Once off the aircraft, you will need to follow the airport Arrivals signs to proceed through passport control, baggage claim and airport customs. This process will usually take approximately 40 minutes, but it may take longer during rush hour or busy holiday season.
To facilitate passport control at Heathrow Airport, there are two queues - one for European Union (EU) citizens, and the other for other passengers who are citizens of other countries. Please try to prepare your passport and other necessary documents in advance.
Having arrived at the baggage claim point, there is a monitor where you can find your flight, where you will find out the number of the conveyor you need. For the convenience of transporting your luggage, you can always use a trolley.
At customs there is a blue exit for EU citizens. In the case of passengers from other countries who have goods to declare, the red exit must be used, and the green exit is provided for citizens of the same countries without having goods required for declaration.
Since 2007, security measures have been strengthened at London Heathrow International Airport, which has significantly increased the time it takes to pass through control. As a result, it is recommended to check in for your flight in advance.
You can always contact your airline for more detailed information, but it is still advisable to check-in no later than three hours before departure for long-haul flights and no later than two hours before departure for European routes (except for flights within the UK and Ireland - 90 minutes in advance) .
Before you go to Heathrow Airport, you should definitely find out which terminal you will be departing from.
Terminals 1 and 3 are located compactly in the center of the airport, quite close to each other.
Terminal 4 is located in the southern part of the airport and has a separate entrance.
Terminal 5 is located on the western side of the airport and also has its own separate entrance.
Heathrow Airport is located within the city 24 kilometers west of central London. The airport has 5 passenger terminals and one cargo terminal.
In this article we will talk in detail about passenger terminal No. 4, where Aeroflot aircraft make several flights every day. The most FAQ for tourists flying to London for the first time: where to go when getting off the plane, how to get from Heathrow airport to central London and back, what metro station is in Heathrow, where to see a map and photo of terminal 4 of the airport, how to find a TAX FREE tax refund point and others services.
For information about transfers (connections) and the terminal layout, see.
The location of the halls in the terminal building can be seen on the sign next to the elevator.
At the zero level of the terminal there is Arrival Hall(Arrivals). Zero level in England, in our understanding, this is the first floor.
On the first level of the terminal (for us - floor 2) there are support services.
On the second level of the building (floor 3) there is departure hall(Departures).
On the lowest level (–1) is the Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station.
Where to go from the plane? The most common answer to this question is that you need to go with other passengers. Another guideline to follow is the “Arrivals” (arrivals) and “Baggage reclaim” signs.
Even if you only have hand luggage and do not need to claim luggage, your route will pass through the baggage claim area.
Passport control. On the approach to passport control, the flow of passengers is divided into two directions: citizens of the European Union follow the “Passports from European Economic Area and Switzerland only” sign, all others follow the “All others” sign.
In addition to your passport, at passport control you must present a LANDING CARD, which you will be asked to fill out on the plane ( in block letters and only in English).
If you did not fill out the card on the plane, you will have to fill it out in line at passport control. The waiting time in line can be half an hour or one and a half: it depends on the number of passengers arriving on your flight and on the number of flights going through passport control at the same time.
The passport control officer may ask you several questions regarding the purpose of your visit, time of stay, place of residence and others, depending on the situation. Therefore, prepare your answers and have on hand an invitation, return ticket, hotel reservation or other documents confirming the answers to these questions.
Baggage claim area. If you only have hand luggage and there is no need to collect luggage, proceed to the customs inspection area.
For passengers who have checked in their suitcases for transportation in the luggage compartment of the aircraft, in the baggage reclaim area you need to find a conveyor onto which suitcases from your flight are unloaded. The flight number and name are indicated on the information board. To avoid mixing up your suitcases, check the number of the luggage tag on your suitcase with the number on the tear-off coupon you received when checking in your luggage.
Customs. The entrance to the customs corridors is located in the center of the baggage claim hall. If you have declared goods, you must use the red corridor with the “Goods to declare” sign. If there are no declared goods, you must use the green corridor with the “Nothing to declare” sign. Through this corridor you will exit to the Meeting Point.
