{"version":"1.9","identifier":"82c60909-5a9b-486d-b36a-cca23a95f89f","language":"en-US","title":"British Airways plans a big new Heathrow lounge in T5's C Gates and a rebuilt Arrivals lounge","layout":{"columns":7,"width":1024,"margin":32,"gutter":20},"componentLayouts":{"text":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"maximumContentWidth":720,"margin":{"top":12,"bottom":12}},"photo":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"margin":{"top":20,"bottom":20}}},"componentTextStyles":{"default":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"textColor":"#171717"},"headline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue-Bold","fontSize":36,"lineHeight":42,"conditional":[{"conditions":{"maxViewportWidth":480},"fontSize":28,"lineHeight":34}]},"intro":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":20,"lineHeight":28,"textColor":"#555555"},"caption":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":19,"textColor":"#666666"},"byline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":20,"textColor":"#666666"},"body":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"paragraphSpacingAfter":14,"linkStyle":{"textColor":"#00704a"}}},"metadata":{"canonicalURL":"https://www.loungefrog.com/news/british-airways-heathrow-t5-c-gates-lounge-arrivals-2026","datePublished":"2026-10-14T18:01:15.4953Z","dateModified":"2026-10-14T23:50:58.930727Z","authors":["Patrick Karsh"],"excerpt":"BA is building a big new lounge at Heathrow T5's C Gates for late 2028, rebuilding the T5 Arrivals lounge in 2027 and adding a T3 First check-in this winter.","thumbnailURL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/82c60909-5a9b-486d-b36a-cca23a95f89f/40bc01def8d124171baa38c796bf8633.jpg","keywords":["lounge"],"generatorName":"Frog News","generatorVersion":"1.0"},"components":[{"role":"title","text":"British Airways plans a big new Heathrow lounge in T5's C Gates and a rebuilt Arrivals lounge","textStyle":"headline","layout":"text"},{"role":"intro","text":"BA is building a big new lounge at Heathrow T5's C Gates for late 2028, rebuilding the T5 Arrivals lounge in 2027 and adding a T3 First check-in this winter.","textStyle":"intro","layout":"text"},{"role":"byline","text":"By Patrick Karsh · Published October 14, 2026","textStyle":"byline","layout":"text"},{"role":"photo","URL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/82c60909-5a9b-486d-b36a-cca23a95f89f/40bc01def8d124171baa38c796bf8633.jpg","caption":"Rendering: Concorde dining entrance in the planned Heathrow T5 C Gates lounge (British Airways) · British Airways","accessibilityCaption":"Rendering: Concorde dining entrance in the planned Heathrow T5 C Gates lounge (British Airways)","layout":"photo"},{"role":"caption","text":"Rendering: Concorde dining entrance in the planned Heathrow T5 C Gates lounge (British Airways) · British Airways","textStyle":"caption","layout":"text"},{"role":"body","format":"markdown","text":"[Rendering: main entrance of the planned Heathrow T5 C Gates lounge (British Airways)](https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/82c60909-5a9b-486d-b36a-cca23a95f89f/98c6d0d4c233d64ee16e3e89a2a631e0.jpg)\n[Rendering: Concorde dining entrance in the planned Heathrow T5 C Gates lounge (British Airways)](https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/82c60909-5a9b-486d-b36a-cca23a95f89f/40bc01def8d124171baa38c796bf8633.jpg)\n[Rendering: Concorde Arrivals dining in the rebuilt Heathrow T5 Arrivals lounge (British Airways)](https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/82c60909-5a9b-486d-b36a-cca23a95f89f/46d2ea677eb7bfe2888fd2d608d6d6b3.jpg)\n\n[British Airways](https://www.loungefrog.com/airlines/ba) has started work on a new lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5's C Gates. The airline calls it one of its largest and most ambitious lounge projects. It is due to open at the end of 2028. The images above are BA's renderings, not photos of finished spaces.\n\nThe lounge is the first phase of a larger plan. BA says it will redesign every one of its Heathrow lounges over the coming years. The airline announced the project on October 5, 2026, alongside new cabins for its A380 fleet.\n\n## What the T5 C Gates lounge will offer\n\nBA says the new lounge will have sweeping views over the airfield and the terminal concourse. It will be bright and open, with design touches inspired by flight and the sky.\n\nThe main features BA has named are:\n\n* A 17-meter (about 56-foot) bar, which BA expects to be one of the longest in any airport lounge.