British Airways moving flights from Terminal 3 into Terminal 5 as Iberia and American move out

British Airways is consolidating its Heathrow flights in Terminal 5, with a swathe of routes moving across from Terminal 3.

There is something a little odd about this. The changes are happening quickly – passengers will get just 14 days notice in some cases. It also makes little sense in terms of trying to manage queues and lounge capacity in Terminal 5.

Is British Airways desperately trying to stop its passengers running up huge bills by visiting the superior Cathay Pacific and Qantas lounges in Terminal 3?! Here’s our article on the best airport lounges in Heathrow Terminal 3.

Iberia is moving in the opposite direction. Its Heathrow flights are moving from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3 from the same day. It is strongly rumoured that American Airlines will be doing the same.

This is what is happening with British Airways services:

Long haul:

ALL long haul flights in Heathrow Terminal 3 and moving to Heathrow Terminal 5.

This is effective from 12th July.

This includes routes such as:

• Accra
• Austin
• Barbados
• Orlando
• Las Vegas
• Phoenix
• São Paulo / Buenos Aires

Short haul:

The following short haul routes are also due to move across to Terminal 5 on 12th July:

• Algiers
• Brindisi
• Bologna
• Budapest
• Faro
• Krakow
• Ljubljana
• Marseille
• Nuremberg
• Olbia
• Prague
• Pisa
• Split
• Toulouse
• Valencia
• Zagreb

I’m not sure how much is left in Terminal 3, to be honest, although some core routes such as Vienna are staying there. It isn’t clear if any of the routes currently being operated using Finnair aircraft and crew will move to Terminal 5, or if those are staying in Terminal 3.

If you were connecting from a Terminal 3 to Terminal 3 flight, you may need to rebook one of the legs. You will need at least two hours, realistically, to transfer between terminals and to ensure that your baggage makes it across.

---

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.