Welcome to Heathrow Airport. We landed from our Newark flight and made our looooooonnnnnngggg way to immigration to get our passport checked. Thank god we had been given Fasttrack privileges because the line to get checked was even longer than the walk to get there. I swear we would still be there now waiting if we hadn't had Fasttrack. The airport itself is nice enough. I just wish that immigration was closer to the terminal. No other complaints really. Quick and easy access to the underground to head us off on our way to download London! We will back at Heathrow in 9 Days ..... I guess I'll have a better chance to explore then. read more

On the plus side, you get free wifi for a bit (I think four hours). The downside is with all the lines everywhere you may need the four hours. When I was coming in we waited at the customs line forever. At one point they only had one border officer processing people - one at a time. The rest of the airport was at least clean and nice. read more

Heathrow Airport puts LAX to shame. Let me count the ways... - free phone and device charging station - ample seating - wide selection of dining options - high end retail stores - booze sampling in their duty free shops...yes you can sample even some of the high end whiskeys - Cohiba cuban cigars - easy and direct access to the Underground I especially like that there is a central gathering place and the actual gates are separated, so it results in less traffic. A very well thought out design of an airport. read more

Not a bad airport. I may be biased because I usually come here for vacation and am not in a rush and don't mind the lines in customs getting into the U.K. I suppose my 1 gripe would be that my husband had an accident a day prior to leaving London and needed a last minute wheelchair when we got to the airport. The workers in wheelchair area (pre-booked) were not helpful. Their main concern was why we didn't pre-book a wheelchair about 2 months ago and they did not have any extra to give us unless we waited 3 hours. Well people...have you heard of an accident?! We didn't foresee that we would be needing a wheelchair 2 months ago! Anyway they told us NO CAN DO and to find a wheelchair after security. WTF?! So my poor hubby had to hop to the security lines and then make the trek downstairs to find a wheelchair. I do have to say the airport employees that noticed that he was struggling did help him get through lines faster, but still we had to go pretty far to access a wheelchair. Me (wheelchair pusher) had a hell of a time pushing the wheelchair for 20 some minutes to the gate which was soooo far away. To make matters worse the trek to the gate was uphill and downhill which made for a pretty eventful ride for my hubby. Long story short - my cardio goals were complete that day. All in all - good airport but special services (wheelchairs) should be more easily accessible for those who are not pre-booked 2/3 months in advance. read more

This is a really nice airport. It's huge and has every restaurant and store imaginable. What I dislike is that since it is so busy, there is a good chance your plane will sit on the tarmac for awhile until takeoff. read more

Terminal 5 - you are awesome! You are like the best couture mall in San Francisco, but in an airport! From high-end brands to delicious bakeries and restaurants, Terminal 5 had it all. I was soooooo tempted to buy this one Chanel wallet I've been dying to get my hands on. But I refrained from my impulse buy and waited until I got to Paris. As always, a cab fare from any airport is usually pretty expensive. Luckily, my hotel was only a few minutes outside the airport, so I got there relatively quickly. I can't say much about the rest of Heathrow.. but if every airport were like Terminal 5, I don't think I would ever mind waiting for a layover or a delayed flight... I'll just be over there.. browsing :) read more

Connection flight: i DON'T appreciate walking long distance to stand in a long hallway waiting in line with luggage and backpack without seating at the Gate. The other issue is the Gate Number was announced at the last minute, so hanging out at the food court and without constantly checking the board, one could miss their flight. This is not the first time here. The last time I don't remember it being like this. The food court area s huge and quite busy, a big open space of a good handful of shops and restaurants. There's even a quiet family lounge here to escape the crowd but joined the crowd. read more

