Heathrow Terminal 3: Virgin Atlantic and the oneworld terminal

Heathrow Terminal 3 is the home of Virgin Atlantic and most of the oneworld alliance, and it is the oldest of Heathrow's four operating terminals. It opened as the Oceanic Terminal on 13 November 1961, built for the long-haul jets then entering service, and was renamed Terminal 3 in 1968. It sits in the central terminal area alongside Terminal 2 and has been rebuilt and extended in stages since, so the building pairs 1960s origins with much newer check-in, security, and lounge areas.

Terminal 3 is heavily long-haul, with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Qantas alongside the Virgin Atlantic and Delta transatlantic operation. It shares the central Heathrow rail station with Terminal 2, a covered walk of around five minutes up from the platforms, and connects to T2 on foot inside the central area. The three direct rail routes from central London are compared below.

Heathrow Terminal 3 is the oneworld alliance hub at Heathrow, plus the long-haul base for Virgin Atlantic. The oneworld lineup at T3 is American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, and SriLankan. Virgin Atlantic is the lead non-aligned carrier, with Delta Air Lines operating selected routes from the same terminal under the Virgin and Delta transatlantic joint venture. Kenya Airways and Air Mauritius round out the list. The full picture of American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic at Terminal 3, with every airline-to-terminal assignment at Heathrow, lives on the airlines page; the live departure board on the day is the safest source if you are unsure.

British Airways and Iberia are at Terminal 5. Star Alliance carriers use Terminal 2, and Aer Lingus stays at T2 despite joining oneworld in March 2025. The SkyTeam hub at Heathrow is Terminal 4, where Air France, KLM, and Korean Air operate alongside Qatar Airways and Etihad.

Terminal 3 shares the central Heathrow rail station with Terminal 2. The station sits directly under the central terminal area, with lifts and a covered walkway up into T3 in around 5 minutes. Three rail services stop there: the Paddington to Heathrow train (Heathrow Express), the direct train via central London (Elizabeth Line), and the tube from central London (Piccadilly Line). The same station serves T2, so a T2 flight uses the same walk in the other direction.

By car, Terminal 3 is reached from M4 junction 4 via the M4 spur road and the Heathrow Boundary Tunnel into the central terminal area. M25 junction 14 is the next-nearest motorway exit, useful from the south or east. The sat nav postcode is TW6 1QG, which takes you to the Terminal Parking entrance and the kerbside drop-off forecourt on the same approach. The A4 (Bath Road) is a useful alternative if the M4 is blocked between J3 and J4.

National Express and other long-distance coaches use the Heathrow Central Bus Station between Terminals 2 and 3, stands 6 to 17, open 24 hours, with a covered walkway into T3. Local TfL buses 105, 111, 285, the night N9 and N140, and the Superloop SL7 and SL9 expresses call at the same hub at the £1.75 flat fare. Heathrow Central Bus Station is the single busiest road access point for T3.

Terminal 3 has four on-airport parking options: the Terminal Parking multi-storey attached to the building, the dedicated Park & Ride on the Eastern Perimeter Road shared with Terminal 2, the Priority Park & Ride on the Northern Perimeter Road, and meet and greet at the forecourt. 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 a day, meet and greet from £138.60. The Park & Ride site shared with Terminal 2 sits at TW6 2SB on the Eastern Perimeter Road, with separate bus stops at each terminal forecourt. Full pricing and how to book on the Terminal 3 parking prices page.

The Terminal 3 drop-off forecourt is on the departures level, signed from the same approach road as Terminal Parking. Every entry is charged at £7 per visit, with a 10-minute maximum stay; the free window 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 free drop-off, the Park & Ride gives 29 minutes free with a courtesy bus to the terminal. See Heathrow drop-off costs for the full table across the four terminals.

Terminal 3 carries the standard Heathrow facility set inside both the landside and airside zones. Toilets and baby-change rooms sit at regular intervals across the departures and arrivals levels. Multifaith prayer rooms are landside on the departures floor and airside near the centre of the departure lounge. Free Wi-Fi runs across the whole terminal at no time limit. The Terminal 3 layout map shows where each of these sits across the levels.

