At long last journos have been granted a preview of the much-hyped Heathrow Terminal 5, British Airways' very own behemoth; it is the largest free standing building in Britain. Associated Press calls it "a gleaming, light and modern building with a five-storey-high wall of windows and a view of Windsor Castle." Bet the Queen is delighted about that.
The new terminal, which cost $8.4 billion, has 112 shops and restaurants and took seven years to build. Serving only BA's passengers, the first flight will leave from the spanking new terminal on 27 March. Hopefully by then they'll be some proper photographs of it.
BA passengers leaving from Heathrow can look forward to x-ray machines that don't require you to remove your shoes (I expect BAA security staff are cherishing that prospect too), high-tech check-in kiosks, flashy lounges (for first class and business passengers) and haute couture shopping.
Over 30 million passengers are expected to pass through the terminal every year, their bags dealt with at a rate of 12,000 per hour at 140 check-in desks. As The Daily Mirror points out, 68 million people travel through Heathrow every year at the moment. It was designed for 45 million passengers
The Guardian calls the terminal "an architectural and engineering tour de force that raises the standards of British airport design 100 percent." And The Daily Mirror says it's "an awe-inspiring temple to the twin gods of air travel and shopping."
With all this going for it I'm very tempted to fork any extra money required to fly BA from March onwards. Virgin, Cathay and ANZ (all competitors on the London – Hong Kong route I fly) leave from the disastrous Terminal 3. I'd pay double to avoid the horrors of the check-in and security areas there.
