Back in day when I lived and worked in London (off and on for almost three years), I spent a lot of…read moretime pounding the terminals of this massive airport. Heathrow can be incredibly busy, so come prepared. If you are arriving in Heathrow, there are plenty of shops for souvenirs from cheap touristy keychains and tea towels with Princess Kate's face plastered on it, to very high end luxury brands - think anything from Marks and Sparks (M&S) to Chanel. If you have a layover and need to connect with another international flight, be prepared to literally walk miles to get through one terminal and on to the next. It was mind boggling just how far of a walk it was. If you are tired and jetlagged, it's exhausting. If you are departing LHR, you might find a few shops to get your last sausage roll bite before you board.

The Brits do not mess around when it comes to security. They're more intense than TSA in the US. As…read morea result, you are very likely to miss your flight if you have a connection, especially an international connection, even if you don't have to "leave" the same terminal. I say "leave" in quotes because even though I landed in Terminal 5 and my connecting flight was also in Terminal 5, I had to get on a tram to move to a different section of Terminal 5. Regarding the tram, the concept of time is lost here. The screen and voice over the PA system will tell you it's 2 minutes away, but it's much longer. More like 4 minutes. Then, when it finally does arrive and all the passengers on board exit stage left, you then have to wait yet another 5 or so minutes for a computerized security sweep before you can even get on board. Mind you: this is all in the same terminal! As for the baggage screen, every single bag in my queue was flagged for secondary inspection, which created a massive back up. This, combined with the utter lack of urgency from all of the two bag inspectors, added another 20 minutes to my travel time between gates, all in the same terminal! Just to illustrate how close I was to nearly missing my flight, upon sprinting to the gate, the flight attendant knew who I was, calling me by name. I guess I was the last to board. All in all, I landed at this airport from another European country at approximately 1:50 local time and made it to my connecting gate at 3:00 for a 3:15 departure time.

I feel the same way about Terminal 5A as I do about Terminal 3. Going through security here can be…read morea hit or miss experience, but I totally appreciate the thoroughness and care taken to keep us all safe. The long walk to the bus transfer between terminals is really what brings the rating down. It's always very crowded due to the fact that it's the primary terminal for British Airways. I corrected a mistake in my previous review of Terminal 3. The Fortnum & Mason shop is actually in Terminal 5. It's so easy to confuse the two after a long flight. Anyway, this particular location even has a bar in front of it where you can sip on champagne and nibble on canapés (if that's your thing). I just love to browse through the tea & biscuit section of the shop to see what's new. Sure, there are other great shops as well as food options on this side of the airport. I just love F&M tea! The British Airways Gallerie Club and First Lounges are above it. There's also an exclusive lounge called The Concorde Room that I'd love to try one day. So, I've read that British Airways will be starting a new direct route from Tampa to Heathrow (replacing Gatwick) towards the end of this year. I hope that this means it will arrive at BA's Terminal 5 hub. If so, then I'll be super grateful for the convenience of a smooth connection. If not, then I'll just be happy to have more connection possibilities to other countries. Either way, I'm thinking this is great for OneWorld travelers booking through American Airlines out of TPA. I'll update this review the next time we fly into this airport. Here's hoping for good vibes and good connections when passing through London.

I transited through Heathrow on the way from Madrid, Spain back to the US. It was a fairly easy…read moretransit process, with lots of signage to point you in the right direction. My flight was leaving from one of the satellite Gates in terminal five, and the Heathrow staff very kindly suggested I head that way with plenty of time. The terminal is clean with lots of seating at the gate. The announcements were clear and easy to understand, and the boarding process was a breeze. As someone who lived in the UK for a couple of years, I always love transiting through Heathrow so I can stop at boots to pick up a couple of my favorite drugstore items. There's tons of shopping in terminal five as well as several dining options.

We reached here from Dublin, very late in the night... and we had a shuttle booked to take us to…read morePaddington Station. Somehow due to daylight savings, it got messed up and the Bus arrived 1 hr late... not a pleasant experience. The airport is not that huge, and it's easy to navigate. We got our luggage in no time (it was like 1 AM, so ofcourse no rush was there) and we were the only ones there. ofcourse it's too far from central London and they have Luton Airport Express. to reach LTN - simply hop on a train at St Pancras International to arrive at Luton Airport Parkway, and then take a DART Shuttle to the terminal, all in as little as 32 minutes. It's a fast and seamless way to get to the departure gate. easy check-in, security was quick and hassle-free... lots of shops to browse (or buy) or restaurants to eat... standard Starbucks, Costa, Burger King, MS Simply food. and ofcourse it's cheaper ;)

Nice airport the staff are friendly and helpful it's smaller than the other airports, but easier to…read morenavigate . You don't need the pound you can use your card so that helps, no need to do a currency exchange either . Also the entire airport is so clean to include the seating areas and the lavatories.

