The T5-centric airline still has a decent number of routes that start at T3
Flying to or from Heathrow with British Airways usually means you’ll start or end in Terminal 5. That is effectively the dedicated BA terminal; in fact, no other airline uses it. Despite its size, T5 isn’t big enough for the national carrier, so some flights depart from Terminal 3. In fact, 25 destinations currently depart from T3 alone.
What does it mean to fly from T3?
We’ve only flown in and out of Heathrow from this terminal once, and it caught us unawares. We were so used to flying from T5 that we didn’t immediately spot that our Bahrain flight would not be departing from it.
If you’re flying in economy, then the experience won’t be significantly different. If you’re flying in Business or First, or you have status with BA, then you will have a different set of lounges to contend with. There is no Concorde Room in T3, although there is a Concorde Dining Room.
It’s not necessarily a poorer experience if you’re flying in a premium cabin. Whilst there are fewer BA lounges, and those lounges are less premium, there are a group of oneworld lounges that you can access. Some of those are exceptional.
There is, right now, no First Wing in T3. One advantage to flying from T5 if you have status (Gold or higher, oneworld Emerald or higher) or you’re flying in First, is you get a more relaxed check-in, and a nearly-always-empty security area. BA’s First Wing was already great, but the airline updated it in late 2025.
The good news is that T3 will get it’s own First Class check-in area, very soon. BA has said it will open “this Winter”, which means before the end of February 2027. I wrote an article earlier this month on the new First check-in at T3.
What lounges can BA passengers use at T3?
Heathrow Terminal 3 is home to a number of oneworld airlines. A number of those have dedicated lounges: American Airlines, Qantas and Cathay Pacific. All three of those lounges are full-service. They are large, premium spaces that equal, or better, BA lounges.
When we flew from T3 we hopped between all the lounges, including the BA space
- Review of the American Airlines lounge at T3
- Review of the Qantas lounge at T3
- Review of the Cathay Pacific First lounge at T3
Cathay actually operate two spaces. Their First is the premium space, with it’s own dining room, but it’s a smaller lounge and it can get quite busy. We did head into the Business Class lounge, which was larger and much quieter. Despite it being the less-premium of the two lounges, it was a really nice space.
American also operate two lounges. We used the First lounge, which also has sit-down dining. There is a second Business lounge, which was the only oneworld lounge at T3 we missed out on.
In my opinion, the lounges at T3 are better than the BA lounges at T5. BA has some solid spaces in T5, but they are ageing (although they are soon to be upgraded) and are extremely busy throughout the day. In contrast, the AA lounge was quiet when we went in. The Qantas lounge was an oasis of calm, with no more than a handful of passengers in there. The Cathay First was busy, but it’s so small that removing ten people would make it
What about flying IN to T3?
If you’re landing in T3 and you have status, or are in Business or First then you’re in for a treat. Instead of using the somewhat aged (but still loved, at least by me) BA Arrival Lounge, you get to use the AA Arrivals Lounge. We’ve been in here many times and it’s incredibly quiet, has good food, plenty of showers and is a good way to ease yourself into the day after an overnight flight.
The BA arrivals space at T5 is going to be upgraded at some point over the next few years. It’s not a bad space, but it can get busy, and it was looking a little tatty.
How can you tell if you’re flying from T3?
It’s not always clear when you’re booking a flight with BA which terminal you fly from. Certainly, on Google Flights, that information is hidden. Book direct with BA, and the terminal you fly from and back into is there, but it’s only visible at the end of the booking process, and you have to click on the “Flights” drop-down on the right-hand side to see it.
The terminal you fly from will be shown on your e-ticket email once you have paid for the flight, under the Your Itinerary section.
Which BA flights depart from T3
The list below is accurate at the time of writing. BA may change which flights depart from T3, although these changes do not happen frequently.
At the time of writing, no destination has flights from both T3 and T5. All UK flights to Heathrow land at T5, making connections easier.
T3 is used for eight long-haul flights, with the vast majority heading to North America (and the majority of those heading to the US).
BA short-hauls from T3
- Budapest
- Bucharest
- Gibraltar
- Gothenburg
- Hannover
- Krakow
- Luxembourg
- Lyon
- Marseille
- Oslo
- Prague
- Sofia
- Thessaloniki
- Tirana
- Toulouse
- Valencia
- Vienna
BA long-hauls from T3
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Grand Cayman
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Sao Paulo
- Vancouver
Concluding: Is it bad if you have to fly from T3?
In my opinion, there are only two reasons why you should be unhappy about flying from T3 to T5.
- Firstly, if you are connecting to a flight, that means you land at T3 or T5 and have to make your way to the other terminal. This is a slight annoyance; it’s easy to connect between the terminals if you have enough time.
- If you are flying in First and want to experience the best lounge that BA has in its network (the Concorde Room). The First lounge (and Concorde Dining room) in T3 is fine, but the Concorde Room is a bucket-list lounge.
The reality is that for passengers flying business, the lounge experience at T3 will be better. What you do find is that passengers don’t realise that their BA Business Class ticket gets them into most of the oneworld lounges. The airline certainly doesn’t make this obvious.
This may change, to a degree, when BA finishes its lounge upgrade process. That is going to take many years, and it’s uncertain whether the new BA lounges at T5C, or the upgraded Concorde Room, will be better than the Qantas lounge or the Cathay Pacific First lounge.
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