It was reported this morning that passengers being dropped off at the airport should be dropped off at the short stay carpark and get the free bus to the airport terminal. To be safe I would ring the airport.

Sarah

As an alternative, be dropped off at Hatton Cross tube station (or any of the nearby ones - Hounslow/Osterley) and then take the tube in to the central area (Terminals 1-3) or Terminal 4.

Cheers,
Jet

Thanks for the ideas. We have decided to get a taxi but leave loads of time. Our cab company think that it should be ok if we are prepared. Does any one know if once you have been dropped off, getting into the terminals for checking in is just the same as usual? I presume the additional security measures will take place after check in and as you go through security (sorry if that sounds muddled) I thought I saw on the news on Sunday that peopel were queueing to actually get into the terminals!

Trish

Has anyone used a meet and greet parking service at Heathrow recently, if so, how did it work? Quite bizarrely none of the meet and greet parking service websites indicate that they are doing anything different. As most rely on meeting you at departures I very much doubt this is the case!

Mum & Dad flew back from states on Sunday evening - they used Purple parking meet and greet, no problem, they phoned when they reached the baggage carosel, and they were waiting for them in the arrivals hall, when they came through, they took them to there car which was waiting in the short stay carpark. They flew from Heathrow.

Hi

Has anyone used these lounges before and are they worth it?

We're off out to the Far East at the end of September and we've never bothered before but was wondering what peoples experiences are?

Hi Calhorn,

a few years ago we flew from Heathrow to Singapore and used a Servisair lounge? and also used another lounge there on another occasion , i think it was Holideck? we probably booked through holidayextras. We found the lounges perfect as you could relax and have any type of drink also popped some biscuits and nuts in our bag for munchies on the flight
as you know the flight is a long one and its worth being able to relax and chill out for a bit to keep the stress levels low as Heathrow is a bit hectic!
I think Holideck had a viewing tower like a conservatory up some steps and i saw Concorde come in and land , it was worth the entry fee just for that.

There is currently major disruption at Heathrow, after an inbound British Airways flight landed on a grassed area just short of the south runway, with the undercarriage partially collapsing or breaking off before the aircraft reached the tarmac and eventually came to a halt.

Thankfully only a few minor injuries have been reported, but flights are currently subject to delay or diversion.

More news available HERE, but anyone due to travel from Heathrow later today may like to check the status of their flight with the airline, as some aircraft are currently being diverted to Gatwick and Manchester.

David

Heathrow faces further disruption today after BA crash landing

Flights to and from Heathrow continue to face cancellations and delays after a British Airways aircraft crash landed yesterday short of one of the airport's two runways.

The Boeing 777 with 136 passengers on board was en-route from Beijing when it landed short of the runway.

Passengers escaped down emergency slides with only minor injuries to three people.

Emergency services rushed to the scene in what was described as a major incident.

Heathrow was shut for about 30 minutes. Flights were moved to use the airport's northern runway to take off and land until 14.30 when the southern runway re-opened for departing aircraft only.

More than 220 mainly short haul flights out of a normal flying schedule of 1,300 were cancelled. Twenty four aircraft were diverted to other airports.

Heathrow owner BAA said it was doing everything possible to minimise disruption to passengers.

But those planning to fly from Heathrow today (Friday) were advised to contact their airline regarding the status of their flight, BAA said.

The airport operator said staff had been working through the night to ensure that today "runs as smoothly as possible".

Fifty three mainly short haul flights have been cancelled today so far, according to a BAA statement at 09.00 this morning.

"At this stage, we are working hard to restore near normal operations. However, it is extremely important that passengers due to fly from Heathrow today contact their airline regarding the status of their flight," BAA said.

Additional staff are on hand at the terminals to assist passengers, the company added.

BA said it planned to operate all its long haul departures from the airport and "up to 90%" of short haul flights. But a number of flights into Heathrow will be cancelled throughout today.

The carrier "strongly advised" passengers to check http://www.ba.com before leaving home for the latest flight information.

"Due to the disruption on Thursday, a number of aircraft, pilots and cabin crew are out of position and this is having a knock-on effect on some short haul services on Friday," the airline said. "Any customers on cancelled flights are urged not to come to the airport as this will cause additional congestion."

An eyewitness account said the BA aircraft took the runway too low on its approach, it crashed and skidded sideways, the BBC reported. Some reports suggested both of the 777's engines failed.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh said: "I would like to pay tribute to the 16 crew of the BA038 led by Captain Peter Burkill. The flight crew showed great courage and professionalism in landing the aircraft safely.

"All of the crew did a fantastic job evacuating the 136 passengers. They are all heroes and everyone at British Airways is very proud of them."

An investigation is being conducted by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the BA chief said it would be "inappropriate to speculate" about the likely cause of the crash landing.

There were three flight crew and 13 cabin staff on board the 777.

BA set up a helpline at 0800 389 4193.

With permisison from Travelmole

Hi,

Me and my girlfriend are due to go to New York on saturday and we have been told to check online and print off our boarding passes. Just wondering if anyone has done this before and what their experience was of it? Also what do you do once your at the airport? As we have never done this before so we are bit unsure.

Thanks
Dan

Me and my girlfriend are due to go to New York on saturday and we have been told to check online and print off our boarding passes. Just wondering if anyone has done this before and what their experience was of it? Also what do you do once your at the airport? As we have never done this before so we are bit unsure.

Done it before, was much easier and made the whole thing so much quicker! Check in the night before on the airline's website and print off your boarding pass. Then when you arrive at Heathrow in the terminal look out for your airline's check in area, and go to the "Express bag drop" or "Baggage drop off pont". Drop your bags off (they will need to see the boarding passes you printed to attach your bags to your check in), and thats it. You're then free to go through to departures or do whatever.

All the instrictions on where to go with your bags etc will be displayed during the online check in process. The bonus also is you will be able to pick your seats (if you haven't already).

Thanks bagand,

This is our first time flying from Heathrow we usually fly from Teesside so we aren't quite used to huge airports, hopefully we will get through problem free. It's just a case of finding an internet cafe now to check in the night before.

Alex

You can book in 24 hours before flight time. Tonyt

I'm flying to Bombay with Virgin from heathrow - does anyone know what terminal i have to go to - im getting the tube so have no idea where to get off and it doesnt mention anything on my ticket - thanks

Bunny230,

VS operates out of Terminal 3.

Darren

any info on transfering from terminal 1 to terminal 4 at heathrow with luggage

petros,

There's plenty of information on Heathrow's website. I've always transferred without luggage (ie travelled with the same airline / codeshare to simplify things). All I can say is, travel as light as possible and allow plenty of time between flights!

Darren

Transferring from T1 to T4 at Heathrow is a bit of a nightmare, even without luggage. You have to get a bus between the two terminals and there is still a fair bit of walking. You will need at least 45 mins.

luci

BAA warns of baggage system problems at T4 today

BAA has warned passengers travelling through Heathrow Terminal 4 today that they could encounter problems with their baggage.

It said the performance of the Terminal 4 baggage system has been reduced due to an ongoing software problem.

"Whilst every effort is being made to rectify the problem over night and contingency plans have been put in place, there is a risk that operations out of Terminal 4 may be affected tomorrow," said a spokesman.

"Passengers travelling through Terminal 4 tomorrow should check with their airlines before coming to the airport to understand the potential impact on their travel plans.

"In particular, passengers should consider minimising the amount of hold luggage they check in."

He said staff were working through out last night to minimise any potential disruption.

With permission from Travelmole

N.B. ... British Airways has warned that passengers bringing baggage to be checked in at T4 may not be allowed to travel
David HT Mod