Why LHR terminal 3 is the worst
Apr 28, 2019, 5:52 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2019
Programs: BA Exec club
Posts: 9
Why LHR terminal 3 is the worst
So you happen to flight to Portugal and BA places you on T3 and you find the following:
- at least 35 minutes even if you have fastrack
- lounges full (been testing times on BA/priority pass)
honestly is the third world terminal of Heathrow, on T5 all works wonders.... is like Atalanta without the Sky lounge
- at least 35 minutes even if you have fastrack
- lounges full (been testing times on BA/priority pass)
honestly is the third world terminal of Heathrow, on T5 all works wonders.... is like Atalanta without the Sky lounge
Apr 29, 2019, 1:15 am
#2
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,613
Apr 29, 2019, 4:25 pm
#6
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
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It's a slightly odd to see a post on FT where the general oneworld lounge provision in T3 is ranked below T5!
Apr 30, 2019, 3:15 am
#8
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: GLA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 2,962
Agree with above; I rather like it these days when I get a T3 flight.
T3 used to be a complete hole, though, especially for those without status. Low ceilings, dark and crowded. None of that seems to be the substance of the complaint though!
T3 used to be a complete hole, though, especially for those without status. Low ceilings, dark and crowded. None of that seems to be the substance of the complaint though!
Apr 30, 2019, 3:23 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Being a *A flyer principally, T3 was a complete hole and life has improved enormously since the move to T2 some years ago. But when I fly OW, T3 is great compared with T5. Almost everything is better - it's one Tube stop closer with more trains on the return (although the Tube connection isn't great), security seems much less of a zoo, the CX lounge is very good (nearly up to T2 standards) and far better than the hell-holes in T5, and, although it's crowded, the passenger flows just seem better designed than in T5.
Apr 30, 2019, 4:05 am
#10
Moderator: UK and Ireland & Europe
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Biggleswade
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Posts: 13,611
I don't mind T3 too much. As a non-status passenger most of the time, it's rather like waiting around in an upmarket shopping centre where I don't want to buy anything. But there's normally a quiet spot near the A380 gates.
In my mind, at least it's not the old T2, which still appears in my mind whenever I think of Heathrow. Especially the post-9/11 tensabarrier farce at the gates. And a minuscule LH Senator lounge with its one-way door through to Business.
In my mind, at least it's not the old T2, which still appears in my mind whenever I think of Heathrow. Especially the post-9/11 tensabarrier farce at the gates. And a minuscule LH Senator lounge with its one-way door through to Business.
Apr 30, 2019, 4:18 am
#11
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NW London and NW Sydney
Programs: BA Diamond, Hilton Bronze, A3 Diamond, IHG *G
Posts: 6,344
I suspect the OP meant it took them 35 minutes to get through security, and they assumed that they only had access into the BA lounge. (It seems rather common for some people to think this, even though entry into all OW lounges was the first rule I learned about when I started looking into FFPs...)
Fast track security at T3 can be very slow at times, particularly if only one of the two lanes is in operation, and passengers ahead of you in the queue have decided for themselves that only one person can unpack their belongings at a time, even though there is enough space for two people. Furthermore, it seems to be forbidden to even open your bag until you get to the front of the queue, and you must also act surprised that you actually need to take certain things out. (At non-peak times, this doesn't really slow the process down, but when there are 20 people lining up it has a bigger impact.)
Fast track security at T3 can be very slow at times, particularly if only one of the two lanes is in operation, and passengers ahead of you in the queue have decided for themselves that only one person can unpack their belongings at a time, even though there is enough space for two people. Furthermore, it seems to be forbidden to even open your bag until you get to the front of the queue, and you must also act surprised that you actually need to take certain things out. (At non-peak times, this doesn't really slow the process down, but when there are 20 people lining up it has a bigger impact.)