New Star Alliance lounge at Heathrow Terminal 1

Star Alliance customers departing from Terminal 1 at London Heathrow Airport can now use the Alliance’s largest lounge. This space is available to all first and business class passengers, guest passengers and also bearers of Star Alliance Gold cards traveling with any member-company from Terminal 1 at that airport.

“The opening of a Star Alliance lounge at one of the largest airport hubs such as Heathrow is an enormous added benefit for our member companies and customers”, said Lee Hock Lye, VP of Star Alliance Products & Services.

"Instead of having separate lounges and duplicating construction and operating costs, Star Alliance lounges enable airline companies to save money, offering their customers a high quality experience in a comfortable, spacious setting, with the offer of more facilities than any one company could provide individually.”

Totalling 1650 square meters the Star Alliance lounge is located in the international departure zone alongside the connecting desks at Pier 3. This space offers more than 300 seats in separate sectors for first and business classes, a restaurant area and two working areas where a range on equipment is provided: computers, printers, faxes and Wi-Fi Internet access, showers and a special area for children.

Besides the opening of this Departure lounge, first and business class passengers travelling with bmi, South African and United arriving at Heathrow Airport may also use the new arrivals lounge (via invitation only) built in the Star Alliance design and inaugurated in April.

Star Alliance member-company transfer to Terminal 1 is part of a major renovation and reconstruction project taking place at Heathrow Airport. United Airlines and Air New Zealand are to make the move on July 4 and Asiana, bmi, LOT, South African and US Airways are already located at Terminal 1.

Work at Terminal 1 got underway in April with the demolition of the check-in desk area and the creation of a check-in area with a new design enabling Air New Zealand and United to transfer from Terminal 3.

The second phase of this process of modifications to a single common space for all alliance companies is scheduled for the end of this year and will coincide with the completion of Terminal 2. The transfer of TAP, Austrian, Lufthansa, SWISS and the regional airline company Croatia Airlines is set for the end of 2008 or early 2009. All other member companies serving Heathrow will continue operating from Terminal 3 until 2012.

The move of alliance companies to a single common space is designated “Move under one Roof” and is a program being run at more than a dozen airports around the globe. Currently 18 Star Alliance member companies plus two regional airlines fly to Heathrow. With the entry of Egyptair this month, Star Alliance will now comprise a total of 19 member companies.