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7am exclusive: First Terminal 5 ‘The First Wing’ pictures as it officially opens

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‘The First Wing’ officially opened at Terminal 5 an hour ago.

Here are a few pictures:

The First Wing British Airways Heathrow Terminal 5

and

The First Wing British Airways Heathrow Terminal 5

and

The First Wing British Airways Heathrow Terminal 5

‘The First Wing’, at the far southern end of the terminal, leads directly directly into the Galleries First lounge via a private security lane.  It can be used by ticketed First Class passengers or Gold card / oneworld equivalent cardholders – as long as they only have one guest.  As it opens directly into the lounge, it has to follow lounge access rules.  You can check in there with your family and then use the normal security lanes.

We will be at the official launch later this week so there will be another report on the way, although ironically we are banned from taking any pictures at that.   Thanks to the reader who surreptitiously took these.

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Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (76)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Alex W says:
    4 Apr4 April 07:22

    Never before has a corridor had so much attention!

    • PeacefulWaters says:
      4 Apr4 April 07:32

      You share my same quality of cynicism!

      • Genghis says:
        4 Apr4 April 07:40

        At least security should be faster

      • Alex W says:
        4 Apr4 April 08:03

        To be honest I am quite looking forward to avoiding the traipse through the terminal in 3 weeks, and thereby reducing the time spent without champagne in hand.

    • Mr(s) Entitled says:
      4 Apr4 April 07:47

      You’re too young to remember Basic Instinct then?

    • James says:
      4 Apr4 April 07:56

      Thank god im not the only one who thinks so.

    • Andrew says:
      4 Apr4 April 08:04

      Indeed! VS had this about 10 years ago!

      • Baggageinhall says:
        4 Apr4 April 10:51

        Cynical as I am, VS do not have this. Their wing does not lead directly into the lounge. Their website would have you believe that. The reality is different. It’s nice but the security channel still dumps you in the middle of the shopping centre/departure lounge.

        • Leo says:
          4 Apr4 April 11:51

          I think the VS Upper wing is a do it once probably don’t bother again experience. Nice but I wouldn’t go out of my way again….

          • Catalan says:
            4 Apr4 April 12:31

            Both VS and BA are restricted by the policies of the airport operator HAL who force them into having their premium passenger pass through the ‘shopping malls’.
            I suspect BA had to pay HAL millions in ‘compensation’ to enable their passengers to by-pass duty free.
            Virgin’s Upper Class wing suffers simply due to the infrastructure at Terminal 3 where there is no direct link from security to the lounge.

  • Mr(s) Entitled says:
    4 Apr4 April 07:24

    OT: Nice, but not relevant to MAN which is where it is at. Flying out of MAN T2 next week and have access to both lounges via PP. Can anyone recommend one over the other? Travelling at OMG it’s early with family and dont want the agro of trying both.

    • PeacefulWaters says:
      4 Apr4 April 07:33

      Aspire has the edge for me. But very little in it.

      • Mr(s) Entitled says:
        4 Apr4 April 08:48

        So basically seek out whichever is quieter?

        • PeacefulWaters says:
          4 Apr4 April 09:44

          Good call.

        • trickster says:
          4 Apr4 April 13:21

          …Or that you can get into, being that it’s Easter. We were turned away from Aspire (with a Lounge Club pass) the summer before last due to it being full, but were able to get into Escape just.

  • Alex says:
    4 Apr4 April 07:43

    What’s to stop you using the First check in but just going back out to use Fast Track at security?

  • Julie Kalama says:
    4 Apr4 April 07:45

    Why are families not allowed to use it even if they have First class tickets?

    • 2002ad says:
      4 Apr4 April 07:57

      Yes I’m also confused by this comment. I’ve taken my 18 month into all the BA lounges without any issue. In fact doesn’t the first lounge have a kids area?

    • the real harry1 says:
      4 Apr4 April 07:59

      I guess it’s Raffles + 2 kids with his better half joining them later – youngest is 6 I think so rather too old to wing it as slightly older than 2YO 🙂

    • Andrew (@andrewseftel) says:
      4 Apr4 April 08:07

      Rob has a gold card, not travelling in first. This would have previously entitled his entire party to use First class check in at LHR. As he can only guest one person into the lounge, he can’t use the First wing.

      • Pyeinthesky says:
        4 Apr4 April 08:35

        One can still use F check-in as per OW rules no doubt, just can’t use First wing if with more than one guest (or two guests if GGL).

    • Lewis Watson says:
      4 Apr4 April 11:17

      Families can on first tickets. They can’t if dad is gold card holder as you only get one guest in lounge

  • Soloflyer1977 says:
    4 Apr4 April 07:56

    Looks very similar to Gold track in LHR T2

  • krys_k says:
    4 Apr4 April 07:56

    Shall be using that corridor in aprox two hours 😉

  • Andrew says:
    4 Apr4 April 08:03

    It’s a shame that BA are too tight with money to have the area clean of advertsing!

    • the real harry1 says:
      4 Apr4 April 08:08

      you can hardly blame them that’ll be top dollar space given the demographics

      • Klaus-Peter Dudas says:
        4 Apr4 April 08:31

        Agreed, I’d rather have some advertising on the way to the lounge that them cutting stuff in the lounge…

    • Paul says:
      4 Apr4 April 15:26

      Just wait until the shops open…

  • Mrs_Fussy says:
    4 Apr4 April 08:04

    OT – would anyone have a list of short/mid-haul destinations where BA flies a decent club world product. For example – Moscow ?

    • Genghis says:
      4 Apr4 April 11:30

      What’s your goal? I love to keep spreadsheets but even I wouldn’t maintain such a list.

      • Rob says:
        4 Apr4 April 12:37

        Only Moscow these days which comes under Reward Flight Saver.

        • Genghis says:
          4 Apr4 April 12:53

          Looking at BA source there’s no guarantee that what aircraft you’ll get. BA232 (DME-LHR) seems to mix between 772, 789 and 321 without pattern

      • Mrs_fussy says:
        4 Apr4 April 12:54

        Morocco, Cyprus or Tenerife

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