Meeting area. The photo below shows the greeting area of Terminal 4, and on the diagram of the arrivals hall (see above) you can see the location of cafes, shops, services and exits to public transport. The diagram also shows the direction (red arrows) where you need to go to get to the metro.
Metro. The most economical option to get from Heathrow to central London is to take the Underground. Taking the elevator from the Arrivals hall to level “-1”, you will follow a small corridor to Heathrow Terminal 4 underground station.
On the left, in front of the turnstiles, there are vending machines and a ticket office where you can purchase tickets for the metro. There are several options for travel tickets, which are described in detail in the article about the metro.
For holders of an Oyster travel card, it will be enough to check the balance in the machine and top it up if necessary.
An Oyster card fare from Heathrow (zone 6) to the center (zone 1) is £3.10 (off-peak) or £5.10 (weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30). the same route with a one-time paper ticket will cost £6 (tariffs 2017).
The Piccadilly Line runs from Heathrow to central London. Stations in the city center (e.g. Green Park, Piccadilly Circus, Holborn), where you can change to other tube lines, take about an hour.
The first and last trains leave Heathrow Terminal 4 at 05:02 / 23:35 (05:46 / 23:15 on Sundays). Six trains depart every hour. All of them have a stop at Heathrow Terminals 2,3. They do not enter Heathrow Terminal 5 station.
Train TfLRail, which replaced the previously operated Heathrow Connect, departs from Terminal 4 every half hour. It makes six stops along the way (Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 Rail Station, Hayes & Harlington, Southall, Hanwell, West Ealing, Ealing Broadway) and arrives at Paddington Station. Travel time is 33 minutes, cost is £10.50.
In the area of Paddington Station there are many hotels with relatively low prices with good transport accessibility to central London. You can view prices and book a hotel, as well as see its location on the map below.
If London is not the final destination of your flight, it will be useful to read the article: “How to get from terminal 4 to terminals 2, 3, 5 Heathrow, transfer diagram.” There is a diagram with routes between terminals for different types transport and information about actions in various situations.
Taxi. In addition, you can pre-order transfer, for example, in the reservation service KiwiTaxi, which provides a number of advantages (reliability, safety, comfort) compared to finding a local taxi:
After your stay in London, taking the tube back to Heathrow Airport will no longer cause any problems. You can first study the route of your trip by choosing more transfers. convenient stations. For example, at Green Park station there is an elevator for transfers, which is convenient for passengers with heavy luggage. On the metro map, stations with an elevator are marked with a corresponding icon as accessible for wheelchair users.
Important. Trains on the Piccadilly Line can operate in multiple directions from the same platform. If as terminal station On the head car and the platform's electronic boards it says, for example, Uxbridge, then this train will take you far from Heathrow. You only need to board the train going to Heathrow Terminal 4. Several terminal numbers may be indicated as the final station, but you only need to board the train that mentions terminal 4. If the train goes to, for example, terminals 1, 3, 5 , then you need to get off at Hatton Cross station and change to a train going to terminal 4. You will be warned about this by audio messages in the carriage. Information about the final station is displayed on electronic displays on platforms and in train cars.
After reaching the elevators along the corridor, go up to level 2 Departures (departure hall).
If you have purchases that require a TAX FREE refund, do so before checking in your purchases. Reserve additional time to process your return and wait in line (at least half an hour).
Return TAX FREE. To find the TRAVELEX tax refund point in Heathrow Terminal 4, you need to go to F&G zone departure hall and take the elevator (at the end of the hall on the right) from the second level to the first. At the tax refund point, in addition to completed tax refund forms for purchases, you may be asked to show your passport, plane ticket, purchases themselves and receipts for them. Do not put them away and do not cut off tags from purchased goods.
Information about tax free return points in Russia can be found .
