Heathrow Airport Visited Guide 2021: Everything you need to know

Published by: BouncePosted
Terminal Five, Heathrow Airport, London, UK

Heathrow Airport opened for business way back in the mid-1960s and after a relatively slow start, it has now become one of the busiest international airports in the world. The ginormous installation that comprises the airport facility covers more than twelve square kilometers of land near the village of Longford to the west of London.

During the decades, Heathrow has undergone continuous expansions that have seen its terminal buildings increase from three to five. The number of runways at the airport hasn't increased but diminished from six to two to comply with length regulations for modern aircraft. Those two four-thousand-meter-long strips of asphalt are used by almost half a million planes every year carrying on average eighty million passengers.

If you want to do some touring of the capital before your flight, fast train connections from Heathrow to London take only forty minutes so stash your bags with a luggage storage service near Heathrow and head to the Big Smoke to take in the sights.

Bag policy at Heathrow Airport

The terminals at Heathrow Airport are high-security areas and ones that are under constant vigilance by teams of highly trained staff. It's not allowed to leave any baggage whatsoever unattended or it could launch a major, full-scale security alert. If staying with your suitcase becomes an inconvenience then look for a luggage locker. 

No liquids in containers larger than 50ml are allowed in any hand baggage you're taking through the security check-ins and those must be separated and placed in a sealed bag until you're in the departure lounge.

Food policy at Heathrow Airport

You'll discover there's as much, if not more, choice of food at Heathrow Airport than there is on most city high streets. Even if you follow a special diet, you'll find it catered for in the restaurants at Heathrow. There are eateries of all kinds including fast food, seafood and outlets of the big-name chefs like Ramsey and Heston for something extra special plus there's plenty of decent sandwich shops too.

Don't forget though, that if you purchase a take-away drink of any type and don't finish it, you won't be able to take it through the security check-ins with you.

Camera policy at Heathrow Airport

There are no regulations saying that you can't take photographs inside Heathrow Airport, but you need to be sensible about what you point your camera lens at. If you begin to take shots of areas like the check-in desks, airport personnel, or members of the public who are not with you, you may find that you'll very swiftly be accompanied out of the terminal by security staff. There's no snapping shots of aircraft from inside either unless you're traveling from terminal four, where there's a viewing point in the departure lounge.

Rules at Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Airport has similar basic rules to most airports around the globe which they will require you to adhere to if you're traveling to or from there. Smoking is not permitted inside the terminals, the same as with all public buildings in the UK, but there are a few designated places, so look for one of those before lighting up. You must keep your bags with you at all times. If you can't stay with them for whatever reason or don't want to then they have to be stored in a proper luggage storage facility.

Lockers at Heathrow Airport

There are left luggage services at a couple of the terminals at Heathrow Airport. They may not necessarily be in the one you're flying from though, and getting between the different buildings can be a hassle and very time-consuming as well as incur extra cost for transportation. Going out to the airport to leave bags when you could be exploring instead can also waste a lot of your day.

No matter which part of London you've been staying in, you'll find a Bounce suitcase storage close by as the forty locker locations are distributed throughout the city. Drop your luggage at the nearest one for a small per-bag daily fee, then do whatever you feel inclined to do completely baggage free.

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