Heathrow Terminal 2: the Star Alliance terminal

Heathrow Terminal 2, the Queen's Terminal, is the Star Alliance hub at Heathrow and one of the two terminals in the central area, alongside Terminal 3. The current building opened on 4 June 2014 on the site of the airport's original terminal, which had operated there since 1955, and was built to handle up to 30 million passengers a year. Around 25 airlines use it, almost all of them Star Alliance members, led by Lufthansa, United, Singapore Airlines, and Air Canada.

The terminal runs as two buildings rather than one. The main building (T2A) holds check-in, security, and gates A1 to A26, while the airside satellite (T2B, gates B31 to B49) is reached by an 800-metre underground walkway. There is no transit train between them, so if your gate is in T2B allow an extra 15 to 20 minutes on foot from security. Terminal 2 shares the central Heathrow rail station with Terminal 3, and the three direct rail routes into central London are compared below.

Heathrow Terminal 2 is the Star Alliance terminal at Heathrow. Around 25 carriers use the building, almost all of them Star Alliance members, plus a small group of non-aligned airlines that have stayed since the terminal opened in 2014. The full list of airlines flying from Terminal 2 is below. Airline-to-terminal moves are rare but do happen; the live departure board on the day is the safer source if you are unsure.

Aer Lingus joined oneworld in March 2025 but stayed at Terminal 2 rather than moving to the main oneworld terminal (T3). Air India moved the other way, from T4 to T2, in 2025, so it now checks in here with the rest of Star Alliance.

Terminal 2 shares its rail station with Terminal 3, branded Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3, in the central terminal area. Three services stop there directly: Heathrow Express, the Elizabeth Line, and the Piccadilly Line. The platforms sit deep below the central area; lifts and escalators bring you up into a covered walkway that leads to the Terminal 2 check-in hall in around 5 minutes.

By car, Terminal 2 is reached from M4 junction 4 via the M4 spur road and the Heathrow Boundary Tunnel into the central terminal area. The sat nav postcode is TW6 1EW. The A4 (Bath Road) is the older parallel route, useful when the M4 is blocked between J3 and J4. There are no tolls on any Heathrow approach.

By coach, the Heathrow Central Bus Station sits between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, and is the main coach hub at the airport. National Express, Megabus, and FlixBus all call here, with covered walkways linking the bus station to both terminal arrivals halls. Local TfL buses 105 (to Greenford), 111 (to Kingston via Hounslow), 285 (to Kingston via Feltham), SL7 (Superloop to West Croydon), and SL9 (Superloop to Harrow) stop here at the standard £1.75 flat fare. Night routes N9 and N140 cover the late hours.

Terminal 2 has three on-airport parking options plus meet and greet on the forecourt. The Terminal Parking multi-storey is attached to the building; the Park & Ride is shared with Terminal 3 on the Eastern Perimeter Road; the Priority Park & Ride sits on the Northern Perimeter Road. Pre-booked rates are significantly cheaper than drive-up gate prices for any stay over 24 hours.

Drive-up gate prices are higher: Terminal Parking £98.00 per 24 hours, Park & Ride £46.80 first day then £37.40/day, meet and greet from £138.60. Full pricing and how to book on the Terminal 2 parking prices page.

Drop-off and pick-up

The Terminal 2 drop-off zone sits on the departures level forecourt, directly outside the main entrance. Every entry is charged at £7 per visit, with a 10-minute maximum stay; the free period that used to apply ended on 1 January 2026. Number plates are read automatically and the charge is billed online before, during, or by 23:59 the day after the visit.

For a free drop-off, the shared T2/T3 Park & Ride gives 29 minutes free with a courtesy bus to either terminal every 15 minutes. Pick-up is officially closed on the forecourt but the ANPR cameras still trigger the same £7 charge on any entry. The legitimate pick-up options are the Terminal Parking (from £8.00 for the first 29 minutes) or the T2/T3 Park & Ride. See Heathrow drop-off charges for the full table including the other three terminals.

Terminal 2 is built across two airside buildings. The main building (Terminal 2A) holds check-in, security, the central departure lounge, and gates A1 to A26 on a single broad concourse. The airside satellite (Terminal 2B) holds gates B31 to B49 and is reached from the main building by an 800-metre underground walkway with travellators. The walk takes 10 to 15 minutes one way; allow extra time if your gate is in T2B. Unlike T5, there is no transit train. A map of Terminal 2 shows how the two buildings and the walkway between them line up.

