If you’re flying Iberia or American Airlines from London Heathrow, you’ll need to check your terminal, as from 12th July, both airlines will move from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3.
Time for Iberia to move out of Terminal 5 – Image, Economy Class and Beyond.
The big date you need to note is the Tuesday 12th of July.
Iberia will move all its operations to London-Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 3, to improve flight operations and customer service, create space for British Airways to centralise its operations as it tries to get to grips with trying to run a summer operation.
All its flights will land and take off from this terminal, as well as those of its oneworld partner American Airlines. Meanwhile, most British Airways flights, including all flights to and from Spain, will operate from Heathrow Terminal 5.
The new Iberia check-in area will be located in Zone C, where passengers can check in their luggage, print their boarding pass and carry out any other business with the airport’s Iberia team.
According to the airline
The services on offer will be the same as in the previous terminal, including special services such as providing assistance for passengers who need wheelchairs and unaccompanied minors, and access to Fast Track and VIP lounges. Passengers travelling in Business class and Iberia Plus Oro, Platino and Infinita cardholders will be able to enjoy, under the same conditions as before, the Galleries Club and First VIP lounges, both in Terminal 3.
In other words – providing your ticket or status allows, you’ll be able to access Fast Track and the appropriate lounges (be the BA lounge, the vastly superior Cathay Lounge or the Qantas Lounge).
Moving home
For passengers, they’ll be away from the big open spaces of Terminal 5, to the lower ceilings of Terminal 3. If they need to connect at Heathrow onto British Airways flights, be prepared to allow extra time for a terminal transfer and to reclear security (as it’s a good 20 minutes on the buses if you are airside – longer if you have to clear via passport control and ground side), plus any time to clear security.
For British Airways, it’s a chance for them to get their house in order as a busy and possibly chaotic summer is shaping up, with their staff mostly centralised in one terminal, as opposed to being slipt across the Heathrow complex.
And this summer isn’t going to get easier for any airline in Europe. The cuts during the pandemic are now coming back to haunt them.
Hard.
Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond – Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, featuring in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.
Follow me on Twitter at @EconomyBeyond for the latest updates! You can follow me on Instagram too!
Also remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.