Yeah, this airport sucks. Granted, I haven't been here since 1998, but I can't imagine terrorist threats and the UK's botching of all kinds of security- and terrorism-related investigations have made Heathrow a very pleasant place to fly out of. I flew from here to Los Angeles after having visited a friend who was studying in Lancaster, England. I woke up early, got driven to the train station in Lancaster (which is really far north), took the train to London, transferred to the tube, and somehow figured out how to get to Heathrow. I hadn't timed it very well, though, and I made it to security at Heathrow with only about forty minutes to go before my flight departed. As a security guy went through my carry-on bag, he pulled out my Walkman and asked me where I had gotten it. "In the States," I said. "Where?" he asked. "In the United States. I brought it with me." "Where did you purchase it?" "In California." "Where, sir? You're not answering my question." "The store? Price Club. In the City of Industry." "Where's that?" "Outside of Los Angeles." Our conversation went on like this for what seemed like five minutes. He didn't look through my bag more, and he seemed generally unhappy with my truthful answers to his questions. Why did it matter where I had gotten my Walkman? I ran to my gate and just boarded the plane on time. After pushing off, we had to wait almost two hours on the tarmac to get runway clearance. It was a horrible experience, and I'm glad I haven't been back. read more

Plus: - Awesome arrival lounge for incoming passengers with a oneworld alliance frequent flier account (this arrival lounge even has champagne!) - Cathay Pacific departure lounge (newly refurbished!) Minuses: - Security a bit uptight - UK immigration (see Brexit) read more

Coming here was the worst immigration line I've ever been in. The wait was over an hour long alone. U.K. Really needs to work on this for sure. read more

Heathrow Airport - Airports Near Me - Hounslow, XGL

Amenities are A+ Transferring between flights gets 1 Star (1 Star) + (A+) = 3 Stars If you can manage, fly direct to your end point. read more

Heathrow has grown huge since we first flew in here in 1985. We ended up spending far more time than we wanted to in Terminal 5. We were picked up by a friendly transporter who helped us to gather our baggage and transported us to the Assistance Center to wait for the Help Bus to transport us and our luggage to Terminal 3. We were there more than an hour. The worst part of the wait was the incessant visual pollution provided by huge video screens showing endless loops of a series of perfume commercials. Eventually we were rescued from that and transported to Terminal 3, where we checked in w/ Virgin Atlantic. Fortunately we had a cushion of several hours between our flights, so there was more than adequate time. I would just have rather spent that time in the Lounge. Going through Security here is much more rigorous than at other airports. While I have often forgotten to put out my bag of liquids, here it must be done, and lipsticks and hand cream from my purse had to go into a clear plastic bag. British Security has always been more careful and thorough, going back to the '80 and doubtless before. I have no complaints about this. While US Security often seems like theatre, in Britain it's serious because they have dealt w/ security threats for decades and I respect it. read more

This was a very nice airport for the 6 hour layover that I had when returning to the US. My incoming and outgoing flights were both out of terminal 5. I really liked the huge windows and skylights that give it an open, airy feel. I arrived in the A terminal and had to go through security. This was a breeze and was very well organized with staff moving you around to an available line. It just took a few minutes. There is excellent free wifi throughout the airport and many charging stations. I liked the shops and there were some nice eating places, though I didn't eat there. My flight was from Terminal C. If you like a bit of exercise, go all the way down to the bottom level and walk. It didn't take me more than 10 or 15 minutes and there was no one there. Terminal C was not crowded at all and a nice place to fly out of. I wouldn't hesitate to fly through here again. It's much better than large US airports I have flown through. read more