Arriving at Terminal 2 follows the standard sequence: airbridge or bus to the level 1 immigration hall, eGates or staffed desks, baggage reclaim on the same level, customs, then out into the meeters and greeters area. The whole sequence usually takes 25 to 45 minutes including the walk from the gate. UK, Republic of Ireland, EU/EEA, Swiss, plus Australian, Canadian, Japanese, New Zealand, Singaporean, South Korean, and US passport holders from age 10 use the eGates; other passengers use the staffed desks. For the bag wait and what to do if a bag goes missing, see baggage reclaim.

The Terminal 2 meeting point sits on level 1 in the central seating area opposite the international arrivals exit, signed from baggage reclaim and a short walk from the lifts to the Terminal Parking. Special assistance for passengers with reduced mobility covers the route from the car park, rail station, or drop-off zone right through to the gate; request it through your airline at least 48 hours before departure.

The Terminal 2 departure lounge offers a wider sit-down food choice than any other Heathrow terminal except T5. The two flagship sit-down restaurants are Heston Blumenthal's The Perfectionists' Café, just past security, and The Gorgeous Kitchen, which serves four menus from four chefs at a single space. Chain options include Wagamama, Itsu, Pret, Caffè Nero, Costa, and Café Rouge, with a clutch of bars including The Curator and the Heineken Yard. The satellite building T2B has a smaller cluster of cafes and bars near the gates, so most passengers eat in T2A before walking through.

For shopping, World Duty Free runs four stores across both buildings covering beauty, fragrance, alcohol, tobacco, and confectionery, plus fashion units from Burberry, Harrods, Mulberry, Hugo Boss, Gucci, Paul Smith, and Hackett, and the usual book, electronics, and travel chains. Full coverage with current opening hours on the Terminal 2 restaurants page.

Nine lounges sit inside Terminal 2, five in the main T2A building and four in the T2B satellite. Most are airline-run on alliance status or business-class entitlement; the two pay-to-enter options (Plaza Premium and No1) cover anyone willing to buy a pass or holding a Priority Pass.

The Lufthansa Senator is the largest Lufthansa lounge outside Germany, with a combined capacity of around 350 passengers across the Business and Senator areas. Full reviews and current access prices on the lounges inside Terminal 2 page.

Check-in at Terminal 2 is on the top level, organised across five zones from A to E, with overhead screens directing you to the right zone for your airline. The zones broadly group the carriers by alliance partnership: Aer Lingus and Air Canada in zone A, the Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, Austrian, Brussels Airlines) in zone B, the United Airlines bank and LOT Polish in zone C, the Asia-Pacific carriers (Singapore, ANA, Turkish) in zone D, and the rest in zone E since the ITA Airways move in March 2026. Online check-in opens 24 hours before departure for most airlines and bag drop opens 3 to 4 hours before long-haul flights, closing 60 minutes before departure.

Security sits a short walk past the check-in zones, on the same level. Wait times average 8 to 12 minutes off-peak, rising to 15 to 20 minutes during the morning long-haul peak between 06:00 and 09:00. See the page on Heathrow security wait times by terminal for the latest published guidance and any reported delays.

Fast Track at Terminal 2 is included with Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, and other Star Alliance Business and First fares, with Star Alliance Gold status (plus one guest on a Star Alliance flight), and with several lounge packages. It can also be bought separately from £12.99 per person. The Fast Track lane is signposted from the entrance to security.

The covered footbridge between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 takes around 10 to 15 minutes from one arrivals hall to the other, signposted at both ends. For onward travel to T4 or T5, the Elizabeth Line shuttle between Heathrow stations is free as long as you stay within the airport, around 5 minutes between the central station and T4 or T5. The free inter-terminal coach is the road alternative; see transferring between Heathrow terminals for the full picture.

If your gate is in the Terminal 2B satellite, build in an extra 15 to 20 minutes from security to the gate, because the underground walkway adds around 800 metres on foot even with the travellators. The gate number on the boarding pass tells you which building you need: gates starting with A are in the main T2A building, gates starting with B are in T2B. There is no transit train; T2B is reached only on foot. Boarding closes at the gate, not at the start of the tunnel, so factor in the full walking time.

Designated assistance points for passengers with reduced mobility sit at the rail station forecourt, the bus and coach stops, the Terminal Parking lifts, and the drop-off zone. Trained Heathrow staff meet you at the chosen point and stay with you all the way through to the aircraft door. Request the service through your airline at least 48 hours before departure.