London Heathrow is the UK's most famous airport. Below is a brief description of what the continent's largest airport offers to its travelers.
Heathrow is located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, about 30 miles away from Central London. The airport is the country's largest and busiest airport. About 70 million passengers use the airport every year. It serves almost every international destination and all airlines visiting the country. The airport is also very advanced with contemporary features and well refurbished terminals. The airport is home to 5 passenger terminals, one cargo terminal and 2 runways. The airport was opened in the year 1929 and served as a military base during the world wars. It was initially called the London airport and later named Heathrow. The airport is owned by Heathrow Airport Holdings.
All five terminals are passenger friendly and serve travelers with great hospitality. Each terminal has essentials such as information counters, currency exchange kiosks, shopping areas, restaurants, pay phones, wireless internet, luggage facilities and taxi racks. Terminal 5 is the newest and the country's largest free standing terminal. The terminal was opened in the year 2008. Terminals 3 and 4 were renewed in 2009 and terminal 2 is currently under renovation. The project is expected to be completed by 2014. The airport management is also planning a third runaway for the airport to handle its heavy passenger traffic. To navigate between the terminals, free trains and buses are available.
To travel between the airport and the city, passengers can either hire a private taxi or use public transport. Taxis are available right outside each terminal. London buses, trains and the tube can be accessed at a short walking distance from the airport. Apart from this, coach services such as the National Express Coach, The Heathrow Express and The Heathrow Connect run frequently between the airport and the city. The trouble with public transport is that they are less frequent or absent during the late hours of the day. In such cases passengers prefer using private licensed taxis. While passengers can use the airport's lounges for a short transit time, for long hauls they can avail first class hotels near the airport. The Hilton hotel is the closest to the airport and offers direct access to Terminal 4. Other hotels near the airport are Thistle London, Sheraton, The Sofitel, The Arora Hotel, Holiday Inn, Park Inn and Raddison Blu.