\n* Separate areas for dining, relaxing and working.\n* Shower suites for a wash before a long flight.\n* Timber, glass, metalwork, fabrics and furniture sourced from across the UK.\n\nThe design follows the new lounge style BA first used in Miami. That lounge set the look the airline now plans to roll out more widely.\n\n## A Concorde lounge inside the lounge\n\nFirst passengers get their own space inside the new lounge. BA calls it the Concorde lounge. It will have a private concierge, upgraded dining and darker, richer finishes. BA says the layout will give guests more privacy than the main room.\n\n## Who gets in\n\nBA's notes set out the access rules for the new space:\n\n* Business class passengers can use the main T5 C Gates lounge.\n* Silver members of [The British Airways Club](https://www.loungefrog.com/programs/british-airways-club) and above can also use it.\n* First passengers can use the Concorde lounge inside it.\n\nThese rules may change before 2028, so check BA's lounge page close to your trip.\n\n## The Arrivals lounge gets rebuilt in 2027\n\nBA will also rebuild its Heathrow Arrivals lounge at Terminal 5. Work starts in early 2027, and the lounge is due to reopen by the end of 2027. It will be the first arrivals lounge built in BA's new style.\n\nPlans for the rebuilt lounge include:\n\n* A coffee bar and a deli.\n* Larger dining areas.\n* Quiet zones and work booths.\n* 59 shower rooms, including premium shower suites, plus shared areas to get dressed and ready.\n\nFirst passengers get a separate Concorde Arrivals area. It will have private cabanas, sit-down dining and interiors in BA's blue, red and cream colors. Club World passengers can use the main Arrivals lounge.\n\nBA has not said where arriving passengers will go while the lounge is closed. If you land at Heathrow in 2027 and plan to shower before a meeting, check ahead.\n\n## New First check-in at Terminal 3\n\nBA and [American Airlines](https://www.loungefrog.com/airlines/aa) are also opening a new First check-in area at Heathrow Terminal 3 this winter. It uses a dark red color scheme borrowed from the First Wing at Terminal 5.\n\nIt is open to First passengers, Club Gold members and above, and American Airlines members with matching status.\n\n## Other BA lounges\n\nBA says its lounges in Miami, Glasgow, Seattle and Washington have recently opened or been refurbished. Work is under way in Boston and Newark. Geneva and San Francisco are next, in 2027.\n\n## What BA said\n\n\"This investment is a major milestone in the evolution of our lounges,\" said Sean Doyle, British Airways' Chairman and CEO. \"These spaces will take our lounge design concept to the next step, building on Miami.\" He added: \"This is the first of many developments in the pipeline.\"\n\n## My take\n\nNone of this changes your trip today. The current T5 lounges stay open while the new one is built. The biggest near-term change is the Arrivals lounge rebuild in 2027.\n\nUntil then, you can use BA's current spaces at Terminal 5, listed on our [Heathrow airport page](https://www.loungefrog.com/airports/lhr):\n\n* [British Airways Arrivals Lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/lhr-british-airways-arrivals-lounge)\n* [British Airways Concorde Room](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/lhr-british-airways-concorde-room)\n* [British Airways Galleries First](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/lhr-british-airways-galleries-first)\n* [British Airways Galleries Club B Gates](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/lhr-british-airways-galleries-club-b-gates)\n\nSource: [British Airways press release, October 5, 2026](https://mediacentre.britishairways.com/news/05102026/british-airways-unveils-next-phase-of-heathrow-lounge-transformation-with-new-terminal-5-lounge)\n\n## Related reading\n\n* [British Airways will build a lounge at Heathrow's T5 C gates and rebuild its Arrivals lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/news/british-airways-heathrow-terminal-5-c-gates-lounge-arrivals-redesign)\n* [British Airways plans to restart Heathrow–Tel Aviv flights on October 25, once a day](https://www.loungefrog.com/news/british-airways-resumes-tel-aviv-october-2026)\n* [British Airways will finally build a Terminal 5C lounge at Heathrow, but not until late 2028](https://www.loungefrog.com/news/british-airways-heathrow-terminal-5c-lounge-2028)","textStyle":"body","layout":"text"}]}