Currency exchange is provided by Global Exchange (which replaced Travelex across Heathrow in January 2026) at multiple desks landside and airside, with the largest counter near the central concourse. A Boots pharmacy operates landside on the departures level with a smaller airside store inside the departure lounge. Charging points are built into seating in the main airside waiting areas. Cash machines run by Travelex and HSBC are signed from the main concourse.

Special assistance covers every step from car park to gate. Request it through your airline at least 48 hours before departure. Heathrow's mobility team meets you at one of the designated assistance points: the central rail station forecourt, the bus and coach stops, the Terminal Parking lifts, or the drop-off zone. See the reduced mobility page for the full process and how to book.

Terminal 3 splits its eating offer between a landside cluster on the check-in level and a wider airside selection inside the departure lounge. Landside has a small set of grab-and-go options (Caffe Nero, Pret, Costa) for travellers who want a coffee before security. Airside opens out into the larger range, with sit-down restaurants, a pub-format bar around the central concourse, and chain quick-food near the gates.

Chain coverage airside includes Wagamama, Pret, Caffe Nero, Itsu, and similar standards. Bars cluster around the central airside concourse and the duty-free atrium. A Costa on the arrivals level handles meeters waiting for late flights. Full coverage of every airside and landside venue lives on the Terminal 3 restaurants page, with opening hours and what to expect at peak.

Terminal 3 has the widest lounge spread at Heathrow because of the spread of oneworld carriers and Virgin Atlantic basing here. Access is by Business or First fare, by airline status, by Priority Pass, or by paid entry depending on the lounge.

Full opening hours, food and drink, shower availability, and how to book sit on the Terminal 3 lounges page.

Terminal 3 check-in opens three to four hours before scheduled departure for most long-haul flights and two to three hours before short-haul, by zone. Virgin Atlantic uses zone A near the main entrance, with the separate Upper Class Wing for Upper Class and Flying Club Gold members. American Airlines uses zone J. The other oneworld carriers (Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Finnair, Royal Jordanian, SriLankan) and the smaller long-haul names (Kenya Airways, Air Mauritius, Delta) are spread across zones B to H. Online check-in opens 24 hours before departure with most airlines and is the fastest way through if you have hand baggage only. See the check-in times by airline page for cut-offs by carrier.

Security at Terminal 3 runs a single screening hall served by multiple lanes. Wait times average eight to fifteen minutes through most of the day, rising to fifteen to thirty minutes at the morning long-haul departure peak between 06:00 and 09:00. T3 can be the slowest of the four terminals at peak because of the long-haul departure stack. See the live wait times by terminal page for the latest published guidance.

Fast Track at Terminal 3 is included with Virgin Atlantic Upper Class and Premium fares, with American Airlines Business and First, with oneworld Sapphire and Emerald status holders on a departing oneworld carrier, and with several lounge packages. It can also be bought separately from £12.99 per person, and saves around 25 to 28 minutes at the 06:00 to 09:00 peak.

Terminal 3 sits next door to Terminal 2 in the central area. The two terminals are linked by a short covered walk through the central concourse, useful for a connection on separate tickets or for a meet at the wrong terminal. Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 sit outside the central area and need free transport: the inter-terminal coach takes around 15 minutes between T3 and T4, the free Elizabeth Line shuttle to T4 is one stop and about 5 minutes, and the same line reaches T5 directly from the central station on the Shenfield branch. Travel between Heathrow stations on the Elizabeth Line is free as long as you stay within the airport. See the transferring between Heathrow terminals page for the full picture.

For arriving passengers, T3 follows the standard sequence: airbridge or bus to the immigration hall, eGates or staffed desks, baggage reclaim, customs, then out into the meeters and greeters area. 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. The whole sequence usually takes 25 to 45 minutes including the walk from the gate. Live arrival timings are on the Heathrow arrivals board; live departures from T3 sit on the departures board.

Bags appear on the belt 15 to 20 minutes after the aircraft is on stand, with last bags 40 minutes or longer on a full long-haul. The carousel for each flight is shown on the screens in the immigration hall; see baggage reclaim at Heathrow for missing or damaged bag handling. The Terminal 3 meeting point sits in the arrivals hall, signed from the carousel exit, landside in the public area, with the central station, the bus stops, and the Terminal Parking lifts all reachable by covered walkway. A printable airport map shows every terminal, station, and car park in one view.