Star Alliance gets London Heathrow's newest digs in Terminal 2
By John Walton, December 12 2012
Travellers on Star Alliance airlines to London's Heathrow airport will enjoy the brand new Terminal 2 when it opens in 2014.
The new T2 will be almost exclusively dedicated to Star partner airlines, in a welcome move to consolidate flights by the alliance's massive list of members from terminals 1, 3 and 4.
Virgin Atlantic's UK domestic flights -- and Aer Lingus, which will be doing the actual flying for Virgin –– will also shift to T2.
The first impact on Australians will initially be that Singapore Airlines' and Thai Airways' flights shift into the new terminal, with new lounges sure to follow.
Elderly and grotty Terminal 1 will be knocked down, with a further opportunity for expansion on its soon-to-be-former site.
But clearing numerous Star Alliance airlines out of T3 will also allow that overcrowded terminal -- used by a huge number of Australians heading to and from London -- to gain a bit of breathing room.
Relief for Terminal 3's lounge pressure?
That'll be especially useful for the lounge situation, which is cramped at the best of times.
With extra space available near gate 5 once the Singapore Airlines lounge moves, plus the Air Canada/SAS London Lounge near gate 11, there's an opportunity for new lounges for oneworld and the Qantas-Emirates alliance.
Air Canada also occupies one of the three arrivals lounges in Terminal 3 (the others are American Airlines' oneworld offering and Virgin Atlantic's Revivals lounge), which could open the gates for a third facility or an update of one of the existing lounges.
The full list of Star Alliance members serving Terminal 2 will be: Aegean Air, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT, Lufthansa, SAS, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Swiss, TAP, Thai, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.
We'll keep you up to date with developments, but for the very latest you'll want to be following us on Twitter: we're @AusBT.
Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
Why does T3 need another oneworld lounge??
There is already seven oneworld lounges, most relatively new (dates from Flyertalk)
AA Flagship Lounge (renovated; reopened April 2010)
AA Admirals Club (renovated; reopened May 2010)
BA Galleries First Lounge (new; opened Oct 2009)
BA Galleries Lounge (new; opened May 2009)
CX First Lounge (new; opened July 2010)
CX Business Lounge (new; opened July 2010)
AA Arrivals
AA -
03 Jan 2011
Total posts 665
Because none of those lounges are actually great spaces, especially on the business sides: AA's is dreary, BA's is very cramped, Cathay's is small.
Two of oneworld's biggest frequent flyer selling points are its lounges and its London network. Ironically, outside T5, London is one of the worst oneworld hubs for lounges: compare it with Hong Kong, Sydney or even Helsinki.
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