Heathrow has four working passenger terminals, T2 to T5 (there is no Terminal 1; it closed to passengers in 2015), and airlines are grouped by alliance rather than spread evenly across them. As a quick rule: British Airways and Iberia use Terminal 5, most Oneworld carriers plus Virgin Atlantic, Delta and Emirates use Terminal 3, Star Alliance airlines use Terminal 2, and SkyTeam plus Qatar Airways, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines use Terminal 4. Checked 2026.
The alliance pattern at a glance
Heathrow's four terminals loosely follow airline alliance membership, with a handful of exceptions. This is the fastest way to guess your terminal if you can't check a booking confirmation right away.
| Terminal | Main group | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 2 | Star Alliance ("The Queen's Terminal") | Lufthansa, United, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines |
| Terminal 3 | Oneworld, Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Emirates | American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates |
| Terminal 4 | SkyTeam and Gulf carriers | Air France, KLM, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways |
| Terminal 5 | British Airways and Iberia only | British Airways (main base), Iberia |
Terminal 5: British Airways and Iberia
Terminal 5 is British Airways' main Heathrow base and is also used by its International Airlines Group (IAG) partner Iberia. Most long-haul BA flights depart from the main T5A building, with short-haul European routes often using the T5B and T5C satellite piers, reached by an internal shuttle train after security. A small number of British Airways short-haul flights also operate from Terminal 3, so it is worth checking your specific booking rather than assuming every BA flight is at T5.
Terminal 3: Oneworld, Virgin Atlantic, Delta and Emirates
Terminal 3 is the base for most of the Oneworld alliance at Heathrow, including American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian and SriLankan Airlines. It is also home to Virgin Atlantic and its joint-venture partner Delta Air Lines, plus non-aligned long-haul carrier Emirates. Two Oneworld members are the exceptions to the T3 pattern: Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways fly from Terminal 4, and Iberia flies from Terminal 5 with its IAG partners.
Terminal 2: The Queen's Terminal
Terminal 2 is Heathrow's Star Alliance hub, used by Lufthansa, United Airlines, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Air China, ANA, Austrian Airlines, Swiss, SAS, Brussels Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, LOT Polish Airlines, Thai Airways and other members of the alliance. It also hosts a small number of non-Star carriers, including Aer Lingus and Air India, both of which are based at T2 for operational and slot reasons rather than alliance membership.
Terminal 4: SkyTeam and Gulf carriers
Terminal 4 is Heathrow's SkyTeam base, home to Air France and KLM, alongside Gulf and Asian carriers Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Malaysia Airlines. It sits apart from the other three terminals, connected by the Elizabeth line, Heathrow Express and London Underground, or by road through the cargo tunnel; there is no walking route between T4 and the central terminal area.
Full lookup table: major airlines A-Z
This table covers the airlines travellers search for most often. Heathrow serves around 80 scheduled carriers in total, so if yours is not listed, use the confirmation methods in the next section rather than guessing from the alliance pattern alone.
| Airline | Terminal |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | T2 |
| Air Canada | T2 |
| Air China | T2 |
| Air France | T4 |
| Air India | T2 |
| American Airlines | T3 |
| ANA (All Nippon Airways) | T2 |
| Asiana Airlines | T2 |
| Austrian Airlines | T2 |
| Avianca | T2 |
| British Airways | T5 (some short-haul from T3) |
| Brussels Airlines | T2 |
| Cathay Pacific | T3 |
| Delta Air Lines | T3 |
| EgyptAir | T2 |
| Emirates | T3 |
| Ethiopian Airlines | T2 |
| Etihad Airways | T4 |
| EVA Air | T2 |
| Finnair | T3 |
| Iberia | T5 |
| Japan Airlines | T3 |
| KLM | T4 |
| LOT Polish Airlines | T2 |
| Lufthansa | T2 |
| Malaysia Airlines | T4 |
| Qantas | T3 |
| Qatar Airways | T4 |
| Royal Jordanian | T3 |
| SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) | T2 |
| Singapore Airlines | T2 |
| SriLankan Airlines | T3 |
| Swiss International Air Lines | T2 |
| TAP Air Portugal | T2 |
| Thai Airways | T2 |
| Turkish Airlines | T2 |
| United Airlines | T2 |
| Virgin Atlantic | T3 |
How to confirm your terminal
Alliance groupings are a reliable guide but airlines do occasionally move, most often when they join or leave an alliance or when Heathrow reallocates space between terminals. For a definitive answer:
- Check your boarding pass or booking confirmation, which lists the terminal for your specific flight.
- Use the live tool on heathrow.com, which is kept current for all carriers, including smaller and seasonal airlines not listed above.
- Search your flight number on Heathrow's live departures board if you are travelling within the next 24 hours.
- Reconfirm a few days before flying if you booked many months in advance, since a terminal move between booking and travel, while uncommon, does happen.
What if you end up at the wrong terminal
Heathrow's terminals are self-contained, so arriving at the wrong one before security means travelling to the correct terminal and going through security again from scratch. The free Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express connect T2/T3, T4 and T5 in a few minutes each way, and there is also a free inter-terminal bus, but the safest plan is always to confirm your terminal before you leave for the airport rather than relying on being able to switch quickly on the day. See our guide to transfer times between Heathrow's terminals for how long that actually takes.
Practical tips
- Know your terminal before you book transport, since it changes which drop-off point, car park or public transport stop is right for you.
- Terminal 4 is separate from the others and is not reachable on foot; allow extra time if you're connecting from another terminal.
- Some airlines split operations between two terminals depending on route (British Airways being the main example), so check by flight number, not just by airline name.
- Long-haul codeshares can be confusing: a flight marketed by one airline but operated by a partner uses the operating airline's terminal, not the marketing airline's.
More: Overview, Routes, Taxi pickup points by terminal, FAQs.