This maybe one of the busiest airports in the world and efforts 'may' have been made to accommodate this traffic, but after flying in and out of it 3 times in the past 3 weeks I can confirm that it's one of the worst to travel through - a true nightmare. While I can't speak for its cross-town airport counterpart (Gatwick) each of my experiences got progressively worse. My biggest gripe? How slow this airport moves! Check-in: Compared to similar length line ups with similar number of staff working, Heathrow is slower... correction, way slower! Security: A mess. They've got advanced tech with their bin replenishment system (it's all automated and the bins get fed along a conveyor belt back to the front of the line continually) but the organization of the staff was awful, sending people in arbitrary longer lines when some lines were visibly shorter. Still moved at a good speed but stressful Customs: AKA purgatory for non-EU travelers. The line up here seems to never end (likely a symptom of this being a large airport) but come on! 45 min to get through? Egad! Thankfully each time we passed through the officials at the desk all had a dry witty humor that seemed to make the wait a little more worth while (try joking with customs in Toronto - no, but seriously DON'T). Walking/Size: Not for the weary, when a sign above your head tells you that your gate is 20 minutes away after you've sat through any of the above in combination, you do indeed want to ugly cry yourself to sleep. How about the pros? I'll give them credit it's a swanky looking airport, very modern in every way and clean from top to bottom. Transfer between terminals is/can be easy either with the Underground or free transfers using the luxurious Heathrow Express. It made moving between a terminal 5 arrival to a terminal 2 departure easy (read: easier following a 20 minute walk that involved 2 lifts, and 4 escalators) Signage: This was the biggest pro, everything was clearly marked, labeling everywhere, signage abound left no room for second guessing yourself as you traverse this behemoth! A necessary evil for travel in Europe but I definitely need a break before I can see LHR again! Wings up! read more

What a beast of an airport... A large maze of concrete entrails. I think the designers of the airport had this notion that Irish people are full of carbs due to stout and potatoes and therefore should walk that bit further then the rest of the world to the main terminals. I landed at 9am on my Aer Lingus flight which my Berlin based friend always says reminds him of a sex act, but I digress. To get to my connecting flight it took a hour. The airlines timed the connection perfectly and the connecting bus and train and were on time. That I cannot fault. I know that they are improving it and it must be difficult to upgrade an airport whilst keeping it open to the public but I always build up a sweat with all the walking they make us poor islanders endure - oh well. Lord knows what the folks coming from Easter Island have to put up with, they probably have them land in Essex and then bus it in. read more

I'm all about keeping my reviews concise, so here ya go: I don't like Heathrow and think it sucks. The end. read more

It's the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world. It's also one of the most congested - at 98% capacity, so plane schedules need to run like a Swiss watch, or they gum up the works. Efficiency is key. And it really looks its age. Apart from some modern touches in the international terminal and shopping areas, it has a 1970s industrial look; all concourses I walked through felt run down. As others have mentioned, be prepared to walk. A lot. After de-planing, I felt like a joke was being played on us, after walking 15 minutes through narrow hallways, jetways, bridges, corridors, etc. and this was before seeing any signs of customs or baggage. On the outbound leg, it was another lengthy distance getting to my plane. A two-star airport, but I have to give Heathrow kudos for quickly and easily finding the iPad I had forgotten on my inbound flight. I thought there was no way in hell I would get it back, but I asked the question anyways at the United desk before my return flight. All it took was a few more simple questions and one phone call upstairs to get it back in my hands...in under 10 minutes. Simply amazing! Did I mention they were efficient here? One star added. ---- Spring 2014 update. The airport ground transport system at Heathrow is ridiculous for travelers. A shuttle bus to my hotel charged 4 pounds, even though I could see this hotel across the main road (no walking option available). Also, cabs hailed at Heathrow don't take credit cards. (To do this, you have to reserve a car prior to arrival, or order one at the tourist desk). Back to 2 stars. Dan's Airport checklist: -- Free Wi-Fi: No (1) -- Logistics and getting around: (2) -- Shops and amenities (2) -- Beauty and art: (2) read more

It feels so good to be here especially after my recent experience with the alternative ( i.e. gatwick) You can either take the tube ( Picadilly line-the blue one) or Heathrow Express from Paddington. It is in zone 6 so it costs something like 6,40 Gbp by tube I guess, and 15,40 by the express. If you'd prefer tube, you should better make sure from which terminal your plane is taking off because there are 5 terminals and 3 different tube stations for them ( heathrow 1,2,3; heathrow 4 and heathrow 5). That is how I arrived at the terminal 2. So it's a cool place; and you have like Ted Baker and John Lewis and duty free area where you can buy liquor or cigarettes, and all the other stuff. You have free wifi that you can access with your basic info and flight nbr. And toilets are really clean and my god they smell so good;) So have a safe flight;) read more

