BA Reveals a New Heathrow T5C Lounge, a Rebuilt Arrivals Lounge and Its New A380 Cabins

British Airways has tonight announced a brand-new lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5C, a full rebuild of the T5 Arrivals lounge and a new First check-in at Terminal 3 with American Airlines. In a second announcement, it has revealed every cabin on its retrofitted A380, including an updated Club Suite, and a big refresh of First across the long-haul fleet.

BA calls this the first phase of a programme to redesign every one of its Heathrow lounges. It is the most concrete Heathrow news we have had in years. It also comes with one very long date attached, which I will get to.

This is the headline for me. The C gates at Terminal 5 have never had a BA lounge, so anyone flying from there has to sit in T5A or T5B and then take the transit train. BA says the new lounge will be one of its largest and most ambitious lounge projects, with views over the airfield and the terminal concourse.

Here is what BA has confirmed:

Who gets in: anyone flying business class, plus Silver members of The British Airways Club and above. The Concorde lounge is for passengers flying First.

The catch: it opens at the end of 2028. That is more than three years away. As a BA Silver member I will be able to use it, and I am genuinely pleased it is happening, but I would not let it change any booking decision you make today. For now, the T5B Galleries Club lounge is still usually the calmest choice if you are on a B or C gate flight.

The Arrivals lounge is the first BA arrivals space to get the new design, and this one is much closer. Work starts in early 2027 and BA says it will open by the end of 2027.

It gets a coffee bar and deli, bigger dining areas, quiet zones and work booths, plus 59 shower rooms and premium shower suites. First passengers get a separate Concorde Arrivals area with private cabanas. Access is for passengers arriving in Club World, with the Concorde area for First.

BA has not said where arriving passengers will go while the work is happening, so if you land on an overnight flight in 2027, it is worth checking before you travel.

BA and American Airlines will open a dedicated First check-in at Terminal 3 this winter, styled after the First Wing at T5. It is for passengers flying First, Gold members of The British Airways Club and above, and the equivalent American Airlines members. It is a check-in area, not a new lounge, but it should make T3 departures feel a lot more like T5 for those who qualify.

Outside Heathrow, BA says work is underway in Boston and Newark, with Geneva and San Francisco next year. Newark is the big one: a $15 million rebuild in the new style, due to reopen in 2027.

The new design itself is already open in Miami and Dubai. Miami is BA's largest lounge outside London at 13,000 square feet. Dubai is smaller and has been quiet, because BA has not flown there since the end of February. Flights are due back on 3 November, as I covered in BA's return to Dubai.

Before any trip, our lounge access finder shows what you can use at each airport, which is useful while lounges like Newark are closed.

BA has now confirmed the full layout of its retrofitted A380, and the first one is due to enter service "in the coming months". The aircraft, G-XLEC, has been in Manila for the work since 9 August.

Note that the Club figure is 106, not the 110 that has been widely reported. It is still what BA calls the world's largest business class cabin, spread across four zones on the upper deck with self-service Club Kitchens.

The A380 gets an evolution of Club Suite, rather than a completely new seat. It has a new blue, red and cream colour palette and, based on customer feedback, more storage and better functionality. Storage has been one of the most common complaints about the current seat, so this is a sensible fix. BA has only confirmed this version for the A380 so far.

Club World also gets new amenity kits in four designs by British artists, with products from the British wellness brand anatomē.

The new First suite was first shown in 2024 and finally gets its debut on the A380. Centre suites have a divider that opens to make a shared space for two, with "buddy dining" so you can eat together, and every suite has a built-in mini bar.

On the A380, World Traveller Plus gets new seats with larger screens and privacy wings, and World Traveller gets wider seats and larger screens.

You do not need to be on an A380 to see some of this. From 1 October, First on outbound long-haul flights from Heathrow has new navy sleepwear with BA's own tartan, new bedding and a new day blanket. A new Swaine amenity kit with Wildsmith skincare follows from 6 October, with inbound flights getting it all over the coming months.

The new First menu runs across the whole long-haul fleet from 1 October, including a "From the Grill" choice of mains, Bollinger La Grande Année Champagne and a gin and tonic menu with a 0.0% option.

In November, World Traveller Plus gets a new reusable tote-bag amenity kit and new bedding across the long-haul fleet, and World Traveller gets new bedding too.

Back in 2023, BA's parent IAG said every Heathrow long-haul aircraft would have Club Suite by the end of 2026. With the A380 only just starting and the 787-9 still part way through, that will not happen. According to enthusiasts tracking each aircraft, seven of BA's 18 Boeing 787-9s had been converted by August, so most 787-9 flights still have old Club World. Gatwick will not get Club Suite until new 787-10s arrive from 2029.

So before you book:

The new cabins do not cost more Avios than the old ones. Here is one-way business class pricing from Heathrow on some of the long-standing A380 routes:

The exact taxes show at booking, and you can check any other route with our Avios flight cost tool.

Here is the bit I find interesting. With 106 Club Suites instead of 97 Club World seats, each retrofitted A380 has more business seats per flight. That should help reward availability on routes like Miami and Singapore, which are hard to find at peak times today. It is a good reason to keep building your Avios balance now.

For most UK readers, the quickest way to a business class balance is still American Express Membership Rewards, which transfer to Avios at 1:1. See the current Amex personal card offers here, or if you run a business, compare the Amex business card bonuses. I hold the Amex Business Platinum and Business Gold myself, alongside two Capital on Tap business cards for everyday Avios on business spend.

My guides to the best Avios credit cards and the best Avios business cards compare the options side by side. If you are a few thousand short, the Avios Balance Booster calculator shows whether BA, Qatar or Finnair is the cheapest place to top up.

This is the most encouraging thing BA has said about Heathrow in years. A lounge at T5C fixes a real problem, the Arrivals rebuild has firm dates, and the T3 First check-in arrives this winter. The A380 retrofit is the right call, and an updated Club Suite with more storage shows BA has listened.

But the timing matters. The T5C lounge is the centrepiece and it is more than three years away. BA also says this is only the first phase of redesigning every Heathrow lounge, and it has not said when the Galleries Club and Galleries First lounges, which most of us actually use, will be rebuilt or where we will go while they are. That is the part I will be watching.

None of this stops BA being a great way to use Avios today. Just check the aircraft and the seat map before you book, and do not assume "Club World" on your booking means a door.

I will update this piece when the first retrofitted A380 enters service. