British Airways is giving Heathrow's Terminal 5 its biggest premium refresh in years. The airline has revealed plans for a new lounge at the T5 C gates, opening by the end of 2028, as the flagship of a project to redo every one of its Heathrow lounges.
The standout feature is a lounge bar running 17 metres — the airline claims it will be one of the longest airport lounge bars anywhere. The space itself is designed to feel light and open, with separate zones for dining, working and unwinding, plus pre-flight showers. Materials are being sourced in Britain, with work from British craftspeople, and the design is based on a concept BA first showed off in Miami.
First class passengers get their own layer of exclusivity. A dedicated Concorde lounge within the new T5 space will offer a private concierge service, upgraded dining and a darker, richer look aimed at people settling in before a long-haul flight. It follows the model of the existing Concorde Room in Terminal 5, which is reserved strictly for first class ticket holders and Concorde Room card holders — closer to a private members' club than a typical airport lounge.
The investment doesn't stop at departures. BA is also building a new first class check-in experience at Terminal 3, developed with American Airlines (whose first class passengers get access too), and its first arrivals space under the new lounge concept. That arrivals refurbishment runs from early 2027 to the end of the year, and it's a serious facility: 59 shower rooms, a coffee bar and deli, dining areas, relaxation space and work booths — all aimed at easing the transition from a long-haul flight into work or holiday mode. First class passengers get private cabanas and what the airline calls an elegant dining area, in traditional BA colours.
For travellers, the practical upshot is clear: if you're flying BA long-haul from Heathrow in 2027 or 2028, the ground experience should improve noticeably, whether you're arriving jet-lagged at dawn or killing time before an overnight departure. Business and first passengers, plus oneworld equivalents, will see the biggest changes, but the wider lounge overhaul means most premium-cabin travellers passing through T5 will eventually benefit. Watch for completion of the arrivals lounge first, then the C gates lounge by late 2028. This is the first of several announcements BA's chief executive Sean Doyle has promised as the airline works through its Heathrow customer-experience transformation.
