At 6.40am, on Wednesday September 10th, the first SAS aircraft departed from the new Star Alliance terminal, terminal 2, at London Heathrow. SAS marked the end of an era when they moved out of terminal 3 after a number of decades there, and began a new era as their check-in re-opened early in the morning, at 05:15am, in terminal 2. BusinessClass.co.uk was at the opening ceremony in terminal 2, which was celebrated momentously.
New terminal 2 - Star Alliance’s new home in London
Terminal 2, also known as The Queen's Terminal, is Heathrow's oldest terminal. The name, of course, is in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, who opened the terminal. The old terminal building was designed for 1.2 million passengers but managed to cope with nearly ten times that figure before it was finally closed and demolished to make way for the new terminal building. In March 2014, BusinessClass.co.uk was given a “behind the scenes” tour of terminal 2. After the chaos that ensued when terminal 5 opened, airport management did everything in their power to prevent a similar situation. On June 4th this year, the first flight arrived at the 'new terminal 2’, and on June 23rd, the terminal was formally re-opened, again by The Queen. Thus, the terminal has retained its name. Three months later and the terminal continues to be used without any problems.
The entrance to the new ‘Queen's terminal’ Terminal 2 will handle all Star Alliance airlines serving London Heathrow. The airlines are making the move in phases and the first was United Airlines on June 4th. SAS moved in on September 10th, and by October 22nd, the remainder of the airlines will have moved into their new home. A total of 26 airlines will operate at terminal 2. Using the terminal, In addition to the Star Alliance airlines, are Germanwings and Aer Lingus, as well as Virgin Atlantic for domestic flights within the UK. The reason for this is that terminal 2 is one of the only terminals, along with Terminal 5, which has facilities for flights within Ireland and the UK.
A few figures
Terminal 2 has a capacity of 30 million passengers, with up to 80,000 passengers per day. It is expected, by late 2014, to have 177 daily flights to 51 destinations, conducted by 26 airlines and with 20 million passengers. The terminal has cost 2.5 billion pounds to build and has involved some 35,000 people. 24,000 people will have terminal 2 as their place of work. SAS is a fairly large airline at London Heathrow, with 39 daily flights to five destinations - Stockholm, Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Oslo and Stavanger. In total, 272 weekly flights. Terminal 2 has an area of 210,000 square meters, as big as 25 football pitches, and has two terminal buildings that have been named T2A (the main terminal) and T2B (the satellite terminal). T2A has 5 floors, 12 gates (two of which can handle the Airbus A380), 10 parking spaces, and can handle both international flights and flights within the UK and Ireland. T2A will be used primarily for flights within Europe.
The transit hall T2B, the satellite terminal building, is connected to T2A via a long tunnel. T2B has 14 gates and 14 parking spaces. T2B can only be used for international flights. SAS expects that 60 percent of their flights will go from T2A and 40 percent from T2B.
Large selection of lounges for Star Alliance passengers
In total there are six lounges in Terminal 2, including four Star Alliance lounges. In T2A you find Lufthansa’s lounge, which is a general Star Alliance lounge that SAS will use. In T2B there are three Star Alliance lounges - United Airlines, Air Canada and Singapore Airlines. There is also an Aer Lingus lounge, Gold Circle Lounge, and a third-party lounge operated by Plaza Premium, where you can pay for access. There is also an arrivals lounge in terminal 2. The Lufthansa lounge, which SAS will use, will be open from October 1st, the same time Lufthansa move to Terminal 2. Until this date, SAS passengers are referred to the Plaza Premium Lounge (T2A) or United's Lounge (T2B), depending on which of these two is closest to your departure gate.
Waves at check-in, shops and restaurants after security control
Terminal 2 is very similar to Terminal 5 in terms of its layout, design and construction. This can be observed in the transit hall, which consists of two floors - a main floor, and a balcony running around the transit hall where you go for check-in and security control. The check-in consists of three ‘waves’, which speed up check-in and make the process clearer. Wave 1 includes automated check-in kiosks for self-service, with a total of 66 machines. Wave 2 includes counters to leave your luggage if you have checked in via a self-service kiosk, with a total of 60 desks. Finally, Wave 3 has traditional check-in counters for premium passengers, which means passengers in business class, first class and with gold cards. In SAS’s case, this also means SAS Plus passengers.
The departure hall The check-in area is divided into four zones, A-D. SAS is based in Zone D, the largest zone. SAS’s premium check-in counters are located at C11 and C12, at the end of Zone C. Baggage drop counters are found at D1-D4. SAS’s ticket office is also located in Zone D.
SAS premium check-in The security check has a total of 21 controls, 17 normal controls and 4 ‘Fast Track’, for premium passengers. Fast track is available for passengers travelling in SAS Plus or members of EuroBonus on Gold, Diamond or Pandion Level. After the security check, you come to the transit hall. The transit hall has 52 shops, 17 bars and 7 restaurants. This includes a John Lewis, the world's first John Lewis department store in an airport, and The Perfectionists' Cafe, run by the Michelin-starred chef, Heston Blumenthal.
Inauguration
of terminal 2
At 6:20am, SAS’s General Manager in the UK, Hans W Dyhrfort, ceremoniously cut the ribbon to declare the terminal open and ready for the first ever SAS departure from the terminal. It would be flight SK 500 towards Copenhagen, and fittingly, one of SAS's retro decorated Airbus A319 aircraft would be flying. Shortly thereafter, the departure of the first flight to Stockholm took place, where to honour the day, one of the flight attendants dressed in an old SAS uniform from the 50s.
Ribbon Cutting before departure to Copenhagen He talked about how SAS started in terminal 2, The Queen’s terminal, in 1955, and how it now feels great to be back again, more than 50 years later. They have come full circle.
The crew of the first SAS flight to Stockholm The inauguration was celebrated throughout the day, in conjunction with all 21 departures, until 9pm. There was also the opportunity to take pictures at an SAS booth and win SAS prices in a social media contest, first prize being a holiday. All departing passengers also received a small folder with a certificate indicating that they flew with SAS, from Heathrow, on this special day.
The Future of Heathrow
Heathrow now has five terminals in use and there are plans in place with regard to how Heathrow will function in the future, with a clearer division of airlines and alliances. Terminal 1 will be demolished and rebuilt, just as terminal 2 was, and this is expected to happen in 2016. The idea is that terminal 1 will be a complement and an extension of terminal 2. Terminal 2 will be Star Alliance’s home at Heathrow, home to 26 airlines and any future Star Alliance members. Terminal 3 will be used by various airlines, primarily airlines with no connection to any of the three major alliances. Terminal 4 will be Skyteam’s terminal at Heathrow. Terminal 5 will be, as it is today, used for BA and other airlines in One World.
SAS baggage drop
1955, when SAS was here for the first time
The day’s second SAS departure, with priority boarding
The crew on the first flight to Stockholm
SAS’s first flights to Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm
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