Our Review of London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

Our Review of London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

At Plan Your Trips, we have analyzed hundreds of airports around the world, gaining a clear understanding of what users expect when visiting an airport. With this know-how, we have created this guide, placing passengers at the forefront of everything, aiming to simplify and enhance the airport experience.

In this guide, our goal is to present information in a manner that is both quick and reliable. Recognizing that passengers often have limited time and may be in a hurry, we strive to ensure that they do not waste time unnecessarily.

Another key focus of our guide is to highlight the strengths of the airport and also the weaknesses, and in some cases, offer recommendations to travelers. In alignment with this approach, we provide users with aggregated information on delays and on-time performance, analyzing both airlines and individual flights.

Pros and Cons of London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

PROS

Location: London Heathrow Airport, known officially as Heathrow Airport is located 14 miles (23 km) west of Central London, England, United Kingdom.

Hub: London Heathrow Airport serves as the primary hub for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Efficient Transport Links: Heathrow is easily accessible because of its excellent connections via the Heathrow Express train, the London Underground (Piccadilly Line), and many bus and coach services.

Amenities: The airport offers a variety of amenities, including free Wi-Fi, children’s play areas, business services, and assistance for passengers with reduced mobility.

 

CONS

Congestion & Crowding: Being one of the busiest airports globally, Heathrow frequently faces heavy traffic, especially during periods of high travel demand, which results in lengthier wait times and lines.

Transfer between Terminals: There are free shuttle trains to move between terminals, these trains do not connect each and every terminal. Some terminals do not have shuttle train which will make travellers walk between terminals and this may be time consuming.

Immigration and Security Queues: Long lines at immigration and security are a common, particularly during rush hours. These lines can cause major disruptions to one’s journey.

Mini-Guide of the Airport (2' Guide)

There are Four Terminals: There are four operating terminals at Heathrow Airport: Terminal 2, Terminal 3, Terminal 4, and Terminal 5. Since there are different terminals after security checks, make sure you know in advance which terminal your aircraft is leaving from.

Transport to and from Heathrow: Heathrow is well-connected to Central London and beyond via the Heathrow Express train, London Underground (Piccadilly Line), buses, taxis, and private transfer services. Taxis and transfer services are convenient but can be more expensive.

Check-in Areas:

• Terminal 2: Check-in area. Access through security check (Zones A, B, C and D).
• Terminal 3: Check-in area is located in ground level. Check-in facilities A to H.
• Terminal 4: Check-in area is located in level 2.
• Terminal 5: Check-in and access to departures. Security check to access gates are located in level 3.

Shopping and Dining: All terminals offer a variety of shopping and dining options. Take advantage of duty-free shopping available in all terminals for a range of products, including luxury goods.

Lounges: Every terminal has a selection of lounges to choose from. These provide comfy seats, Wi-Fi, food, and drinks.

Family Amenities: Heathrow offers a range of family-friendly amenities, including play spaces, baby-changing rooms, and family lanes at the security checkpoint.

How we calculate On Time Performance

On various pages of our website, you will encounter a metric widely utilized in aviation and other forms of transportation known as OTP (On Time Performance). We believe that providing this metric assists passengers in planning their trips and exploring alternatives before purchasing their flight tickets.

We calculate the On Time Performance for all flights and airlines, when we have enough data to do so. In certain instances, it may not be feasible to accurately compute the On-Time Performance for a specific flight or airline due to inadequate or non-representative data, which could result in misleading conclusions.

Our calculation of On Time Performance and delay information solely relies on arrival times. This approach is chosen over calculating departure delays, as we consider arrival punctuality to be of primary concern to passengers.

The On Time Performance displayed on our website is calculated as follows:

• On Time: Flights that arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time, or earlier. In the absence of data for a specific flight, we assume the flight arrives on time, to avoid penalizing airlines for data unavailability.
• Moderate Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 15 to 30 minutes.
• Significant Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 30 to 60 minutes.
• Major Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay exceeding 60 minutes.
• Average Delay: The average delay is calculated by considering flights that arrive early as having a delay of 0 minutes. Early arrivals do not contribute to reducing the average delay calculation

Some Stats

Annual Passengers Evolution

Airlines with more flight operations (last 3 months)

Airlines with best on-time performance at Heathrow (last 3 months)

Routes with more flights from Heathrow (last month)