PHOTO: In describing Heathrow's Terminal 2, architect Luis Vidal called airports "the cathedrals of the 20th century." (Courtesy of Heathrow Airport)
Heathrow's new $4.15 billion Terminal 2 opened on time on June 4 providing a high-tech futuristic nest for 23 Star Alliance airlines. In its first eight hours more than 4,000 passengers passed through the new terminal. United Airlines was the first to move in and was scheduled to operate a total of 34 flight arrivals and departures at Terminal 2 in its first day. UNITED connects Heathrow to six American destinations: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C./Dulles.
"We have experienced a good start to the day in this brand new facility," said Star Alliance CEO Mark Schwab. "We are pleased to see the delighted faces of customers enjoying this new travel experience."
Heathrow, in its determination to retain its role as Europe's primary hub, has invested more than $18 billion over the last decade in Terminal 2 and Terminal 5. Between them they handle 75 percent of American travelers flying into Heathrow. Terminal 2's architect, Luis Vidal, famously called airports, "the cathedrals of the 20th century," as he described the airy sun-drenched interior designed to invite natural light in through a special roof.
Terminal 2 was built on the footprint of the now-demolished 1955 structure, which was leveled after 54 years of service. Designed to host 1.2 million passengers a year, when it closed in 2009 it was handling 8 million passengers a year. Terminal 2 has a capacity for 20 million travelers per year. Terminals 3 and 4 have also been revitalized.
Heathrow facilitates 65,000 flights and 16 million passengers to and from the U.S. every year. To New York alone, those numbers are 13,000 flights and 3 million passengers, about a third of them transferring to other cities.
The other 22 Star Alliance airlines operating to Heathrow will move into Terminal 2 over the next six months. They include Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, and United.
Together they operate over 121 flights per day to 45 destinations in 25 countries. Each of these flights acts as a gateway to the full Alliance network of more than 18,000 daily flights to 1,269 airports in 193 countries. Avianca will commence service between Bogota and London-Heathrow in July.
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