T5--Worth The Hype

Six years after construction started and 15 years since plans were first unveiled, Terminal 5A and 5B at Heathrow are ready to open next month. Just returned from a visit and am really impressed. The soaring architecture by famed Brit Richard Rogers is stunning. Now all they have to do is follow through with their promises--shepherd passengers from the door through security in 10 minutes while never having more than one other passenger in line in front of you. They say it will take 15 minutes for your luggage to get to the aircraft in a state of the art luggage tracking system where bags travel at 30 miles per hour and are tracked by 150 computers along the way. The executive lounges are like boutique style hotel lobbies with bars that should become private club destinations in themselves.
T5 (B), which will accommodate the new A 380's--opens in 2010.
The first test comes March 27th, when T5 A&B open for business and it is sure to be under lots of scrutiny.