In 2008, I wrote a post about the massive airline moves being made at London’s Heathrow Airport when British Airways opened its new Terminal 5. Now, it’s time to do it all over again, just on a slightly smaller scale. We’re only a couple of weeks away from the opening of Terminal 2, the Queen’s Terminal.
The previous Terminal 2 was knocked down after Terminal 5 opened, and a brand-spanking new, massive terminal was built it is place to house the Star Alliance. Today, Star Alliance airlines are scattered. Some are in Terminal 1 while others are in Terminal 3. Oh, and yes there are even some flights in Terminal 4. But now the airport where more Star Alliance airlines (23) fly than any other will put them all under one roof. And they all move on different days. Here’s the plan.
| Flights | Current terminal | New terminal | When? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aegean | All flights | 1 | 2 | July 23, 2014 |
| Air Canada | All flights | 3 | 2 | June 18, 2014 |
| Air China | All flights | 3 | 2 | June 18, 2014 |
| ANA | All flights | 3 | 2 | June 18, 2014 |
| Air New Zealand | All flights | 1 | 2 | October 22, 2014 |
| Asiana | All flights | 1 | 2 | October 22, 2014 |
| Austrian | All flights | 1 | 2 | October 1, 2014 |
| Avianca | New airline | None | 2 | July 4, 2014 |
| Brussels Airlines | All flights | 1 | 2 | October 15, 2014 |
| Croatia Airlines | All flights | 1 | 2 | October 15, 2014 |
| Egyptair | All flights | 3 | 2 | September 17, 2014 |
| Ethiopian | All flights | 3 | 2 | September 17, 2014 |
| EVA | All flights | 3 | 2 | July 2, 2014 |
| LOT Polish | All flights | 1 | 2 | October 22, 2014 |
| Lufthansa | All flights | 1 | 2 | October 1, 2014 |
| SAS | All flights | 3 | 2 | September 10, 2014 |
| Singapore | All flights | 3 | 2 | September 17, 2014 |
| South African | All flights | 1 | 2 | October 22, 2014 |
| Swiss | All flights | 1 | 2 | October 15, 2014 |
| TAP Portugal | All flights | 1 | 2 | October 22, 2014 |
| Thai | All flights | 3 | 2 | July 2, 2014 |
| Turkish | All flights | 3 | 2 | July 2, 2014 |
| United | All flights | 1 and 4 | 2 | June 4, 2014 |
You’ll notice that United is the first airline to make the move on June 4, and that’s really good news. Today, United remains split along pre-merger lines with Continental flights in Terminal 4. Finally they’ll be able to run a single operation.
As part of all these changes, there are 4 non-Star airlines that will move as well for various reasons.
| Flights | Current terminal | New terminal | When? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | All flights | 1 | 2 | July 9, 2014 |
| Germanwings | All flights | 1 | 2 | October 8, 2014 |
| US Airways | All flights | 1 | 3 | June 24, 2014 |
| Virgin Atlantic | Little Red short haul | 1 | 2 | September 10, 2014 |
Germanwings may not be a Star Alliance carrier, but it is owned by Lufthansa. So it’s no surprise that Germanwings will go with its parent to Terminal 2.
Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic’s Little Red are in Terminal 1 today and will be making the move to Terminal 2 as well. Flights within the UK and Ireland are considered domestic, so Aer Lingus and Little Red need a separate area of the terminal. Space is being built for them in Terminal 2. By 2016, Terminal 1 will be demolished, and Terminal 2 will eventually expand into that footprint, at least partially.
US Airways will move into Terminal 3 at the end of June. That is no surprise since it is now part of the new American. And American, along with all oneworld airlines except for BA and Iberia, lives in Terminal 3. (Affiliated airlines, like Emirates which is close with Qantas, and Virgin Atlantic also call Terminal 3 home. And there are still a few randoms there as well.)
That leaves Terminal 4, across the runways, as the home of SkyTeam airlines (mostly, though Delta has moved some flights to be with Virgin Atlantic in Terminal 3). It will also continue to be the home for wayward airlines that have no other place to go.
So what does this really mean to you? Make sure you know which terminal you’re in. And keep in mind that if you arrive in one, you might depart from another a few days later. Oh, and if you’re connecting between Star Alliance carriers, check the schedule to see if one will have moved while the other hasn’t. You might want to make sure you have some extra connecting time in that case.
