London Heathrow (LHR) Airport Guide: 2026 Edition

LHR at a glance

• IATA: LHR · ICAO: EGLL
• Hub for: British Airways (T5), Virgin Atlantic (T3), American (T3).
• Terminals: 2, 3, 4, 5 (T1 closed; the 'T6' rebuild is being studied).

Getting there

• Elizabeth Line to central London — ~30–40 minutes for £12–15.
• Heathrow Express to Paddington — ~15 minutes for £25–32.
• Piccadilly Line (Tube) — slow but cheap.
• Taxi to central London — £55–75.

Terminal-by-terminal

• T2 (Queen's Terminal): Star Alliance carriers (United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Singapore).
• T3: Virgin, AA, Cathay, Qantas, oneworld carriers.
• T4: SkyTeam (KLM, AF, Korean), Etihad, Saudia, Gulf Air.
• T5: British Airways (with some Iberia operations).

Connecting

• T2/T3 are airside connected.
• T4 and T5 are separate — you'll need to take the inter-terminal coach (free) or train (free).
• Allow 2 hours minimum for international-to-international connections changing terminals.

Lounges

• Qantas First Lounge T3 — best non-airline lounge at Heathrow.
• BA Concorde Room T5 — for First passengers.
• BA Galleries First T5 — for First and oneworld Emerald.
• Cathay Pacific Lounge T3 — superb noodle bar.
• Plaza Premium First at T2 — open to Priority Pass.
• Lufthansa Senator Lounge T2.

Tips

• eGates — Now open to most US, EU, UK passport holders. Massive time saver.
• TSA-style security is in place; allow 30–60 minutes at peak.
• T5 has the best dining and shopping; T3 is busiest.

Pin your flight

FlightyFlow handles UK gates and time zones natively. Particularly useful for inbound transfers.