Heathrow Terminal 4

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Heathrow Terminal 4
Heathrow LON 04 07 77.JPG
Aerial view of terminal 4 during its use by British Airways
Greater London UK location map 2.svg
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Location within Greater London
General information
TypeAirport terminal
AddressStratford Road, Hounslow, London
Coordinates 51°27′34″N0°26′49″W / 51.459455°N 0.446953°W / 51.459455; -0.446953
Current tenants SkyTeam alliance
Inaugurated1 April 1986
Renovated2009-2017
Cost £200 million
Technical details
Floor area105,481 square metres (1,135,390 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s) Scott Brownrigg & Turner [1]
Other information
Public transit access

Heathrow Terminal 4 is an airport terminal at Heathrow Airport, the main airport serving London, England, situated to the south of the southern runway, next to the cargo terminal. It is connected to Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 by the vehicular Heathrow Cargo Tunnel, and by rail with the Heathrow Terminal 4 tube and Heathrow Terminal 4 railway stations.

Contents

Terminal 4 was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 1 April 1986. [2] British Airways was the main airline operating from the terminal from 1986 until its move to Terminal 5 on 29 October 2009, eventually making Terminal 4 the Heathrow base for airlines of the SkyTeam airline alliance.

History

In 1979, approval for a fourth terminal at Heathrow Airport was granted. [3] The new terminal was built south of the southern runway at a cost of £200 million over an 197 acres (80 ha) site. [3] Terminal 4 was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 1 April 1986. [2]

Overview

Terminal design

Passenger drop-off area, March 2013 Heathrow Terminal 4, departures level - geograph.org.uk - 3398892.jpg
Passenger drop-off area, March 2013
Check-in area in August 2023 Heathrow T4 Check-In August 2023.jpg
Check-in area in August 2023

Best known for its yellow jet bridges, the terminal was initially designed as a facility for short-haul 'point-to-point' traffic, to compensate for its relatively long distance from the airport's central terminal area (CTA). The layout of the terminal, with passenger boarding gates very close to the check-in and security halls, was designed to facilitate rapid movement of passengers through the building (a requirement for short-haul, business-focused flights). Upon opening, it boasted other innovations including the complete segregation of arriving and departing passengers and a departure concourse over 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) long. [4]

Lord King, then Chairman of British Airways, demanded that Terminal 4 be solely for the use of British Airways to fulfill the airline's ambition of hosting all its flights in one terminal (an ambition that still has not been achieved even with the opening of Terminal 5 in 2008). A similar demand was made on the North Terminal at Gatwick.

Terminal 4's distance from the CTA and design were ill-suited for British Airways' long-haul operations and could be seen as a contributor to the airline's dire operational performance, particularly in the years up to Terminal 5's opening in 2008.[ citation needed ] For example, passengers had to transfer between Terminal 4 and the CTA by bus rather than by a short moving walkway (as between Terminals 1 and 3 for example) and once inside Terminal 4, the gate areas are not large enough for the 400+ passengers waiting to board the waiting Boeing 747s. Passengers' baggage also had to make the trip by van, sometimes resulting in the luggage being mislaid, although this problem was somewhat alleviated in the late 1990s by the construction of an automated transfer tunnel between the CTA and Terminal 4.[ citation needed ]

Improvements and renovations

Terminal 4 in August 2023, after major renovations Heathrow T4 Concourse August 2023.jpg
Terminal 4 in August 2023, after major renovations

Following the transfer of most of British Airways' flights to Terminal 5 during 2008, Terminal 4 underwent a £200m upgrade to enable it to accommodate 45 airlines and serve as the base for the SkyTeam airline alliance. The departures forecourt has been upgraded to reduce traffic congestion and improve security and an extended check-in area opened in late 2009. Most internal areas of the terminal were renovated between 2009 and 2014, whilst a new SkyTeam Alliance passenger lounge for premium passengers opened in 2009, more recently followed by the Etihad Airways Lounge. A Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge, Gulf Air Golden Falcon Lounge, Qatar Airways Premium Lounge and Plaza Premium Lounge have all opened since 2010. Two new stands to accommodate the Airbus A380 were constructed in 2009, and a further two opened in 2015. A new baggage system has also been installed. Refurbishment of the arrivals areas was completed in 2017. [5]

