Qantas / BA Lounge at LHR Terminal 4

[antcap]

I've been reading some very poor reports about the current status of the Terminal 4 Lounges at Heathrow, including 'standing room only' in the evenings when most Australian flights depart. I also note there is no separate 1st Lounge.
As I will be arriving at Terminal 5 (BA) for transfer to terminal 4 (QF)(6 hours), does anyone know if I am able to make use of the 1st Lounges in Terminal 5, even though apparently I need to transfer airside using the 'Flight Connections' Bus on the airside? Also, I read elswhere that all Australasian flights will be transferring to Terminal 3 at Heathrow "in 2009". Does anyone have any information when this might be? My experience of the lounges in Terminal 3 last year was even worse.
I'd be grateful for any information or assistance.

 

[NM]

As I will be arriving at Terminal 5 (BA) for transfer to terminal 4 (QF)(6 hours), does anyone know if I am able to make use of the 1st Lounges in Terminal 5, even though apparently I need to transfer airside using the 'Flight Connections' Bus on the airside?

No, you cannot use the T5 lounges if departing from T4. Arrivals and departures are separated by a security screening point and you can only pass through to the departures side (where the lounge is) if you are departing from T5.

Also, I read elswhere that all Australasian flights will be transferring to Terminal 3 at Heathrow "in 2009". Does anyone have any information when this might be? My experience of the lounges in Terminal 3 last year was even worse.
I'd be grateful for any information or assistance.

T3 is being completely rebuilt for the move. There will be new lounges built for QF/BA. Rumour is that QF will operate the First Class Lounge and BA will operate the Business Class Lounge. The move is not going to happen as early as first planned.

 

[jamesatfish]

With regards to the T3 move - certainly for the most distant SYD-LHR Qantas booking I've got in the system (May 09) and LHR-SYD (June 09) the flights are listed as arriving into and departing from T4.

I've not been to T4 for about 6 months, but certainly from memory the lounges weren't anything special (especially when compared to BA's First lounge in T5 or Qantas' First lounge in Sydney). I seem to recall there was work being done to one of the lounges at Gate 10 and we ended up in the old Concorde room, which looked and smelt exactly as I imagine it did when Concorde was still flying...

 

[Homer]

No, you cannot use the T5 lounges if departing from T4. Arrivals and departures are separated by a security screening point and you can only pass through to the departures side (where the lounge is) if you are departing from T5.

Except he may be able to access the BA Arrivals Lounge at T5 as he is arriving on BA? It might be better to use up a few hours there before going across to Terminal 4?

 

[NM]

Except he may be able to access the BA Arrivals Lounge at T5 as he is arriving on BA? It might be better to use up a few hours there before going across to Terminal 4?

Entry to BA arrivals lounge is pretty specific. And it is only open until 2pm for the morning long-haul arrivals. Given he is talking about departing QF from terminal 4 and the evening overcrowding, I assume its an evening departure with an arrival into T5 some 6 hours earlier. So that would mean arriving into T5 sometime mid afternoon, long after the arrivals lounge has closed up for the day. I am not aware of any long-haul arrivals into T5 in the mid afternoon timeslot that would qualify for access to the T5 arrivals lounge.

 

[antcap]

Thanks for the info guys. Looks like I'm stuck in LHR for 6 hours. Might go into London for dinner.

 

[pblackm]

I used the T4 QF lounge not long after T5 opened. The word skan_y comes to mind. I think that there were about four working power outlets for PCs, the entrance had a building site style partition, it was crowded and looked 20 years out of date. Oh yeah - me was cranky.

 

[serfty]

There are a few threads on this; although in may have picked up a bit since I was through there in June.

• http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/community/open-discussion/terraces-lounge-next-gate-1-a-14889.html
• http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/community/travel-news/changes-to-ba-lounges-t4-13742.html

Note that it will be in operation until at least October ...

 

[Batesy]

A selfish question on this topic. Just booked my outlaws into the QF 2 for one J offer. They are going MEL-LHR Aug 12 and LHR-MEL 28th Sep. Anybody know if the transfer to T3 at LHR is meant to be complete by then?

 

[antcap]

Anybody know if the transfer to T3 at LHR is meant to be complete by then?

I've checked both the Qantas and BA websites for information and neither gives any advice except "Terminal 4 until further notice" Even when I try to book a ticket up to a year in advance on either airline, the Departure Terminal is T4. I can't believe that Qantas customers, even paying for 1st suites on A380 have no access to an arrivals lounge in London, after a 23 hour flight. Only customers on a BA operated flight seem to gain access to the T5 Arrivals lounge.
I could understand "making do" for a month or so, but not a whole year. Qantas doesn't seem to understand which side it' bread is buttered on.

 

[serfty]

... Only customers on a BA operated flight seem to gain access to the T5 Arrivals lounge. ...

