London Heathrow Airport (LHR) Flights & Flight Status

Like all modern major destination airports, Heathrow is massive and can be overwhelming to the uninitiated. But look again and you’ll see that its size is tempered by having four terminals. Ignore the ‘Europe’s busiest airport’ bluster and concentrate solely on the terminal you’re passing through and everything is much more manageable.

Whichever terminal you find yourself in, Heathrow is renowned for being overcrowded and congested. Its long security and immigration queues rightly draw the ire of many travelers, me among them! Another quirk is its tendency to announce gates with very little time before boarding – it’s cited as being 45 minutes but in practice that’s not always the case. It’s not uncommon to be overtaken by red-faced passengers scrambling to some distant gate, bags flailing, because they’ve not kept an eagle eye on the flight information screens.

Sadly, there’s little you can do to avoid the queues, so being prepared is important. Give yourself more time than you might expect and if you can, try to book flights taking off and landing outside peak times – before 10am, between 1pm and 5pm, and after 8pm. I only ever travel with carry-on bags and always arrive two hours before flying, just to be on the safe side. If you’re checking in bags, give yourself longer.

The best way to get to and from central London

Heathrow is just 14 miles away from central London, but in real terms that translates into something like an hour-long door-to-terminal commute, depending on where you are. The train is your most convenient option.

The best connected station is Paddington. From here you can take the Heathrow Express if you’re feeling flush or are in a rush, as it takes about 15 minutes to Terminals 2 and 3 and around 20 minutes to Terminals 4 and 5. But be warned, the Heathrow Express is very expensive, and astronomical if you're traveling with the family.

My pick is the Elizabeth Line, which stops at several major stations. Tickets cost half the price of the Express and the journey takes about twice as long, so it’s the best compromise. It’s around a 15 minute walk between the terminals and the station, but there are moving walkways to help you on your way.

Unless you’re staying at one of its many stops on route, I’d avoid the Piccadilly metro line. It’s slow, noisy and often so busy you can’t get a seat.

Car rental recommendations

As you’d expect, car rental is plentiful at Heathrow. If you’re staying outside London, it’s likely the easiest transport option. Alongside all the major players like Hertz, Sixt, Enterprise and Europcar, there are plenty of cheap and cheerful options that can save you serious dollars, such as Drivalia and Green Motion.

It’s important to know that all the rental car pickup zones are off site. You’ll need to take one of the free shuttle buses to the rental desk, which realistically take anything between 10 and 30 minutes depending on which company you book with and how long you have to wait for the bus. The big brands are closer and the cheaper companies are a bit further away.

The simple truth is that almost all car rental is a pain, and seldom does it feel like a smooth and great value experience. At Heathrow I’ve regularly found budget operator Drivalia to be the best option, based in the car park of the Moxy hotel. If you’re flying long haul and want to stay at an airport hotel, it’s the perfect combination of rental car and hotel stay convenience. And the Moxy itself is great.

One important thing to remember if you’re not used to driving a stick shift in the US: ask for an automatic car. If not, you may end up with a stick shift (called a manual in the UK), whether you can drive one or not.

Know your terminals so you can research your route and connection

Flying from and to the US could land you in several terminals. If you’re flying British Airways, you’ll most likely land in its dedicated Terminal 5. If it’s Virgin Atlantic or One World Alliance airlines, including some British Airways flights, you’ll use Terminal 3. If it’s a Star Alliance airline like United Airlines, you’ll use Terminal 2. The British Airways Heathrow to New York JFK route is the airport’s busiest, carrying more than three million passengers across the pond annually.

Independent of airline, Terminal 2 is my favorite. It’s the quickest to get to and from central London, easiest to navigate, has the shortest walks to the gates and is still fully catered to with quality shops and restaurants. Terminal 5 is the newest and a love letter to all things British Airways, but it has long walks to the gates. On the plus side, most T5 gates offer interesting views towards the apron and runways, although the best views are found at the Gordon Ramsay Plane Food and Wagamama restaurants.

Connections requiring a change of terminals

Making connections between flights can be tortuous at Heathrow, especially if you need to change terminals. T2 and T3 are an easy walk from each other, but getting to and from T4 and T5 will require a train transfer. Although it’s free and the quoted commute time is under five minutes, you’ll need at least 30 minutes once you factor in walking and waiting times. If you’re changing terminals, you’ll also need to go through security and immigration checks again, which means more waiting time to consider.

The best paid-for lounges in each terminal

There’s a bewildering number of lounges spread across Heathrow’s four terminals, catering to all manner of traveler. And with 80 million passengers passing through annually, it’s easy to see why. While many are reserved for premium passengers, several are open to anyone happy to pay the entry fee.

If you’re only in the terminal for an hour or two and don’t have free access, skip the lounge. All terminals have plenty of shops, bars and restaurants to entertain you for a little while. If you’re there longer, on a connection or transfer for example, I’ve found the lounges a cost-effective alternative to hours spent shopping, snacking and spending.

In T2, the Lufthansa Business Lounge is the best of the bunch. In T4, the Plaza Lounge is the nicest option. In T5, choose Club Aspire.

In T3, the Qantas London Lounge is my pick of all Heathrow’s open lounges. Its à la carte menu from Australian chef Neil Perry is the best food I’ve found at Heathrow and the cocktail bar upstairs serves a great margarita and even better views over the airfield. Rock up, pay at the door and you’re in.

Alternative London airports

Officially, London has six international airports to choose from, which is a lot by any count. If you’re planning to fly on to Europe after a few days in London, you may find its other airports cheaper or more convenient.

London Gatwick

If you’re flying to or from the US, Gatwick is your alternative to Heathrow. While they’re both easily accessible to and from central London, if you’re taking public transport elsewhere, Gatwick is much better connected.

London Stansted

London Stansted is the main hub for Ryanair, which serves lots of interesting secondary cities throughout Europe, as well as most of the capitals. While the airline is renowned for cheap prices and mediocre service, Stansted is an easy and relatively small airport to navigate. It’s a pain to get to and from central London though.

London City

London City is in the heart of the capital, but serves limited flights and can be expensive and so is favored by business travelers on day trips.

London Luton

London Luton sits far to the north-west of central London. After a recent massive overhaul, it’s growing in popularity. An easyJet hub, it serves destinations across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

London Southend

London Southend sits far to the east of the city, an outlier serving a handful of destinations across Europe. Convenient if you’re heading east of the city or beyond, otherwise your least likely option.