I don't shop and I tend to use a lounge. I also don't use coaches but always take the Tube.

On the plus side, everything at LHR is extremely well sign-posted.

I'm currently reading Air Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones. It's a day in the life of staff at Heathrow airport, and rather reads like an episode of the BBC TV show "Airport". All that's missing is Jeremy Spake from Aeroflot.