Registration area. Check-in counters for Aeroflot flights and baggage drop-off (DROP OFF) counters for those checking in via the Internet are located in zone E of the departure hall.
Important. Transfer from hand luggage to checked baggage all items prohibited for transportation in the aircraft cabin: piercing and cutting objects with a blade length of more than 6 cm, liquids more than 100 g, etc. Otherwise, you risk losing your favorite folding knife, purchased perfumes and drinks.
After checking in and checking in your luggage, you can head to the pre-flight inspection and control area.
Heathrow security control. The entrance to the pre-flight inspection area is located in the center of the hall and is marked with “All departure gates” signs.
Before going through security, you must place the liquids, creams, gels and pastes with a capacity of 100 ml or less in your hand luggage in a transparent, resealable plastic bag (1 bag per person). Packages are available at the entrance to the control area.
In this area, you and your carry-on luggage will be scanned, searched if necessary, all items prohibited for transportation in the aircraft cabin will be taken away, and you will be released into the departure and duty-free area. While in the departure area, monitor the electronic boards for messages about your flight. After receiving information about the gate number and the start of boarding, try not to be late for the plane by getting carried away by shopping DUTY FREE.
For tourists traveling through Moscow, there may be useful articles with information about Moscow airports.
From them you can find out the cost of travel for each type of transport, the schedule and stop locations, frequency, route diagrams, prices for parking personal vehicles and parking locations. Detailed explanations are given about the actions of air passengers at the airport and the work of support services in the terminal.
There are 5 major airports around London, however, the most comfortable and largest is Heathrow Airport. It impresses at first glance with its architecture, size, and crowdedness. The airport has a convenient location and is located approximately 24 km from the center of the capital.
Heathrow is one of the world's largest transport hubs. It serves many flights every day, ending at airports on all continents, and millions of passengers make transfers at its terminals.
In view of large sizes airport premises and heavy congestion, the passenger needs to know the location of the terminal to which his aircraft arrives. Assistance in obtaining such information is provided by the airline responsible for the flight.
The first step upon arrival is to undergo a passport check. To do this, follow the signs in the arrival area. After that, pick up your things in the baggage area.
Heathrow has 5 passenger terminals and one cargo terminal. The first, second and third terminals are located nearby, you can move between them on foot within a few minutes. The fourth and fifth can be quickly reached using a rail shuttle, which will bring the passenger absolutely free of charge.
The arrivals hall is a great place to while away your time while waiting for your flight. IN mall World Shopping, which is located near the exit from the customs zone, you can choose a gift for loved one or please yourself great buy. Its assortment includes various electrical goods, perfumes, and alcohol. If necessary, you can have a conversation over a cup of coffee and a snack in a restaurant or cafe, which is also located in the arrivals area. On the territory of Heathrow there are rooms for prayers, which will pleasantly surprise believers of various faiths.
After landing, follow the signs and head to the passport control area, after which you can pick up your luggage and go through customs. On average, these actions take approximately 40 minutes, but it should be borne in mind that if the workload is heavy, you may be delayed a little longer.
There are two columns of passengers in the passport control area: some are EU citizens, for whom a blue exit is provided, and the second are citizens of the rest of the world, with a red or green exit.
In the baggage area, the location of the conveyor of your belongings can be determined by the flight number on the monitor screens. The use of a trolley is provided. In each of the Heathrow terminals there are many help desks and information stands, with the help of which you can clarify all the questions that arise. Here you can purchase tickets for public transport or book a hotel room. There are around 50 excellent hotels near Heathrow.
You can use by train, which will take passengers non-stop to London within a quarter of an hour. If you head to express, which stops at the airport transfer hub, the travel time will be 25 minutes.
On metro Travel time to central London will be no more than an hour.
Once you arrive at any Heathrow terminal, you can use car rental. The airport is close to the M25 ring road for travel to all parts of the UK, as well as the M4 for those traveling to London, southern Wales and western England. When entering the city, you must pay a small fee.