Heathrow suffers from big-airportitis. Crowded, busy, inconsistent but mostly long security lines. I've only flown here long-haul internationally, but I can imagine that for short-haul flights it can be a pain. Which is why my Brit friends grumble about it so much. My biggest gripe was more to do with BA than Heathrow per se, but here's some advice when connecting through to Asia: Don't bother with the arrival lounge, they won't let you in. You'll probably spend almost 2 hours transferring between terminals. There's NOTHING in Terminal 4 as far as concessions (that may have changed; it was under construction the last time I was there). And until everyone shows up in the evening for the slew of eastbound long-haul flights--the place is more dead than a zombie apocalypse. BUT there is a shower (if you have lounge access)...a difficult choice! Terminal 5 is the pinnacle of the civilized world, offering the most upscale concessions on the planet, a ton of dining options, and is just a pleasant place to be. Harrod's outpost, designer European labels...can you say "Duty Free"? On this alone, the airport would be 5-stars. Getting to/from Heathrow is so easy even an American can do it. They have several options for train connections that drop you in the heart of London, including an express train or just the plain old Tube. And having a lot of friendly people around who are fluent in Americanese helps, as well. read more

They literally make you go through 5 checks ins when transferring from another place to a different airline. For example we were coming from Barcelona to LAX and had a lay over. They made you go through all those gates and recheck your bags. Norwegian airline staff were very rude. I wanted to visit London but i won't after this terrible experience. No thanks. read more

This is one of my favorite international airport in Europe and have been here several times during my flight transits. -Great shopping, dining, entertainment in the airport -Nice VIP Lounges with drinks, food, snacks -Clean airport and bathrooms -Free Wifi -Like all other airports they have plenty of duty free shops -Long lines and wait times to go through security The only drawback we experienced was during short transit time, we had to board the shuttle bus to transport from terminal to another which was very time consuming and we just made it on time for the next flight! Hope they can connect the Terminals by monorail like the Las Vegas airport and others. read more

2.5 stars. Customs can be quick or it can take about an hour and a half depending on time and day you fly in. I have coworkers who blacklisted this airport for connecting flights. For me, it's always been the final destination. They are cheap on WiFi here and it's free for like 15 minutes or something ridiculous like that. Food is okay depending on the Terminal but nothing to woohoo about. Transport is a plus as you can use the subway for cheap to get into the city which connects you to most places. I have always booked car service which ranges from the 60-80 pound range depending on car size. But for the 3-4 of us that always travel together for work with about 3 suitcase each, it's worth the money to get car service. If I was on vacation and traveling late, I'd definitely consider taking the Underground. read more

"Any unattended baggage will be removed and destroyed." This was the greeting I received on my initiation into international air travel some years back, and it still amuses me to reflect on it. Not much about Heathrow stood out to me as remarkably good or bad. After visiting other airports in other countries, if there were a pH Scale for airports Heathrow would be distilled water. It's not massively disorganized and yet not sterile. I lean toward the positive in my rating since I love London so much (as well as the lovely drive through the countryside just to get to it from Heathrow) and probably because I've only had experiences flying in, without having to go through security or wait for gate announcements. Perhaps my one big gripe is that of all the airports I've been to, Heathrow had the STEEPEST currency exchange rates. When the going rate was $1.68 to £1, they wanted $1.95. It's kind of a drag when you need petty cash and you can't make it to the American Express office, but I guess that's why they feel they deserve such a high commission. read more

The absolute rudest security I have ever encountered, after now two horrendous experiences there i will from now on take an extra connection-whatever it takes to bypass Heathrow. You may queue for 20 minutes because they confuscated an item from someone who followed every single rule to a T. If you are at all able never go through Heathrow I promise overpaying for a Paddington bear just because you're passing through Heathrow airport is not worth it. read more

