Heathrow is one of the world's busiest airports and its four terminals handle airlines from dozens of countries. For passengers and drivers alike, knowing which terminal a flight uses is not a minor detail — T4 and T5 are entirely separate buildings, each with their own access roads and pick-up zones. Getting to the wrong one costs time you may not have.
This guide breaks down what you will find at each terminal, which airlines use which, and why the terminal number matters when you book an airport transfer. Whether you are flying out or being collected on arrival, the information below will help you start your journey from the right place.
Opened in 2014, T2 is the newest terminal at Heathrow and handles the majority of Star Alliance member airlines. United Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International, Austrian Airlines and many others use T2. It is located in the Central Terminal Area alongside T3 and shares road-level access with it. The arrivals concourse is modern, well-signposted and designed for a high throughput of international passengers.
T3 handles a mixture of oneworld and SkyTeam carriers as well as some independent airlines. American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic all operate from T3. Like T2, it sits within the CTA and is accessible from the same road approach. Passengers connecting between T2 and T3 can do so on foot through the connecting building.
T4 is to the south-east of the airport, accessed by a separate road or by the Elizabeth line's T4 spur. After closing during the pandemic, it reopened in 2022 and now handles Malaysia Airlines and a smaller number of other carriers. It is a noticeably quieter terminal than T2, T3 or T5. Your driver needs a different road approach to reach T4 — always specify it when booking.
T5 is Heathrow's busiest terminal by passenger numbers and is dedicated almost entirely to British Airways, with Iberia also operating here. It is in the west of the airport, entirely separate from T2 and T3, with its own road approach, underground station (Heathrow Terminal 5) and rail platforms. If you are flying BA, always head for T5 — there is no shortcut from the Central Terminal Area.
When booking a Heathrow transfer with Airportmove, include your flight number and your terminal. Your flight number lets us track your arrival time; your terminal tells your driver exactly where to position. For T5 and T4 journeys especially, having the right terminal in your booking from the start means your driver is in the correct access lane before you land, not repositioning from the wrong side of the airport. See our Heathrow transfer page for more on how we handle pickups, or get a fixed fare now.
Heathrow has four passenger terminals: T2 handles Star Alliance carriers, T3 covers oneworld and SkyTeam airlines, T4 is used mainly by Malaysia Airlines and a smaller number of carriers, and T5 is dedicated to British Airways and Iberia. T2 and T3 share the Central Terminal Area; T4 and T5 are separate buildings accessed by road or rail. Always confirm your terminal before booking a transfer — the wrong terminal means a separate trip across the airport.
This page pulls together everything you need on Heathrow terminal guide in one place — how it works, what to expect and the questions we are asked most — so you can decide and book with confidence. Prefer to talk it through? Call us any time on +44 (0) 158 282 4631 for a fixed-fare quote.
Terminal 2 ("The Queen's Terminal") handles most Star Alliance members: United Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International and others. Terminal 3 covers a mix of oneworld and SkyTeam carriers including American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic. Terminal 4 is primarily used by Malaysia Airlines and a smaller number of carriers. Terminal 5 is almost exclusively British Airways and its oneworld partner Iberia. Airline–terminal allocations can change seasonally — always verify on your boarding pass before you travel.
T2: United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Swiss
T3: American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Virgin Atlantic
T4: Malaysia Airlines and select seasonal carriers
T5: British Airways and Iberia only
Always verify your terminal on your boarding pass or the airline website
Terminals 2 and 3 sit side by side in Heathrow's Central Terminal Area (CTA) and share a road-level arrivals zone. If your transfer driver is collecting you from T2 or T3, there is no rail journey involved — they position in the designated pick-up lane outside the terminal. Terminal 4 is in the south-east of the airport and is reached via the Eastern Perimeter Road or by the Elizabeth line rail link on its own spur. Terminal 5 is to the west, a completely separate building with its own dedicated road access, underground station and dedicated rail platform. By road, the difference between the CTA and T5 is roughly 4 miles — around 10–15 minutes in normal traffic, considerably longer in congestion or during peak periods.