There are also bus service with London and other UK cities. In total, airport passengers have a choice of about 500 routes, which can be boarded at the terminal or from the Central Bus Station.
For fans Taxi You need to know that licensed service vehicles are located outside the terminals. Therefore, it is recommended to refuse those drivers who offer their services in the terminal itself. The cost of travel to central London ranges from 40-70 pounds sterling.
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The airport that every second tourist hears, of course, is heathrow airport(Heathrow). Moving from central London to the west, after 24 km you will arrive right at the territory of this airport, which is considered the busiest in all of Europe. It ranks second in the world according to this indicator.
Heathrow appeared during the First World War, the first civilian flights started in 1946, and already in 1953 the first slab of the runway was solemnly laid. Now there are already two stripes, since then the territory of the airport has grown before our eyes, and today it is more than 12 square kilometers. There is a command and control tower, terminals, and utility rooms here. There are many international hotels conveniently located near Heathrow that will satisfy the choice of any tourist.
Today, Heathrow successfully receives and sends aircraft to approximately 180 different destinations, and this is more than 90 countries around the world. There are five terminals for passengers on the territory and their traffic is over 67 million people per year. These are record figures, Heathrow is never empty. The record-breaking day was August 17, 2014 - in one day the airport successfully served 241,412 passengers from different countries. No other airport in the world has yet been able to beat this figure. Of course, there are often queues here, and ideally the airport would need a third runway to relieve some of the congestion, but this would require demolition residential buildings located nearby. Therefore, today we have to manage under existing conditions, maintaining a balance between the number of flights and departure time.
Even for an experienced tourist, getting lost in Heathrow is easy. It is best to arm yourself with a map indicating the main terminals and other points. Passengers can walk between the second and third terminals (they are located not far from each other), and it is more convenient to get to terminals 4 and 5 using free trackless transport, since walking through the vast territory will be a bit long. By the way, the official Heathrow website has been translated into many languages, including Russian - there you can also open or download a directory of main airport signs and signs, or a security manual. Speaking of safety, as at any airport, certain rules apply here. For example, you cannot carry more than 100 ml of cream or paste in hand luggage, and all liquids will definitely need to be packed in a plastic bag. Only one plastic bag can be carried per passenger. You should also not take cutting objects with you, the blade of which is longer than 6 cm.
Of course, Heathrow today is equipped to the highest class: there are analogues of duty-free World Shopping stores with good prices for wines and perfumes, many small cafes, bars and eateries, souvenir shops, and even rooms for prayer with priests of different religions. Interesting fact– in an underground bunker near the old tower, from which aircraft were previously controlled, there is now a functioning Chapel of St. George. Scottish and Catholic services are held there every day.
While waiting for your flight, you can also wander around the local shops and buy everything you need for your flight, or treat yourself to designer goods in exclusive mini-boutiques. In a word, heathrow airport- How small world on large territory, here you can do whatever you want while waiting for your flight and will certainly appreciate the richness and unique atmosphere of this place.
London Heathrow Airport (Heathrow) at the time of June 2010 is the largest international airport in the UK. On the world stage it is considered fifth in terms of passenger turnover (2010). The airport is located 24 kilometers from the center of London. Includes 5 passenger terminals and one cargo terminal.
It is home to over 90 airlines, linking London to 170 airports around the world. The airport is a hub for British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways and bmi.
Heathrow originally had six runways, built in three pairs at different angles. The passenger terminal was in the center. But due to new length requirements for runways, today there are only two parallel runways running east to west. Which means planes have to take off directly over the city. This is a feature of the airport. Other major European airports, such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Paris, are located in the southern or northern part of the city, which avoids similar problems.
Another feature of the airport is its low location above sea level (25 meters), as well as frequent fog.
Gate 6 of Terminal 3, as well as Terminal 5, has been completely refurbished to accommodate the new Airbus A380 aircraft. The first test flight of the A380 to Heathrow took place on 18 May 2006.
