#TripReport: London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 and BA Club Lounges during Covid-19
Part of my Domestic Travel Hopping Trip Report series covering a trip during Covid in October 2020.
Six months into the pandemic and this was my first major travel outside of my part of the UK - having been the furthest I'd travelled since my trip to Asia in 2019. We began in Paddington, taking the Heathrow Express to Heathrow Terminal 5. Nothing had really changed on the Heathrow Express besides the mandatory face coverings and more visible hand sanitising stations. Interestingly, we both have Star Alliance Gold Status from TAP Portugal (which was a status match from British Airways). Star Alliance and Heathrow Express have an agreement whereby Gold status holders can book a regular or discounted standard class ticket but take a seat in the Business First section of their train cars. There is no stipulation on the Star Alliance or Heathrow Express website that you have to be connecting from the train onto a Star Alliance flight - so we gave it a go to give it a try. This is not offered to the equivalent status holders in oneworld (BA etc), Virgin Atlantic Flying Club or SkyTeam. It's a nice perk giving you more comfortable chairs, space and less passengers around (perfect to help avoid Covid transmission) but I certainly wouldn't advise paying the over inflated cost to take this seat for a short journey.
Once off the train, there was little social distancing at the exit barriers towards the terminal building whilst all the provided hand sanitiser points were disappointingly empty - and I wouldn't be surprised if over the coming months it becomes increasingly rare to find complimentary dispensing points. We checked in two lots of baggage at the Club Europe (Euro-business) check in which provides little experience differentiation to Euro Traveller (economy) besides a queue that moves quicker, you get actual human service (rather than self-serve) and a little priority tag on your luggage. Since we was checking into a domestic flight from London to Edinburgh, there was only a quick identification check and there was no demand at the time to show proof of Covid test or vaccination. After check-in and security, which was far quicker than before the pandemic due to the downturn in all passenger traffic, we headed straight towards the British Airways Club Lounge.
Unlike other countries, there is no differentiation between passenger traffic in the departure area of Heathrow Terminal 5. This means that whether you are flying from London to Edinburgh or London to New York - passengers will get the same terminal and lounge experience. Compared to other airports, such as Turkish Airlines' hub in Istanbul, there is clear segregation between domestic and international passengers resulting in a downgraded lounge experience. As such, the lounge experience for domestic or Common Travel Area passengers is great considering the length of flights people will be taking.
On the day, we got access to the British Airways Club lounge despite flying economy using my Silver status in the Executive Club that I had earnt primarily on my trip to Asia with oneworld partner airlines. I had tried out the BA T5 Club lounge prior to Covid - its pretty standard. It's a large, comfortable space to get an okay machine-brewed coffee and an average bite to eat - but can get horribly overcrowded. Surprisingly, during Covid, British Airways have actually made the experience better than before.
Some may mourn the end of buffets - I certainly will miss high quality hotel buffets for one - but the old ones at BA lounges were not great, often messy and problem a hive for germs of all kinds. The airline has embraced technology at their flagship business lounge to make the experience genuinely better. Now, every table in the lounge has QR (quick response) codes that can be scanned with your mobile phone to view the menu and order direct to the table before the food or drinks being served to you at your seat with no limit to how much you can order. In the back rooms it is likely the old buffet area is emulated but with a few staff, rather than hundreds of passengers, assembling the food orders. I much prefer this setup - its simple, effective and means that everybody can easily access the lounge food and drink offerings.
Magazines and newspapers are no more due to hygiene concerns. It is unlikely to change even as we emerge from the pandemic due to a combination of cost-cutting and environmental concerns. As an alternative, BA offer access to Press Reader when connected to their Lounge Wi-Fi allowing you to download UK and international newspapers as well as commercial and airline magazines. Other amenities like shower rooms, that feel akin to a hospital, are still on offer with Elemis shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser which is no change since prior to Covid. There seemed to be far more toilet and shower room attendants in the lounge to keep them hygienic and clean but it feels likely that this initiative will fade away as time goes on as people become more comfortable with travelling.
We spent around three hours in the lounge which is probably far longer than anybody else, besides those on a layover, to get the most from it. Would I suggest you do the same? Probably not at this lounge but equally its a reasonably comfortable place to relax or get some work done before your flight. If you're flying from Terminal 5 on BA and have enough time prior to your flight, I recommend travelling across to the B pier of the Terminal. This can be accessed by taking the underground walkway or terminal train and is always far less busier than the primary lounges in the A area of the terminal. The reason behind this is most short haul flights, which make up the bulk of BA's flights, depart from A pier as well as there being much more to do in this part of the terminal - naturally resulting in more people being attracted to these lounges. Taking the five minute walk across to B pier and its Club lounge will be worthwhile with you being far more likely to have a stress free, quieter lounge experience. Currently, the B pier lounge is closed but hopefully this won't be the case for much longer.
The next review in this Trip Report series will cover the flight from London to Edinburgh before going onto more of our experience in Scotland and NI. You can get a sneak peek of what's coming up here.
How was your experience of Heathrow Terminal 5 during Covid? Did you feel safe whilst visiting?