LHR has turned into a big cluster(mess). I fly to MUC once a month. I typically fly into LHR (AA) then onto MUC (BA) but lately, I have been routing through Madrid on Iberia. Here is why - while flying into LHR is no problem, its the issues that come up when you are leaving LHR that cause problems! LONG security lines, very rude TSA agents, and constant delays flying into the states. I can't remember the last time a flight left on time! Sure, there are nice shops and a good selection of restaurants. However, from a strictly business travel perspective, it is better to fly into MAD or CDG then avoid the mess that has become LHR. read more

Not impressed at all of the airport Could do with an upgrade, the bus ride cramped like cattle from one terminal to the other is an utter disaster and disappointing The stuff not so helpful But good to be on home turf read more

If another flight option is $200 more expensive, but doesn't connect through Heathrow, take it. Welcome and thank you for connecting at London Heathrow. You have landed at terminal 4 and your next leg is at terminal 3. Please make your way to the bus connection that will take you to terminal 2. At terminal 2, please wait for a van which will circle terminal 2 twice, then do a U turn before bringing you to terminal 1. At terminal 1, please wait for the next bus to take you across the tarmac. Keep in mind you'll need to wait for a few planes to go by so this may take upwards of a half hour. You have now reached terminal 2 again somehow. Please hop on the bus that should be here any minute to take you to terminal 3. Oh, that bus is already full. Please wait for the next bus to take you to terminal 3. Once you reach security, please remove all liquids from your bag and place it in a separate bag. Yes that includes lotions and gels, and also most solids. Unfortunately, only one person is working security today so we will be slower than our normal speedy selves. Since you accidentally had a travel size toothpaste stuck at the bottom of your bag, we're going to need to seize all luggage, move things around, trash some of it, and sweep all items to make sure they're not an explosives. This should only take forty minutes. The restaurants and duty-free stores look very nice, but unfortunately you'll need to run to catch the plane. Thank you for choosing to connect at Heathrow. We wish you a pleasant onward journey. read more

This is nice airport if you have any of the following: 1. Comfortable shoes 2. A long layover 3. An obsession with Duty Free shopping If you have a layover less than 2 hours, prepare to do some hustling. Between getting from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5, and using the Fast Track security lines, it took me over an hour before I reached the gate of my connecting flight. I had an extra hour to spare, so I wasn't too worried, but would strongly advise against any layover less than 2 hours if you're traveling outside of the E.U. The British Airways Lounge in Terminal 5, B gates was phenomenal. Clean facilities, great food, attentive employees, and plenty of amenities. This was a pleasant introduction to LHR. read more

When traveling abroad, by aero plane, as opposed to an Ocean Liner, I always land at Heathrow Aero Drome, especially when my final destination is ol' blighty I find the landing field to be as smooth as a baby's...well you know what. You'll find no sheep grazing here, that sort of thing was sorted out long ago , though rumor has it that Gatwick has a Badger prob. As far as the terminal goes it is a marvel of shopping, dining, with all mod cons - including indoor plumbing. I would recommend the use of a bicycle or pony cart to get you to your gate, they are a bit of distance from the main hall. I would like to thank Mr Heathrow and his cheerful staff of servants, for making me feel so welcome. So next time you plan a visit to London Town , drop in at Heathrow and say hello. read more

