Exclusive: New images of the British Airways ‘First Wing’ in T5

The new First Wing at Heathrow Terminal 5 is due to open in the next couple of months.

This should radically improve the journey through the terminal for British Airways Gold card holders and First Class passengers.

Situated behind the current First Class check in area, it offers an integrated check in and security screening area which feeds you DIRECTLY into the Galleries First lounges.

Here are a few new CGI images of how it will look.  You start off here (click to enlarge):

…. which looks similar to the new Gatwick premium check-in entrance.  You move on to the check-in desks:

…. with the boarding pass scanner at the back.

Immediately beyond that is security screening.

You then turn left and walk down a corridor which brings you here:

…. where you emerge by one of the bars in the Galleries First lounge (the area to your right if you enter via the current entrance).

If you have a First Class ticket, you may want to head to The Concorde Room instead.  In which case, you need to walk through Galleries First, turn left and leave by the main entrance:

….. and enter The Concorde Room that way.

It isn’t clear if the current door at South Security which takes you directly into The Concorde Room will remain or not.  It also, to be honest, isn’t clear if this is going to save much time for anyone flying from 5B or 5C, which is most long haul departures.  You would need to leave Galleries First, head down the escalator and make a long walk over to the transit train. The big winners may be Golds flying short haul.

All in all, it looks impressive and represents a genuine investment by British Airways in improving the terminal experience for premium passengers.  I look forward to giving it a try although I doubt it will be open by the time I fly to Asia in early April.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)