On my recent trip to London, I had the chance to experience British Airways and London Heathrow‘s much-discussed Terminal 5. For all the money and hype, I found the terminal to be poorly laid out.

My flight arrived very early in the morning. As a business-class passenger, I was able to use the fast lanes for Customs (a nice feature!), so lines were no bother to me, but it literally was like a one-mile, never-ending walk to get from the gate to the exit. Up escalators, down escalators, on a monorail shuttle, here, there and everywhere. Too far, too confusing, too much!

When I arrived for my flight home, I was pleased to see lots of check-in space and plenty of self-service kiosks. After quickly checking myself in, I dropped my bag and proceeded to security. Despite being in the premium check-in line, I had the longest security wait I’ve had in a while. Once through, I proceeded to the lounge directly after security. Nope, that was not the lounge I was permitted to use. I had to go down a floor and then walk all the way across the terminal and then go up two floors. Down to go up, huh?

So, I proceeded down and across, all the while being impressed with the large selection of high-end shopping available. All major British department stores, like Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, were represented, as well as top designers, bookstores and pharmacies. An impressive selection of eateries also abounds. So, I went down and across to get back up. Up two more escalators, and I was finally at the lounges. Guess what — since I was departing from a B Gate, the lounge attendant recommended I use the lounges past the monorail service and closer to my gate. That was nice of her, but couldn’t any of the other five people I had spoken to explained this system to me?

Back down, back across, and then down more, until I found my way to the monorail shuttle service. A quick ride later, a short walk and more escalators, and I was where I needed to be — settled in the lounge, enjoying a light breakfast and just a few steps from my gate. But, boy, was I tired and turned around! Granted, I didn’t get a chance to explore all Terminal 5 had to offer as I was too busy trying to find my bearings, but my first impression was not what I had been expecting.

– Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive