Five Star Alliance member carriers - Austrian, Croatia Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS and TAP – have moved from Terminal 2 to the refurbished Terminal 1 at London’s Heathrow Airport. They join Air New Zealand, Asiana, bmi, LOT Polish Airlines, South African Airways, United and US Airways who were already operating from Terminal 1.
As part of this move, a common Star Alliance branded check-in area used by Austrian, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa and TAP has opened. This area features dedicated check-in counters for Business and Economy Class passengers as well as a Premium Check-In zone, reserved for Star Alliance Gold Card holders travelling on any of the five member carriers and for Lufthansa First Class passengers. A number of self-service check-in kiosks as well as a bag-drop area are also available. After check-in, passengers pass through a separate security line, which also features a fast track lane for top-tier customers.
Air New Zealand, Asiana, South African Airways, SWISS, United and US Airways each have dedicated check-in counters in the completely redesigned main hall of Terminal 1, with bmi offering a check-in zone conveniently located to both international and domestic departure gates.
Once airside, First and Business Class passengers as well as Star Alliance Gold Card holders have three different lounges at their disposal. The Star Alliance departure lounge, featuring separate First Class and Business Class sections, food service areas, two business centres with computers, printers, faxes and Wi-Fi Internet access, shower facilities and a special area for children. In addition, bmi offers two lounges, one for U.K. and Ireland departures and the newly opened international lounge – bmi Number One Heathrow - located next to the main international departure gates used by bmi.
The relocation is part of Star Alliance’s ongoing “Move under one Roof” (MuoR) strategy, bringing airlines together to improve the travel experience for customers and create efficiencies for the member airlines.
Star Alliance now is the largest alliance operating out of the core Central Area at Heathrow. The Central Area is the only area at Heathrow that has direct access to the full range of public transport - Heathrow Express and the London Connect Service, Underground trains to Central London as well as local and regional bus services.
Overall 21* Star Alliance member carriers currently serve Heathrow, offering 187 daily flights to 73 destinations in 23 countries. With the move from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1, the 21 member carriers are now nearly evenly split between Terminals 1 and 3.
The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach and a smooth travel experience. Star Alliance received the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award in 2008 and was voted Best Airline Alliance by Business Traveller Magazine in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and by Skytrax in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009. The members are Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, EGYPTAIR, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Regional member carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and Croatia Airlines enhance the global network. Aegean Airlines, Air India, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers 17,000 daily flights to 916 destinations in 160 countries.