I recently travelled through this airport again, this time Heathrow was my layover point on my way from Lisbon to the US. For some reason this airport doesn't seem to run as efficiently as it once did. On this trip, I arrived in a different terminal than I flew out of. Rather than being able to take a train or rail to get from my arrival terminal to terminal 5 for my departure to the US as I'd done in the past, they put us on buses that were using the same tunnels and roadways as luggage trams, cargo movers, fuel tankers, etc. The cramped bus ride to get from one terminal to another behind all of these service vehicles was long and slow to say the least. Once we arrived at terminal 5, it was madness with at least 1 hour and 45 minutes spent in queue after queue. First, it was the queue for the person to check everyone's boarding pass and passport. Then it was on to a long line where they were holding people and only letting so many get onto the escalators to go up to the baggage and security screening area. Once there, again, it was fairly chaotic. People were trapped on the escalators because there was such a huge mob of people waiting to get through security that there was no where to go once you reached the top, and the wait to get through security was an hour easy. And to think, I thought I'd be bored during my 3 hour layover at this airport! Luckily I had those 3 hours, as most of it was eaten up by standing in long lines just to try and get to the terminal area. It should be noted that my time here was on a Wednesday afternoon. I can imagine how horrible this place must be to travel through during peak times and on weekends! I also have an issue with the fact that they have so many business travellers coming through here to get to the USA and other destinations, most have long layover times and though they do offer Boingo WiFi service (for the fee of $16 USD / day for internet access), they don't offer any power outlets, either 110 or 220V where people can sit, plug in their laptops or other equipment such as cell phones, MP3 or DVD players, and take advantage of that time to get some work done or to simply relax and recharge. Once you finally make it through security and into terminal 5, there are plenty of opportunities for tax and duty free shopping (alcohol, candy, jewelry and apparel, etc.). There are also the usual news stands and travel shops, but IMO with the amount of people who pass through this terminal and as many hours as most spend here, the food and restaurant options are a bit limited. In short, with the amount of people who pass through here on a daily basis, I'm really surprised that Heathrow isn't more organized than this, especially in Terminal 5. It's not like the day I was here was their first time handling that many people trying to get from one flight to another. They do this every day, and yet it still remains this frustrating and time consuming. Hopefully they're working on a remodel to address their shortcomings, but to be honest, I saw no active construction while I was here, so I'm not holding my breath for the situation I encountered to improve anytime soon. read more

Healthrow is kind of like O'Hare in Chicago, big, busy, confusing, and wonderful, but making you wish you could fly Internationally through some other airport. The passenger-related fees are also higher, which probably pays for the Security, all the bus traffic that take you from one terminal to the other, and the assorted Capital improvements. Terminal construction projects continue and maybe I'll see the improvement in my lifetime. read more

I will give two stars here because I made it out in one piece. However, I despise this airport. Perhaps I should try Gatwick next time, but I do not know if that would be better. Heathrow is the British Airways hub so if you fly British Airways anywhere in Europe you typically have to fly through Heathrow. Which is too bad because I like BA. Hate Heathrow. This is an extremely high security airport. Here are three scenarios that bring the ridiculous to high security. One. To preface, upon arriving at Heathrow recently and coming into the country, I was meeting my parents at the airport. i was pleasantly amused by some of the signs that had cartoon pictures of items that were not allowed in the country. One of those items was almost me. I didn't know what hotel we were staying at and the customs officer grilled me, and told me that she almost had to send me back to America. Whatever happened to spontaneous travel? Is there a British rule that you are not allowed in the country if you don't know the name of your hotel? Backpackers beware. Two. I once flew in from Belfast and had my bags tagged with bright green security stickers on them. I believe everything was opened and my bag was damaged. Great. Yes, I know Heathrow, everyone coming from Northern Ireland is an IRA terrorist, but some of us are tourists too. As if the British helicopters patrolling the neighborhoods weren't enough, we must humiliate everyone when they arrive in Britain as well. I and the other travelers in my group were escorted onto a bus toward our connecting flight to Dublin. Note to self. If you are Irish, do not fly BA. Three. On my last trip to London, I flew in from Paris and was carrying some shopping bags with carry on items. I was flying back to SFO and had to reclear security even though I was coming from another high security airport. I like to bring my own pillow when I board the plane, so I have an enormous pillow that I do not stick in the overhead. They hated me here and have an extremely strict one bag policy, as in you can only have one bag before you clear security. Other airports let first class passengers in with extras, or you can sneak them through to the gates, but here I was forced to shove my belongings into one giant bag instead of two smalls before I could even go down the corridor toward the Xray machine. If you are a Japanese tourist, do not fly BA. The Xray machine line is a bleeping bleeper bleep, rivaling only Dulles in inefficiency. The lines are long, despite the fact that everyone is carrying a mere one bag. It is as if every airline in the terminal uses the same security gate. Thankfully, after you have cleared security, Heathrow is quite pleasant. There is a lot of good shopping and also wifi access. I didn't explore a whole lot because I was busy shopping for a bag to put my things in after being berated at security. There is a really nice luggage shop which carries a variety of luggage, and they let me try a few options to see if I could fit my things into a single bag. I found a gorgeous Longchamp bag for a mere two hundred dollars, which is a bargain for Longchamp. Of course, I did make the mistake of thinking pounds were dollars earlier in Britain when I thought everything was a bargain. Either way a nice Longchamp wheelie bag is the highlight of my Heathrow excursion. Almost worth the fracas because I carry the bag everywhere. read more

