Since we're doomed to spending our lives outside of first class airport lounges, we hungrily roam the internet drooling over the places we'll never see inside. Today we're curious about the British Airways first class lounge at Heathrow's Terminal 5.

It's pretty swish looking, as any brand new first class lounge should be. And then there's the bathroom.

This is a fully-equipped bathroom, as you can see, complete with bidet. We don't usually expect this kind of cleaning service from the Brits. The really scary thing is that there's a little voice in the back of our mind saying, "If they've even got bidets, they must have fantastic WiFi."

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· The First Class Lounge at Turkish Air is Rather Palatial [Jaunted]
· Security Guards in Qatar's First Class Lounge Won't Allow Any Pictures [Jaunted]
· Heathrow Terminal 5 Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: garybembridge] ]]> amandak 2009-02-18T13:35:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/19/1315/61033

Looks like our most hated airport, the chaos they call London Heathrow, may get a third runway. British Airways CEO Willie Walsh has been agitating for this for years, but not everybody's on his side.

The British government has just approved the third runway proposal, but there are still a few obstacles before planes will be landing there. To start, the new runway (plus another terminal for it) would be ready, at the earliest, in 2015, and more likely 2020 or later.

On top of that, it's not even certain that the third runway will be allowed. With an election due before mid-2010, some are speculating that anti-runway campaigners might be able to delay construction long enough for the political leadership to change in the UK. And if the Conservative Party wins, they might scrap the whole idea.

So the third runway at Heathrow sounds like a story that won't go away any time soon. Perhaps it'll become farcical enough that we'll see music videos and online games about it, just like the disastrous opening of Heathrow's Terminal 5. That'd be fun.

Related Stories:
· British Govt OKs 3rd Runway for Heathrow [AP]
· We're So Not Alone In Hating Heathrow [Jaunted]
· US Airways Joining the Heathrow Scrum [Jaunted]

[Photo: Liberal Democrats] ]]> amandak 2009-01-19T09:30:51-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/4/33948/1280

You couldn't accuse us of being big fans of London's Heathrow airport. If the ridiculous drama of the opening of T5 wasn't enough to put us off, delays and lost baggage are another Heathrow specialty.

And guess what: The world agrees. A recent survey found that frequent travelers voted London Heathrow as the worst airport in the entire world. CGD in Paris is the second worst, while Hong Kong's main airport came in first at the right end.

Personally, we've only had horrific experiences at Heathrow, from fainting in passport control lines to nearly missing planes because of overzealous security checks. With the British government slapping on extra fees for us to fly out of London, we're thinking a Heathrow boycott is definitely in order. Sorry, Brits. Nothing personal.

Related Stories:
· Heathrow Named Worst Airport in World [CheapFlights]
· World's (Previously) Worst Airport [Jaunted]
· London Heathrow coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: James Cridland] ]]> amandak 2008-12-04T09:05:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/8/83947/23847

If you get stuck waiting for a plane (or hanging around to see if your baggage will show up) at London Heathrow's new Terminal 5, then things just got a bit more pleasant if you're keen to hop online while you wait.

T-Mobile has launched a WiFi hotspot that covers the entire area of Terminal 5, and they're boasting that it's the biggest in the country, spanning an area equivalent to 50 football pitches.

If you're not already a T-Mobile customer then you can get an hour's access for £5 or 24 hours for £10; but don't forget that if you can get into a British Airways lounge you'll get WiFi for free.

The other dream possibility? Your experience at T5 is so smooth and quick that you don't have time to log on. That really does sound like a dream.

Related Stories:
· T-Mobile Launches T5 Hotspot [Business Traveller]
· BA Can't Find Bags But Does Have Free WiFi [Jaunted]
· Special People Get Their T5 Baggage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Roo Reynolds]]]> amandak 2008-09-08T09:45:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/7/133047/0623

After the horrible first few days that spawned YouTube videos and Flash games, it seems the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow is finally starting to function like your average airport terminal. So what's the play for British Airways? Hype that mediocrity in some new ads!

The campaign involves photos of real passengers using T5 combined with reasonable statistics that explain how "Terminal 5 is working." Among the ho-hum stats featured: "Yesterday at T5 average time through check-in was 8.5 minutes."

The airline is also posting the snaps on its T5 website. We're waiting to see if the carrier posts a photo of passengers crying over lost luggage: BA still mishandles an average of nine bags per jumbo jet flight.

Related Stories:
· BA Launches New Heathrow T5 Campaign [UK Travel Weekly]
· First-Person Airport Review: So Is T5 Really That Bad? [Jaunted]

[Photo: Travel Weekly]]]> pbb 2008-08-07T13:35:05-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/22/144816/009

The opening of T5 at London Heathrow was so outrageously botched, sometimes "shambolic" didn't seem good enough to describe it. But in the months since, have things changed? And, more importantly, can you fly there and hope to see your checked bags ever again?

NewYorkology blogger Amy Langfield transited the terminal three times during a recent European trip, and described one experience in T5 as "flawless." Really?!]]> pbb 2008-07-22T15:00:20-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/2/22235/71774

There are plenty of offensive things one can wear on a plane--a too-short skirt, for example, or a political message for the President. Add Optimus Prime to that list: A British IT consultant was not allowed to board his British Airways flight because of his "Transformers" T-shirt.

Brad Jayakody has a cool enough job that on a business trip to Dusseldorf, he was allowed to dress down for the plane. But after one of his colleagues was searched, he was pulled aside and told his shirt was inappropriate.

So a silk-screened gun is the same as a real gun now? We've just got to be more careful with our T-shirt selection. But the real person in danger? Shia LaBeouf. After all, he's a known associate of Mr. Prime.

Related Stories:
· Heathrow Security Tackles Transformers T-shirt Threat [The Register]
· Willie Says T5's Working Well [Jaunted]
· Shia LaBeouf's Cold-Plane Defense [Jaunted]

[Photos: The Sun, Recycled Teenager]]]> egw 2008-06-03T10:30:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/