I actually like Terminal 3 at London Heathrow. It's a long walk and bus transfer to and from the…read moreterminal that brings the rating down a bit. Other than that, this is the terminal where we can finally decompress after a long flight. As long as you have enough time built into the layover. The security checkpoint is fine. We've had some polite assistants, and also some who are very indifferent. It's the luck of the draw. This last experience was very pleasant. I did have some liquids flagged in my carry-on, but all proceeded as usual once they tested them. You can always count on security being very thorough in the UK, and with good reason. This terminal has a lot of great shopping. There are quite a few food options and airline lounges as well. It can be very crowded, but everything is easy to find. It's a nice little break before hopping on to the next flight.

Seems a little crowded, and not a lot of good places to sit and relax. For such a world class city,…read morethe airport seems to fall a little short. That being said, it is clean and easy to navigate to and from using the Underground.

We took a direct Norse flight from Los Angeles Airport (LAX) into London Gatwick Airport (LGW)…read more They are a secondary hub for British Airways and one of the largest operating bases for budget flights. My experience with this airline is only as an arrival, as I travelled through other parts of Europe by train and by air. The arrival was quite smooth as far as international travel is concerned. We were able to get through customs quickly. However sadly no stamp on the passport for the international travel. Restrooms had abundant stalls but there were really busy. The handwashing stations were individually in each stall. I had a decent experience in the women's stalls where I was comfortable enough to brush my teeth and wash my face. However my boyfriend mentioned that the men's side was really gross, not clean enough to clean up and reset after the long flight. My favorite thing about this airport is that it is connected to a train system that will take you into central London or whichever surrounding area you need to get to. Navigating was pretty simple. A quick and convenient arrival. I would consider flying back into this airport in the future.

I actually really, really like this airport. I find it a lot less chaotic than London Heathrow…read more Every time I've gone to this airport, which has been a total of three times now in two years every employee I have interacted with has been helpful and friendly. I find this airport easy to navigate and it has some nice stores to pick up essentials or snacks. It also has a good variety of restaurants to eat at if you so chose.

I like LCY as an alternative to the massive facility that is LHR or the remote option that is GTW…read more Servicing over 30 destinations via seven airlines, more than 3 million passengers per year use this airport. LCY is easy to navigate and very manageable. It's also easy to get there via the Docklands Light Rail. There are not a lot of amenities at the airport, but there are enough to help pass the time with a coffee or allow you to buy a souvenir I like to use LCY when I am flying to or from the northern continent. Rotterdam has been the destination both times I have used this airport. It's an easy option, mostly used by business travelers and one that continues to be attractive to me when my logistics allow.

LCY is an easy to get to convenient small regional airport. They serve a limited selection of…read moredestinations mostly ones in the vicinity of Great Britain. The atmosphere is very laid back and low stress. When booking your flights to or from London LCY is a superior choice to Heathrow or Gatwick. (Provided you are on the east side of London) Checking in and security was fast; we were at the gate in about 10 minutes from curbside. Drop-off is right next to the terminal entrance. There are plenty of restaurants, sundry stores, and newsstands too. This airport is fast, convenient, clean, and relaxed. Double highly recommend.

First time flying in/out of Stansted…read more I was pleasantly surprised. We took the train since we were departing and did not want to chance being late. (When we arrived we saved money and rode on the Flibbus which took about 1.5 hours to get to London but we were on an early flight so we did not feel like we wasted any time.) Once we got off the train we just followed the crowds to the entrance. Again, I am glad that we had time. We did not have any bags to check so we went straight through to security. The line was long but the staff were outstanding and directed people to the proper lanes which made it go quickly. Once through security there are more than enough shops, restaurants, seats and restrooms. Duty Free was great since I wanted Cartwright & Butler cookies. I was also able to grab some Fortnum & Mason treats, Whittard teas. TIP-if you shopped to much in London just buy a 10p bag at Duty Free. All airlines allow one bag from the airport and these do not count as your carry on. It does not have to be the DF bag and I did notice that the WHSmith and JD Sport bags looked to have held more. There are several water refill stations. The restrooms are clean, secure. All throughout the airport are benches and seats. It was very crowded but was able to find seats. If you are arriving there is also a small Duty Free you can grab some treats (like the ones mentioned above) before leaving the airport. There are a lot of other really nice shops to shop at for clothes, food, shoes. The only thing we did not find was somewhere to buy cheese.

