What’s moving?

Once the summer timetable starts in April, the following BA services will depart from T3:

Accra, Austin, Bahrain, Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Las Vegas, Nairobi, Nassau, Providenciales, San Diego, Sao Paulo, and Vancouver.

Terminal 3 airline lounges for BA customers 

Naturally, you can visit BA’s lounges if you’re paying for business class (even on upgraded British Airways reward flights) or are a Gold or Silver BA Club member, but there are other options. 

Because BA is in the Oneworld alliance you can also use its partners’ lounges. In Terminal 3 that means those of American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, or Qantas. If you’re at Heathrow long enough, you could even swap between lounges to find your favourite.

If you’re flying first class or have a Gold card (or equivalent Oneworld Emerald card), you can use these first-class lounges:

British Airways Galleries First Lounge 

Not as swanky as the Concorde Lounge in Terminal 5 but highlights include a-la-carte dining, large windows with airfield views, a kids’ zone, and showers with Elemis toiletries. 

Cathay Pacific First Class lounge 

Highlights include an a-la-carte dining room and a pantry area, self-service champagne, hotel-style marble showers, tasteful Asian decor, and floor-to-ceiling windows with runway views. 

American Airlines International First Class Lounge 

Currently under refurbishment.

If you’re flying business or first or have a Silver card (or equivalent Oneworld Sapphire card) or higher, you can access these business class lounges:

British Airways Galleries Club Lounge 

Featuring large windows with airfield views, a self-service bar and coffee station, plentiful plug sockets, showers, and most of the same food offered in the BA first-class lounge. 

Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge 

Highlights include a popular noodle bar and a regular buffet, showers, and homey décor using natural materials.  

Qantas International London Lounge 

Enjoy a gin bar, cocktail bar, barista service, a-la-carte dining room (besides a buffet), hotel-style showers, a pop-up kids’ zone, and access on request to private pods and a VIP room.

American Airlines Admirals Club lounge 

Currently closed for refurbishment.

Of the above choices, the Cathay Pacific and Qantas lounges are generally considered the best. 

T3 Airport lounges

Airport lounges can be a little less luxurious than airline lounges but do still give you comfy chairs, Wi-Fi, drinks, and snacks.

They’re open to all who pay for access and might be particularly tempting if you’ve saved cash by booking Avios flights in economy. T3 options are:

No.1 Lounge 

Pay £36 or book with a pass (see below). It features a buffet, bar, TV lounge, and showers (currently closed). 

Club Aspire Lounge 

Pay from £34.99 or book with a pass for perks including rest pods, a hot buffet, and complimentary alcohol. 

The American Express Centurion Lounge 

If you have an Amex Platinum Card or Amex Centurion card, you can access this lounge, where plus points include cocktails and plentiful USB sockets. 

Other T3 facilities

T3's shops and restaurants should have you covered for trips focused on snapping up forgotten essentials, starting a holiday as you mean to go on, or both. 

Eateries:

High street eateries include Pret, Costa, Café Nero Wagamama, and Yo Sushi. Spuntino meanwhile offers comfort food like burgers and indulgent breakfasts and The Creator and Oceanic are bars with food.

For something a bit more special try Caviar House or EL&N London, which promises ‘fashion-led’ food.

Many T3 restaurants offer speedy ‘15 minute menus’ and take-on-board picnics. 

Shops:

Besides duty-free, last-minute holiday or gift shopping is available in the likes of Boots, WHSmith, Glorious Britain, Sunglasses Hut, and high street clothes and baggage stores.

There are also plenty of designer brands. Choose from Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Hermes, Paul Smith, Jo Malone, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, and Kurt Geiger. Haircuts are available at Bradley Smith Hair Express Bar.

Handily, you can pre-order online for both restaurants and shops, saving you time and disappointment at the airport. There’s even a personal shopper service. 

Sleeping over:

Aerotel is directly connected to T3 arrivals, meaning no shuttle bus or taxi ride. 

A reminder of how to qualify for lounge access

Fancy a bit of T3 luxury? You’ll get lounge access if…

• You pay to fly business or first class:

Whether you pay cash or have earned enough points for Avios flights, travelling business class entitles you to business class lounge access, while first class gets you into first or business lounges. If you’re flying BA, this also applies to its Oneworld partners.

• You use an upgrade voucher

If you have a Barclaycard Avios Mastercard and spend enough on it over the year, you can earn an Upgrade Voucher for your British Airways reward flights. Once you’re flying business you’ll automatically have lounge access. 

• You have a BA Club tier status of Silver or Gold:

So long as you’re flying with BA or a Oneworld airline on the same day (even in economy) you can use their lounges with a BA Club Silver or Gold tier card. You progress up the Club by accumulating Tier Points.

Unlike Avios, these can only be earned by flying with BA, its subsidiaries, or Oneworld partners. Though note, if you book with Avios, your flights won’t qualify for Tier Points. 

BA has lowered the points needed for each tier by 25% until 31 December 2022 so it’s a good time to check if you can make Silver and get lounge access. Curious about how British Airways Tier Points work? You can find a full breakdown on our dedicated page here.

• You’re a guest of someone with access:

Either your companion is travelling business class and you’re in any class on the same flight, or they have a BA Silver or Gold card.

• You pay for airport lounge access or have a lounge pass 

T3’s Club Aspire and No.1 airport lounges can be paid for or you can subscribe to passes such as Priority Pass, LoungeKey, or Dragonpass to use them for free or at a discount. You can earn such passes as a perk with certain credit cards from Amex, Barclaycard, HSBC, Santander, and more.

• You have an Amex Platinum Card or Amex Centurion card:

These can get you access to the American Express Centurion Lounge.

