Terminal 5: UK’s futuristic gateway

Jan 25, 2009

IT is a chilly winter afternoon and I am having lamb chops with green papaya and chilli at celebrated British chef Gordon Ramsey’s prestigious Planet Food Restaurant inside Terminal 5 (T5), the new exclusive British Airways (BA) terminal at London Heath

By Sebidde Kiryowa in London

IT is a chilly winter afternoon and I am having lamb chops with green papaya and chilli at celebrated British chef Gordon Ramsey’s prestigious Planet Food Restaurant inside Terminal 5 (T5), the new exclusive British Airways (BA) terminal at London Heathrow Airport.

With me is Dayna Ward, the amiable BA communication manager, the airport commercial manager and a couple of other scribes on tour of T5.

From here, we catch a breathtaking view of the runways which snake across the sprawling airport. We can also see planes taxiing, taking off or landing through the more than 30,000 square metres of glass used to glaze the eight levels of this modern building.

Thanks to the double glazing of T5’s front walls, we can hardly the rattling and whistling of plane engines. The place is glass from floor to ceiling, so we are bathed in natural light.

There are the amazing views of not only the British countryside but also The Windsor Castle and Wembley Arch on the other side of London.

Ward tells me that even in the summer, to manage the temperature, the glass is coated with a film which controls the amount of sunlight entering the buildings, while aluminum louvers fitted to the exterior act like sun shades.

I am informed that as a BA Club World customer, I am entitled to a complimentary spa treatment at one of the two large travel spas.

So, after lunch, it is off to the spa. I have to choose between being “revived” or “relaxed”, both 15-minute treatments. I choose the latter.

For my therapy, the beautiful masseuse sits me on a unique ‘intelligent’ massage chair that warms my body and performs targeted acupressure body massage covering every area of tension in my body.

Soon, it is time for my skin therapy. I choose the anti-age wrinkle control from five options. When I walk out, I feel reinvigorated. These are just a few of the wonders that T5 provides to BA’s customers.

A sprawling modern architectural wonder of glass and steel, the main building of T5, located at the western end of the airport, has about five levels, with the main entry to the departures floor at the top.

Officially opened in March last year, T5, which handles more than 90% of BA’s Heathrow operations, cost the British Aviation Authority (BAA) £4.3b(sh12.9 trillion) and over 15 years to plan and build. The complex is so huge, BAA staff say, it is possible to fit 50 football pitches over its five floors.

London Heathrow is the world’s busiest international airport and the hub of the aviation world. Over 67 million passengers travel through the airport annually on services offered by 90 airlines to over 180 destinations in over 90 countries.

“Every element of Terminal 5, from the floors and ceilings to the 9,140 seats has been considered with the BA passenger experience in mind,” Ward says. “It is has been designed to meet the current demands of aviation, one of which is environmental conversation.”

Using new and innovative techniques BAA minimised T5’s impact on the environment. “Over 80% of the rain water that falls on T5’s campus is harvested and used in the facility, reducing the demand on public water supply by 70%,” says Ward.

T5’s systems of handling passengers are also advanced, improving the punctuality of BA by over 23% since moving out of Terminals 1 and 4.

That means BA customers whether arriving or departing spend less time at the airport. Being hit by the beehive of activity from security personnel, travellers and airport staff as well as the network of escalators and elevators, it is easy for a traveller who just got off a plane to get confused in this maze.

However, BA has fitted large and elaborate signposts coupled with plenty of digital screens around the new terminal, directing customers to where they need to be. I had no problem finding my way to immigration and baggage reclaim, even taking a train at one point.

BA staff assured us that our luggage would be at their modern carousels at baggage reclaim by the time we were done with immigration and this was the case thanks to their state-of-the-art tracking systems and intelligent baggage carts.

For departing customers, it is rare to see queues. Ward explains that customers here take less than 10 minutes to check in. “We expect 80% of customers passing through Terminal 5 to check in online at ba.com or at any one of the 96 self-service kiosks,” she says.

“Here, they can key in their reference numbers, have their passports scanned, choose a favourable seat on the plane and print their boarding passes. For the other 20%, we have 52 customer service desks.

Passengers with luggage who have self-checked in can then move to any of the over 100 Fast Bag Drop desks. The system can process 12,000 bags per hour.

After the bag drop, passengers pass through security. Passengers with only hand language however, proceed straight to security if they checked in on line before they came to the airport or, if they checked in at the kiosks, proceed thereafter.

While international passengers are required to show their boarding passes at security, domestic passengers have their fingerprints taken on one hand before going through security.

Fingerprints are electronically matched at boarding gate to ensure customers board the correct flight.

BA Passengers travelling First Class, Club Europe, Gold and Silver Executive Club members go through their own designated check-in and security.
T5 has two terminals A and B for arrivals and departures.

However, the immigration and security are all on the main building. To ensure speedy transfers from A to B and vice versa, there is a speedy transfer system.

The building also has an underground train system installed to transfer customers between buildings. It moves 6,500 passengers per hour. It takes 45 seconds to move from Terminal A to B.

One of the most unforgettable experiences that T5 offers is their retail. While waiting for your flight or on transit, there are 112 retail outlets one can enjoy.
Whether you are high-end low end or high-street, there is shopping fit for you at T5.

From leading local and global luxury brands like Tiffany & Co, you can view a selection of designer clothing from Harrods, Paul Smith’s Globe, Mulberry, Prada, Gucci and Thomas Pink for men and women. There are also stores for everything from souvenirs, music to fashion accessories.

After landing at and flying from a few other airports in Europe, I concluded that T5 was not just an airport terminal. It is an experience and one that left a good taste in my mouth.

The writer flew to Heathrow courtesy of British Airways



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