Doha, Qatar - 19 November, 2008: Terminal 5, British Airways' exclusive new state-of-the-art home at London Heathrow now handles all of the airline's Middle East flights - including the daily flights from Doha - and it is proving a resounding success with travellers.
"Terminal 5 is proving a great success, and its operations are going from strength to strength," said Paul Starrs, British Airways Commercial Manager, Middle East, who hosted a presentation at The Diplomatic Club, Doha, as part of his media briefings in the Gulf region.
"We are the only airline operating out of Terminal 5, and it is no exaggeration to say this exciting new terminal has transformed the passenger experience at Heathrow.
"We have achieved our objective of making British Airways passengers' journey through Heathrow smooth, simple, and stress-free.
"We have speeded up the whole airport process, leaving travellers with more time for relaxing, eating, shopping, or working, and the flow is helped by our extensive check-in facilities, including 96 self-service kiosks and 96 fast bag drop desks."
The terminal, the exclusive home of British Airways at Heathrow, is living up to its promise, with 95% of flights arriving and departing within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, the average time for passing through security is 5.2 minutes, and the average time through check-in is only 8.5 minutes*.
The exclusive British Airways premium lounges, radically overhauled within the Terminal 5 concept, are also a world apart. The lounges - or "Galleries," as they are known - consist of six lounges: The Concorde Room, Galleries First Lounge, three Galleries Club Lounges and the Galleries Arrivals Lounge.
The Galleries, has the capacity to cater for 2,500 passengers, a 25 per cent increase in capacity in comparison to the current Terminal 1 and Terminal 4 lounges, and have all been designed to offer industry leading products and services. To present the ultimate in pre-flight pampering, British Airways has teamed up with Elemis to offer customers specially created spa treatments.
92% of British Airways customers have expressed their very high rating of Terminal 5's remarkable new Galleries and many have applauded the terminal for its improved punctuality, and check-in and arrival process.
Terminal 5, the size of 50 football pitches, has over 2,000 staff operating at check-in areas, fast-drop counters and high-tech baggage facilities, and majors in space, convenience and comfort.
More than 90% of British Airways flights operate through Terminal 5 that handles over 500 flights a day.
For more information on Terminal 5 visit www.ba.com/t5
-Ends-
*The quoted statistics originate from British Airways T5 "Yesterday" marketing campaign that ran in the UK in September 2008.
© Press Release 2008