What’s moving?

Once the summer timetable starts in April, the following BA services will depart from T3:

Accra, Austin, Bahrain, Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Las Vegas, Nairobi, Nassau, Providenciales, San Diego, Sao Paulo, and Vancouver.

Terminal 3 airline lounges for BA customers 

Naturally, you can visit BA’s lounges if you’re paying for business class (even on upgraded British Airways reward flights) or are a Gold or Silver BA Club member, but there are other options. 

Because BA is in the Oneworld alliance you can also use its partners’ lounges. In Terminal 3 that means those of American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, or Qantas. If you’re at Heathrow long enough, you could even swap between lounges to find your favourite.

If you’re flying first class or have a Gold card (or equivalent Oneworld Emerald card), you can use these first-class lounges:

British Airways Galleries First Lounge 

Not as swanky as the Concorde Lounge in Terminal 5 but highlights include a-la-carte dining, large windows with airfield views, a kids’ zone, and showers with Elemis toiletries. 

Cathay Pacific First Class lounge 

Highlights include an a-la-carte dining room and a pantry area, self-service champagne, hotel-style marble showers, tasteful Asian decor, and floor-to-ceiling windows with runway views. 

American Airlines International First Class Lounge 

Currently under refurbishment.

If you’re flying business or first or have a Silver card (or equivalent Oneworld Sapphire card) or higher, you can access these business class lounges:

British Airways Galleries Club Lounge 

Featuring large windows with airfield views, a self-service bar and coffee station, plentiful plug sockets, showers, and most of the same food offered in the BA first-class lounge. 

Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge 

Highlights include a popular noodle bar and a regular buffet, showers, and homey décor using natural materials.  

Qantas International London Lounge 

Enjoy a gin bar, cocktail bar, barista service, a-la-carte dining room (besides a buffet), hotel-style showers, a pop-up kids’ zone, and access on request to private pods and a VIP room.

American Airlines Admirals Club lounge 

Currently closed for refurbishment.

Of the above choices, the Cathay Pacific and Qantas lounges are generally considered the best. 

T3 Airport lounges

Airport lounges can be a little less luxurious than airline lounges but do still give you comfy chairs, Wi-Fi, drinks, and snacks.

They’re open to all who pay for access and might be particularly tempting if you’ve saved cash by booking Avios flights in economy. T3 options are:

No.1 Lounge 

Pay £36 or book with a pass (see below). It features a buffet, bar, TV lounge, and showers (currently closed). 

Club Aspire Lounge 

Pay from £34.99 or book with a pass for perks including rest pods, a hot buffet, and complimentary alcohol. 

The American Express Centurion Lounge 

If you have an Amex Platinum Card or Amex Centurion card, you can access this lounge, where plus points include cocktails and plentiful USB sockets. 

Other T3 facilities

T3's shops and restaurants should have you covered for trips focused on snapping up forgotten essentials, starting a holiday as you mean to go on, or both. 

Eateries:

High street eateries include Pret, Costa, Café Nero Wagamama, and Yo Sushi. Spuntino meanwhile offers comfort food like burgers and indulgent breakfasts and The Creator and Oceanic are bars with food.

For something a bit more special try Caviar House or EL&N London, which promises ‘fashion-led’ food.

Many T3 restaurants offer speedy ‘15 minute menus’ and take-on-board picnics. 

Shops:

Besides duty-free, last-minute holiday or gift shopping is available in the likes of Boots, WHSmith, Glorious Britain, Sunglasses Hut, and high street clothes and baggage stores.

There are also plenty of designer brands. Choose from Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Hermes, Paul Smith, Jo Malone, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, and Kurt Geiger. Haircuts are available at Bradley Smith Hair Express Bar.

Handily, you can pre-order online for both restaurants and shops, saving you time and disappointment at the airport. There’s even a personal shopper service. 

Sleeping over:

Aerotel is directly connected to T3 arrivals, meaning no shuttle bus or taxi ride. 

A reminder of how to qualify for lounge access

Fancy a bit of T3 luxury? You’ll get lounge access if…

• You pay to fly business or first class:

Whether you pay cash or have earned enough points for Avios flights, travelling business class entitles you to business class lounge access, while first class gets you into first or business lounges. If you’re flying BA, this also applies to its Oneworld partners.

• You use an upgrade voucher

If you have a Barclaycard Avios Mastercard and spend enough on it over the year, you can earn an Upgrade Voucher for your British Airways reward flights. Once you’re flying business you’ll automatically have lounge access. 

• You have a BA Club tier status of Silver or Gold:

So long as you’re flying with BA or a Oneworld airline on the same day (even in economy) you can use their lounges with a BA Club Silver or Gold tier card. You progress up the Club by accumulating Tier Points.

Unlike Avios, these can only be earned by flying with BA, its subsidiaries, or Oneworld partners. Though note, if you book with Avios, your flights won’t qualify for Tier Points. 

BA has lowered the points needed for each tier by 25% until 31 December 2022 so it’s a good time to check if you can make Silver and get lounge access. Curious about how British Airways Tier Points work? You can find a full breakdown on our dedicated page here.

• You’re a guest of someone with access:

Either your companion is travelling business class and you’re in any class on the same flight, or they have a BA Silver or Gold card.

• You pay for airport lounge access or have a lounge pass 

T3’s Club Aspire and No.1 airport lounges can be paid for or you can subscribe to passes such as Priority Pass, LoungeKey, or Dragonpass to use them for free or at a discount. You can earn such passes as a perk with certain credit cards from Amex, Barclaycard, HSBC, Santander, and more.

• You have an Amex Platinum Card or Amex Centurion card:

These can get you access to the American Express Centurion Lounge.