London Heathrow International Airport LHR, or ‘BAA Heathrow Airport’, owned and operated by BAA, an international consortium, is one of the world’s busiest airports, handling more international passengers than any other airport in the world. Skytrax 2011 has awarded it 'Best Airport for Shopping'.

The Airport is located near the southern end of the Borough of Hillingdon, about 12 nautical miles from Central London, England, U.K., and covers an area of over 12 sqare km. The Airport is accessible via nearby motorway M4 and four parallel tunnels under a runway connecting the M4 and A4 to Terminals 1 & 3. The M25 motorway leads to Terminals 4 & 5, and the A30 road to Terminal 4. The City of London and BAA Heathrow Airport made a commitment to improve rail service to the airport, and to connect it with UK's high-speed rail network, thereby significantly reducing traffic congestions.

With two extra-long runways and an estimated 69.4 million passengers in 2011, London Heathrow International Airport is primary hub for BMI, British Airways & Virgin Atlantic, and is served by a host of major and minor, domestic and international  airlines, offering countless direct and connecting flights to destinations worldwide. 

On-Airport hotels within walking distance of Heathrow's passenger terminals:
1. Near Terminal 5 is the Sofitel London Heathrow Hotel with 2 restaurants & conference facilities;
2. near Terminal 4 is the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Hotel with 3 restraurants, business and fitness centers; and 
3. the VOTEL, a capsule hotel with 32 cabins, bookable for a few hours or more.
The hotel reservation center maintains desks in the arrivals area of all terminals and in the London Underground concourse between T1 & 3).  Also the National Express runs a shuttle bus to nearby hotels.

For passenger dropoff, follow 'Departures' signs; for T5, use either of the two lanes on the departures forecourt; for T1 to T4, use outside lane.

Check-in:  locations, self-service, online & time: 
Check-in location: At T1 & T4 -  first level; at T3 - ground level; at T5 top level - use any one of the 96 self-service check-in kiosks or staffed check-in desks. Check-in zones for T1, T3 & T4 are listed on the 'Check-in information' screens (marked by illuminated yellow cubes). 
Online check-in is available from most of the major international airlines:
Check-in time prior to scheduled flight: 3 hours for long-haul & El Al flights; 2 hour for European flights; 90 minutes for UK & Ireland flights. 

The passenger terminal complex at London Heathrow International includes at present four operational passenger terminals - T1, T3, T4 and T5.  (For detailed terminal information, click on 'Terminal Map'.)

August/September 2012 London 2012 Games:  Note that a special 'Games Terminal' will be the departure point for 10,100 athletes, along with baggage collection from the Olympic & Paralympic Village.

Parking Options at BAA Heathrow Airport: (For detailed parking information, click on 'Airport Parking'.)

Major rental car agencies do business at BAA Heathrow (all telephone numbers are preceded by +44 (0): Sixt 844-4999-3399; Europcar 208-564-3500; Season Car Hire 208-501-5930; Alamo 870-400-4562; National 870-400-4581; Avis 844-544-6007; Budget (844-544-3407; Enterprise 870-350-3000 & Hertz 70-846-0006.

To get from London Heathrow International to your destination, you can rent a car, take a taxi, a shuttle,  door-to-door transport,  a bus or a train:
A.  By subway to central London: The London Underground Piccadilly line has four stations serving T1, T3 & T4;  The average time to get from T1 & T3 tube stations to Central London is 40-50 minutes.
B. Hotel Shuttles: 1. Dot2Dot  is a hotel shuttle departing from each of the terminals; and 2. HotelHoppa buses serve the hotels in the Heathrow area.
C. Buses connecting to Rail Stations: (a) Two RailAir coach lines serve nearby railway stations serving different areas- one at Reading and one at Woking; and (b) London Buses to the Feltham station are served by route 285 departing from T1 & T3 and route 490 from T4 & T5.
D. Other Bus Services: 1. Express Buses: The Green Line route 724 serves Watford, St. Albans & Harlow; London Buses route X26 serves Croydon and Carousel Buses serve High Wycombe. 2. Local bus by London Buses, First Berkshire and The Thames Valley serve nearby towns & suburbs. 3. A night bus N9 serves central London during non-operatonal hours of trains.
E. Trains: 1. The Heathrow Express offers non-stops to London's Paddington station, leaving every 15 minutes from either the 'Heathrow Terminal 5' staton or the 'Heathrow Central' station (T1 & T3). The trip takes 15 minutes.
2. The Heathrow Connect to Paddington, stopping at  five National Rail stations en route, stops at Heathrow Central station (T1 & T3) and at T4, leave every 30 minutes and take 25 minutes.

Present and future Airport Developments:   The old Terminal 2 & the Queens Bulding have been demolished, while a new Terminal 2 will be constructed & scheduled to open in 2014.