No one likes to experience air travel anymore because airports and security are awful. But I'll take Heathrow over Gatwick ANY day of the week. It might just be because I'm in SW and therefore Heathrow is so much closer and convenient. But I genuinely think it's a nicer airport. Terminal 5, even with its flaws, is neat. read more

Review based on my experience in 2007: I may be a little biased here with my 5-star review. The reason being, I was flying British Airways from Heathrow to Hyderabad, India and I got a free upgrade to First Class. I received a "royal" treatment considering the history we have with the UK. So, LHR is close to my heart because of British Airways. The airport, undoubtedly, is huge. The sheer number of flights and travelers at this airport is daunting in a way. The only thing I did not like was the journey from one terminal to the other, which took over 20 minutes. It may be due to construction of their new terminal at that time. But I knew I was closer to India because the transit bus was driving on the left-hand side of the road. The security check lines are insanely long but it's again due to the enormous number of transit travelers. Airport shopping (window shopping included) is fun at LHR. You can find some of the biggest brands and stores inside of an airport at LHR. The only problem is GBP is super expensive anyway I look at it (in terms of USD or Indian Rupee). I did buy a bottle of "whisky" (scotch) for the heck of it. The staff was friendly, may be because almost everyone who worked there was from India. LHR, like most big airports, is great for people watching. You can find at least one person from every country in the world at this airport, if you spend enough time in transit. read more

I don't understand why there are so many negative reviews for Heathrow. Maybe people are talking about the Domestic Terminal? I, on the other hand, had a completely different experience at the International Terminal 5 - Gates B & C. Loved, loved, loved the seating areas, shops, fast train that took me from terminal to terminal, and even the security check. Everything was effortless. Sure, there were tons of people, both travelers and security personnel. However, there was order everywhere. Clear instructions in English (well, duh!) compared to Charles De Gaulle Airport where nobody had any desire to even try to speak English to help you. Airport personnel were super nice - I haven't heard a single rude word from any of them. I wish I had the same stoicism. Prices are also a lot lower than I expected. Great sales in the Duty Free shops; great selection in Kiosks and cafés. Unlike at the airport in Paris, there are drinking water fountains everywhere and you don't have to buy 5-euro water bottles every hour. And, what's more - Heathrow is a non-smoking airport, unlike again CDG or Frankfurt. My experience at Heathrow was one of the rare occasions when I actually enjoyed waiting for my plane. Too bad British Airways (a great airline) partners with American Airlines (a not so great airline). Long live the Queen! read more