Between T2 and T3 there is a walkway inside the building — no transport needed. For T4 and T5 there are rail connections on the Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express inter-terminal services, though there may be a charge depending on your rail ticket. There is no free road shuttle for passengers. If you are making a tight connection that involves T4 or T5, allow at least 20–30 minutes for the inter-terminal journey and more at busy times. Transfers between T5 and the CTA by car typically take 15–20 minutes in airport road conditions.
Your driver needs to approach the correct terminal road zone. T4 and T5 have separate access roads, pick-up lanes and taxi/minicab waiting areas from T2 and T3. A driver positioned at the Central Terminal Area for a T5 arrival will need to reposition, and in busy airport traffic that delay can be significant. When booking, include your terminal number alongside your flight number — your driver will then position correctly from the outset. If you add meet & greet to your booking, your driver comes inside the specific arrivals hall for your terminal and waits with a name board until you clear customs.
A connecting flight that changes terminal — landing at T3 and departing from T5, for example — is one of the situations where knowing both terminal numbers in advance matters most, since the transfer time between them is a genuine factor in whether a tight connection is realistic. If you are being collected partway through a connection, or dropped to continue a journey by rail after we bring you to one terminal, telling us the full itinerary at booking means the pickup or drop-off point matches exactly where you actually need to be, not just the airport in general.
For anyone unfamiliar with Heathrow's layout, it is worth remembering that T2 and T3 sharing the Central Terminal Area is the exception rather than the rule — T4 and T5 are genuinely separate buildings with their own access roads, and treating all four terminals as interchangeable is the single most common assumption that catches out first-time visitors booking their own transport.
British Airways uses Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Iberia also operates from T5. It is a completely separate building to the west of the airport with its own road access, Tube station and rail platforms — not part of the Central Terminal Area where T2 and T3 are located.
EasyJet does not fly from Heathrow. EasyJet routes from London depart from Gatwick (North Terminal), Luton and Stansted. If you are flying EasyJet, you will need a transfer to one of those three airports, not Heathrow.
Yes. Terminal 4 reopened in 2022 after closing during the pandemic. It now handles Malaysia Airlines and a smaller number of other carriers. Check your boarding pass or airline website for your terminal, especially if your flight is not with a major Star Alliance or British Airways carrier.
Terminal 5 handles the highest passenger numbers as the sole terminal for British Airways, Heathrow's busiest airline. Terminal 2 also sees very high passenger volumes as it serves multiple Star Alliance carriers across dozens of international routes.
By road, Terminal 5 is roughly 4 miles from the Central Terminal Area (T2/T3). By rail on the inter-terminal Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express service, the journey takes around 10–15 minutes including platform time. By car in normal traffic, allow 15–20 minutes.
Yes. Licensed minicab drivers can access the pick-up zones at all four terminals. When you book, specify your terminal number so your driver positions correctly. If you book meet & greet, your driver will be inside the arrivals hall for your specific terminal.
There is no free road shuttle between Heathrow terminals for passengers. The Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express run inter-terminal rail services, though these are ticketed separately. Between T2 and T3, passengers can walk through the connecting terminal building at no cost.
Contact your driver as soon as you realise the error. Drivers can reposition, but at a busy airport this takes extra time. The safest approach is to check your terminal on your boarding pass the evening before travel and confirm it in your booking.
Yes. Each terminal has a dedicated arrivals hall where licensed drivers can meet passengers with a name board. Layouts differ: at T5 arrivals are on the ground floor; at T2 and T3 they are accessed from the main terminal building. At T4, the arrivals area is in the ground-floor hall.
We track your flight by number and adjust your driver's arrival to your real landing time. If your flight is delayed by air traffic control or your airline, your driver adjusts their position timing accordingly — there is no extra charge for flight delays.
This page is written and reviewed by the Airportmove operations team, a London-licensed private-hire operator based at 450 Bath Rd, near Heathrow. We arrange fixed-fare airport, station, cruise-port and door-to-door transfers across London and the UK every day. Need help? Call +44 (0) 158 282 4631 or email booking@airportmove.co.uk.
Last updated: 6 July 2026
