Queen opens Heathrow Terminal 5

The Queen is set to open the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport later today (March 14th).

Costing £4.3 billion to build, the facility is the new home of British Airways and is claimed to be the biggest freestanding building in the country.

Building work on the terminal began in September 2002 and the complex is now expected to handle some 30 million passengers a year.

Among its features are almost 100 self-service check-in kiosks, 54 check-in desks, 20 security lanes, 800 toilets and 112 shops.

British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh said the new terminal will allow passengers to enjoy improved levels of service as a result of the extra space and facilities.

"The customer experience at Terminal 5 will rival, if not exceed, that at any airport in the world," he commented.

Another expert has made a similar claim. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Wake Up To Money programme, John Strickland of JLS Consulting said that passengers using Terminal 5 are likely to have a better experience than in other parts of the airport.

He explained that the fact British Airways will be able to operate out of one place instead of from multiple terminals will allow the airline to more easily address issues such as baggage problems.

• Exeter Airport toasts record-breaking month
• Air France tests mobile boarding passes
• Bmi doubles flights from London to Moscow
• British Airways business class check-in open at Terminal 5
• Gustav not as severe as first feared
• New Zealand celebrates 'top country' award
• Luton Airport invests in multilingual technology
• Airlines take action as Gustav approaches
• Terminal 5 hosts impromptu basketball match
• Airline collapse leaves 60,000 looking for transatlantic flights