Do I dare risk being the ugly American? When I think of Heathrow, one word comes to mind: electricity. Or, in the case of Heathrow, the lack of it. Sadly, many Americans flying to other European cities must connect through Heathrow. I've done it five times. Each time, there has been a major electrical and/or computer malfunction at the airport. I don't mind working up a sweat, so I won't complain about the lack of A/C in summer, but it would be nice to have gate postings, flight information, and employees who aren't the rudest and most foul-mouthed creatures on the planet when you have no choice but to ask them for guidance since apparently computer technology has yet to reach the UK. For you first timers, I warn you that you will be treated like cattle, without the charm. If you are connecting to another city, you will have to go through security screening all over again AFTER a lengthy drive on a crowded (and sweaty) shuttle bus through the airport. I am also always taken aback each time I have been to Heathrow to be very physically searched each time I have gone through security. They don't use wands, or scanners or anything of such a high tech caliber. Just good old fashioned hands. And the men usually give you a thorough feel up. They rarely miss a nook or cranny. There are very few signs to guide you at either terminal. My personal experience is the immigrants who work at the airport are far more approachable and helpful (at least to Americans) than the typical hostile Brit who seem to find it sporty to mistreat Americans even those Americans who go out of their way to be kind (I've seen it too many times and it still makes me cringe). There is no such thing as concessions at Heathrow. As one cross-eyed gate agent once told me, "That's a blasted American thing, this isn't America!" I didn't know good service and food was an American thing, but it's good to know I live in the US. The good news about traveling under such adversity is, you'll run into plenty of fellow Americans experiencing the same mistreatment and poor service and outdated, dilapidated facilities, and it will bring you closer together. Other than the folks from Long Island and college girls who seem to relish harsh British attitudes the same way some men enjoy being tortured by a dominatrix. Whenever I must travel to Europe, I go out of my way to transfer through another European airport if I cannot get a non-stop from Chicago or another U.S. point of departure. Inefficient would be a compliment based on my experiences at Heathrow. Avoid it if you can. (P.S., if your final destination is London, Gatwick is actually worse.) read more

I went to this airport from Islamabad to London and had connections. We had to reschedule and ended up paying for a hotel in the next connection city due to the connection getting us there way too late. In the bathroom a sanitizer pump splashed me all over my face. I had to immediately wash down. It was a total mess. I asked for first aid and was there was none. I was told to go to the pharmacy. I had to go through so much. I have tried to get an apology and a refund for my first aid items. They have never provided either to me. This has been strung along for almost 6 months now. All because of their horrible staff this happened and they show no compassion for their customers who transit. I will not use this airport or their British Airways ever again unless they provide an apology and refund. read more

Now I'm a firm fan of balance in the universe, karma and the like but sometimes things like travelling from airports throws my entire ideas of right and wrong askew! I'm sure there was a time when flying was glamourous (and could still be if I could afford business class) but as I stood there queueing for an hour to drop my bag in terminal 2 for my Lufthansa flight, the shuffle getting slower and slower, I looked down at my ticket and realised paying €5 for my flight (€30 extra for charges and taxes) was probably the balance that I seek out in life. Eventually I made it to the front but the staff were starting to say some flights were overbooked and they'd need to be booked onto later flights - luckily this wasn't a problem for me or my Incredible Hulk face may have had to come out! After another massive wait to go through security, it was on to the food and drink lounge which was so rammed that finding a seat in any of the restaurants and cafes was a struggle - even the free seating was totally taken. My best advice is think about how long you need to get to the airport with all the possible hiccups and then have firm plans to get into a restaurant for a meal on the other side. You may just be lucky enough to grab a seat to read the paper and enjoy a coffee too! read more

7/29/17 There are a lot of things to like about Heathrow. Its a very pretty airport and almost everything looks modern and updated. There is an interesting sort of courtyard type feel as you enter the terminal. The first bit is covered but outdoors, reminding one of a sun room. The inside is wide and open. Free WiFi. Fairly clean (at least compared to Gatwick, blech). Cons: 1) rental car return was impossible to find. We had to leave out of terminal 2, so naturally, we drove to terminal 2. There is no rental car return there, and we didn't see any signs anywhere on our way in to tell us where the rental return was. Staff inside terminal 2 were not helpful either. As we left to circle back around, we saw a tiny sign that said rental cars go to Terminal 5. Finally! 2) Staff weren't very helpful anywhere. The girl working the snack counter was too busy playing on her phone to help anyone. The people at the info desk didn't know any info, making them useless. 3) its a big airport so the crowds are large and the immigration line was very long. Overall its a nice airport. Very easy to get in and out of with a car. Needs more signs for everything from rental cars to airlines at each terminal. read more

Flew into this airport in March 2017 to start our London trip and it was convenient, easy to get navigate when coming from USA. We didn't spend much time here other than getting our luggage and then finding an Uber ride at the pick-up location in the parking lot. read more