It's actually BA Operated or Marketed - and you must travel in J or F or be BAEC Gold. (e.g. Of SYD-LHR flights, BA16, QF319, QF301, BA10, BA7371 & BA7311 will gain you arrivals lounge access; QF1 and QF31 will not)

Lounge information
Arrivals lounge

The Arrivals Lounge at Terminal 4 will be closed from 22 October 2008.

If you are flying British Airways First or Club World, or are a Gold Executive Club member arriving on a flight into London Heathrow Terminal 4, we are pleased to invite you to make use of our new Galleries Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 5.

When you have cleared Baggage Reclaim and Customs, please make your way to the BAA Information point on the Arrivals level. Representatives from our ground transport team will be on hand to escort you to our dedicated transfer coach.

When you enter Terminal 5 please take the lift or the escalator closest to Check-in Zone G to Level 1, where you will find our new Galleries Arrivals Lounge.

And it's October at least before the move happens - going by past performance that may mean by Christmas ...

 

[Kendall Roy]

The recent poor reviews of the T4 lounge have actually influenced my decision to fly BA from T5 back to HKG then use QF for the run into SYD.

(With 5 hours to kill in the Pier at HKG of course) :mrgreen:

 

[antcap]

Thanks for the info Serfty.

It astounds me that in the current market Qantas are comfortable to lose customers like Sydbloke, and I'm sure many others, (let alone all the p..ed-off customers departing and arriving LHR without realising how bad the accommodation would be) because they can't manage their decanting strategies effectively. It's not as though they didn't know this situation would occur.

 

[jamesatfish]

Thanks for the info Serfty.

It astounds me that in the current market Qantas are comfortable to lose customers like Sydbloke, and I'm sure many others, (let alone all the p..ed-off customers departing and arriving LHR without realising how bad the accommodation would be) because they can't manage their decanting strategies effectively. It's not as though they didn't know this situation would occur.

I too am really surprised at Qantas' nonchalance at getting a proper lounge up and running for their First / WP customers in London.

After experiencing BA's T5 First lounge for the first time in December and really enjoying it I thought long and hard about switching to BA to fly LHR-SYD as part of my AONE4 trips in the future. For my next trip Qantas won out because I want to try the A380, but beyond that I'm thinking I'll switch to BA to take advantage of the far better facilities in T5.

 

[antcap]

, but beyond that I'm thinking I'll switch to BA to take advantage of the far better facilities in T5.

It's not so simple as switching to BA. All BA and Qantas flights to Aus. via Singapore & Bangkok will be departing from Terminal 4 until Terminal 3 is ready, unless you decide to go BA via another city like Hong Kong as stated above. I agree that the T5 First lounges are great. I even prefer them to Sydney's First lounge, as they have better 'grazing' food, rather than the stuffy waiter service.
I too have chosen Qantas over BA purely to try the A380 on the way over, but no choice coming back as both are departing from T4.

 

[Kendall Roy]

Thanks for the info Serfty.

It astounds me that in the current market Qantas are comfortable to lose customers like Sydbloke,

I can be easily brought/lost on an award booking :mrgreen:

 

[jamesatfish]

It's not so simple as switching to BA. All BA and Qantas flights to Aus. via Singapore & Bangkok will be departing from Terminal 4 until Terminal 3 is ready, unless you decide to go BA via another city like Hong Kong as stated above. I agree that the T5 First lounges are great. I even prefer them to Sydney's First lounge, as they have better 'grazing' food, rather than the stuffy waiter service.
I too have chosen Qantas over BA purely to try the A380 on the way over, but no choice coming back as both are departing from T4.

Thanks for that information - I didn't realise that even the BA flights back to Australia were still leaving from T4. A very sorry state indeed.

Maybe I'll go back to flying the other way around the world - QF A380 SYD-LHR, BA 747 LHR-JFK (out of T5), QF A380 LAX-SYD - and get the best of both worlds.

 

[Flashback]

There are a few threads on this; although in may have picked up a bit since I was through there in June.

• http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/community/open-discussion/terraces-lounge-next-gate-1-a-14889.html
• http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/community/travel-news/changes-to-ba-lounges-t4-13742.html

Note that it will be in operation until at least October ...

So it sounds like if I'm doing LHR-SIN-PER at the end of November then it *should* be leaving from T3.....

 

[serfty]

I would be more confident of the end of November 2010 ...

 

[pblackm]

Thanks for that information - I didn't realise that even the BA flights back to Australia were still leaving from T4. A very sorry state indeed.

Maybe I'll go back to flying the other way around the world - QF A380 SYD-LHR, BA 747 LHR-JFK (out of T5), QF A380 LAX-SYD - and get the best of both worlds.

FYI - that it a better ruting. Whenever I can organise my business itinerary to suit, for DONE4s, I fly West rather than East, as I find that following the Sun works better for me, no jet lag. Of course I still get tired on the long legs (I'm not a great sleeper at the best of times let alone on aircraft), but I can get to sleep at "normal" bed-time for wherever I am. Prior to that, I think that I tried most jet lag remedies with little or no success.