Heathrow Terminal 5 is worth the wait.
After a shaky start, BAA -- the owner and operator of London's Heathrow Airport -- has finally overcome the problems that have plagued their long-awaited new terminal since it opened in March. On June 5, British Airways started reintroducing some of their long-haul flights back to the troubled terminal.
We flew from LAX that day and were truly impressed with the facility. Within 20 minutes of landing, we had cleared immigration, collected our bags, passed through customs, met our driver, and headed out on the M4.
Our return flight yesterday was even more impressive. We left our hotel in South Kensington at 8:30AM and by 9:15, we were eating breakfast in the new terminal, having already checked in, checked our bags, and gone through security. This left us with plenty of time to browse the shops, which include everything from Harrods and Fortnum & Mason to World of Whiskies.
In comparison, it took 1 hour and 40 minutes to check our bags and clear security at LAX on the outbound flight. And 1 hour and 50 minutes to clear customs and immigration and get our bags on the return.
In a year when there's been precious little travel news to celebrate, for travelers heading to London, Heathrow 5 is something to sing about.