Imho the best of the London "budget" airports but not by much. I like the Spoons in the terminal…read moreand the prices are very reasonable for an airport. Also the lounge is decent with an okay selection of food. Bathrooms are clean and plentiful. Security is quick and the airport is easy to navigate. WiFi is shit however and the terminal itself is a bit of an overcrowded disaster. You really have to go to a restaurant or the lounge if you have over an hour to kill and don't want to shoot yourself. Overall it is what it is. You're not going to find yourself in stansted unless you are looking to travel cheap, so you get what you pay for.

This is the terminal I landed in when I arrived to London from LAX and also the same terminal where…read moreI flew out of to go to my layover in Germany. Arriving here was simple and going to the custom agent was fine. Baggage claim was simple and going to the parking structure was easy. The issue I had was when I came to leave London. My flight was a morning flight at 6am so I arrived early at 3am to check in my bag with Lufthansa airline. But they don't open the baggage check in until 5am. So I had to line up because everyone was waiting and the line started extending. Once the bags were checked in, we now had to wait for TSA to open and that had a line. Then I had to take the long walk to get to my departing gate. The waiting area at the departing gate did not have a power outlet to charge your phone.

Tidy, efficient, and less cramped feeling, good signage and easy to get from A to B…read more Security was not an issue in terms of timing through to the gates. However security is messy in terms of understanding how to comply with the bins and how you are supposed to keep track of your personal belongings while complying with their rules.

I came here on a Sunday for my flight back home. I arrived significantly early because I needed to…read morespeak with baggage enquiries regarding my lost luggage (never arrived when I flew in from Belgrade to London 4 days prior). I tried calling the company responsible way too many times to count since the day after my luggage was promised to be delivered to me had passed, but no one ever picked up, and I was unable to leave a voicemail. I managed to find baggage enquiries at this terminal, but instead of being able to talk to someone, it was just a call box. I managed to speak to an employee who graciously took the time to escort me to an unauthorized office of the airport, so I can speak with the right person that could help me. This individual went above and beyond to try to locate my luggage. He was unable to due to no fault of his own (apparently the luggage system crashed at the airport the connecting airport in Belgrade). He took down my info along with my file reference number so he can pass this along, so my luggage could hopefully be shipped to me. He even gave me advice on what to do if it is not returned to me after a certain period of time. I wish I remembered the names of these two employees that went out of their way to help me. They made an anxious experience into a brighter one with their help. I'd also like to add that this was my sixth time flying into or out of Heathrow airport, and I always had a nice experience, thankfully.

Years ago,  on one of my favorite TV shows, the character, Colonel Hannibal Smith of the A Team…read moreloved to say " I love it when a plan comes together" and thus the source that I stole this from. I planned a well deserved vacation enroute back to Kenya from London, stealing an opportunity of a lifetime to visit and immerse myself in the African country of Seychelles. The Seychelles, in my opinion, is a close to a perfect tropical paradise as you can imagine, but I'll keep looking. My first leg of this journey was flying from Heathrow Airport to Doha aboard Qatar Airways, which is always a real pleasure.  A short two hour layover there, then off into the wild blue to Mahe Island, Seychelles.   We are staying at the Anantara Maia resort, an ocean front masterpiece of nature, beauty and tropical architecture. Being met by their transport vehicle complete with a cool minty fresh washcloth and cool tropical drink did add to my accolades for them,  even before setting eyes on their beautiful locale.  For those dreaming of locations such as fiji, while they are still on my list, shouldn't sleep on the Seychelles, one of the finest on the Indian Ocean. Succulent local fruits and veggies await thy palates (since going plant based, I can only attest to their veggies, fruits and they fed my sweet tooth well with intricate local pastries .  I had the privilege of 8 nights there, which still wasn't enough. I love it when a plan comes together .