Closure during the COVID-19 pandemic

In 2020, all flights from Terminal 4 were suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, rail and tube services to Terminal 4 station were withdrawn; TfL Rail services were diverted to T5. [6] Heathrow also closed one of its runways in response to the drop in flights. In June 2021, Terminal 4 reopened as a terminal for passengers arriving from red-list countries only. The rail and underground station remained closed back then. [7]

On 23 February 2022, Heathrow CEO John Holland Kaye announced that Heathrow Terminal 4 was to reopen in time for the summer travel peak in July.[ citation needed ] It was later announced that the Terminal would reopen on June 14. [8]

Usage

Terminal 4 interior, prior to refurbishment in 2012 Term4.jpg
Terminal 4 interior, prior to refurbishment in 2012
Arrivals at Terminal 4, prior to refurbishment in 2012 MeetMe Heathrow T4.jpg
Arrivals at Terminal 4, prior to refurbishment in 2012

SkyTeam

Terminal 4 is the base for SkyTeam members except Aeroméxico, Delta Air Lines, Middle East Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and China Airlines (all Terminal 3 only). [9]

Others

Three Oneworld members fly out of Terminal 4, Malaysia Airlines, Royal Air Maroc and Qatar Airways. All have joined the alliance since moving to Terminal 4. Sri Lankan Airlines formerly operated from Terminal 4 but shortly after it joined Oneworld in 2014 it transferred its flights to Terminal 3.

The principal non-aligned airlines are KM Malta Airlines, China Southern Airlines, El Al, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Oman Air and Royal Brunei Airlines. Other non-aligned airlines are Air Algerie, Air Astana, Air Serbia, Azerbaijan Airlines, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Kuwait Airways, Tunisair, Uzbekistan Airlines, Vueling and WestJet.

Ground transport

Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station Heathrow Terminal 4 tube roundel.JPG
Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station

Terminal 4 is accessed from Junction 14 of the M25 motorway via the A3113 and then the Southern Perimeter Road. It is also accessible from Central London via the M4, exiting at Junction 3. There is a short stay car park directly opposite the terminal and a long stay car park on the other side of the twin rivers.

Terminal 4 is served by the London Underground's Piccadilly line trains at Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station and by Elizabeth line trains at Heathrow Terminal 4 railway station. All trains between the Heathrow terminals are free.

The Piccadilly line has up to six trains per hour (about every 10 minutes) in the direction of Cockfosters via central London. Trains to central London run via Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 tube station. They may wait at Heathrow Terminal 4 for up to eight minutes. Although the journey takes longer, fares are much cheaper than on the Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express services. [10]

Terminal 4 is served by some local buses, coach services and car parking.

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References

  1. ↑ "Retrospective: Heathrow Airport Terminal 4" (PDF). Scott Brownrigg Design Research Unit. November 2013. pp. 4–9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 Above Us The Skies: The Story Of BAA – 1991 (Michael Donne – BAA plc), p. 40
  3. 1 2 Cobley, Jim (28 March 1986). "Royals "Fly the Tube" as Heathrow plugs in". LRT News. pp. 4–5.
  4. ↑ Above Us The Skies: The Story Of BAA – 1991 (Michael Donne – BAA plc), p. 41
  5. ↑ "Terminal 4's £100m new check-in area reaches the top". BAA Plc. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  6. ↑ "Coronavirus - Covid-19 | Heathrow". 20 June 2020. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "Heathrow to reopen Terminal 4 this month for 'red zone' arrivals". Executive Traveller. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Heathrow to reopen Terminal 4 after two years of closure". 8 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Delta to consolidate London Heathrow operations | Airlines content from ATWOnline". Archived from the original on 23 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "Fares - Transport for London".

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51°27′35″N0°26′51″W / 51.45972°N 0.44750°W / 51.45972; -0.44750

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