What’s the difference between the new T5 terminals at London’s Heathrow airport and New York’s JFK airport? The Wall Street Journal is glad you asked. Although the new terminals are significant improvements, there are some drawbacks.
At Heathrow’s Terminal 5, there were myriad problems including employees being late because of parking problems and slow security clearance and software glitches which operated the baggage system. The baggage problem forced British Airways to send passengers to other flights with only carry-on luggage.
After most of the glitches were fixed, T5 now looks much better. The building has “huge windows looking out on one of the busiest airports in the world and its expansive lobby of 96 kiosks that would seem to make check-in lines obsolete.”
The building is quiet and sleek in shades of white and gray and designers hope that it will make the passengers feel more relaxed.
Inside the first class lounge, one of six for premium-level fliers, there’s an open-air bar and the meeting room has leather chairs made from the seats of the first Concorde.
However, there are still drawbacks, such as confusing signs and not enough of them. Travelers have to move up and down several levels to get to the gate.
Indeed, if you arrive at the terminal by train or bus, you have to move up several levels for check-in and security, then down to departures and shopping, down lower still for a shuttle train out to remote gates, then up several escalators to a lobby and down again to an actual gate.
Despite these drawbacks, British Airways’ on-time departure has improved significantly because of the new building. Part of the reason is there is a crew room where pilots and flight attendants can get their briefing. Previously, they had to go to another building and would often get stuck in traffic trying to get to the airplanes.
Halfway around the world, T5 at JFK “starts with a huge long check-in area sprinkled with check-in kiosks to spread out lines of people. It stocks the center of the building with lots of shopping and dining opportunities. It’s smaller than its London cousin…[but] lacks the complexity and the elegance of Heathrow’s T5.”
Once you make it past security, which has lots of lanes and lots of seating to tie up your shoes, there’s a 40-foot wide circle of monitors showing New York street scenes and lots of food shops.
At the gate seating area, there are touch screen terminals where you can order food that will be delivered to you in the waiting area. You do need to know what the monitors are for though since they are not well-marked.
The seating at the gate area is rigid with material designed to take a beating. There are plenty of workstations with power plugs (unlike Heathrow’s T5) and free Wi-Fi access. It’s a relatively quick walk between the curb and the gate.
People who pass through T5 at JFK have no complaints. Brian Thomas of Boston probably echoes the sentiments of most travelers: “With airports, you just want to get in and get the heck out and get back home.”
