One step closer!

The new T2 – the home of Star Alliance at Heathrow – threw open its doors earlier this month to welcome its first passengers, marking the start of a new travel experience for the 12 million Star Alliance passengers who pass through this leading UK airport every year.

Star Alliance member airline United was the first to move in to the new facility, known as Terminal 2 | the Queen’s Terminal for her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.   Air Canada, Air China and ANA also transferred their operations to T2 on June 18th.   South African Airways operations are scheduled to begin from Terminal 2 on 22nd October 2014.

SAA currently operates double daily direct flights from Heathrow Terminal 1 to Johannesburg, connecting to over 30 destinations within Southern Africa, building an outstanding reputation for punctuality, winning the Flight Stats Award for the Most on Time Airline in the World twice during 2013.

Terminal 2, designed by lead architect Luis Vidal, was jointly developed by Heathrow, Star Alliance and its member carriers, with the aim of establishing a true seamless hub at one of the world’s premier international airports.  A positive tone for the passenger journey is set by the architectural design of the terminal, which uses natural light to create an open and airy atmosphere.

Move dates for the remaining 19 airlines have been carefully planned to ensure that each group of airlines has time to embed its operations before the next set of carriers moves in..  In July, Aegean, EVA Air, THAI, and Turkish Airlines will move in, together with Avianca – which will launch a service between London and Bogota on July 4th.  After a break for the European summer holiday period, moves will resume in September with EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines and Singapore Airlines. Then finally, October sees the arrival of Air New Zealand, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, South African Airways, SWISS and TAP Portugal.   Together they operate over 121 flights per day to 45 destinations in 25 countries. Each of these flights acts as a gateway to the full Alliance network of more than 18,000 daily flights to 1,269 airports in 193 countries.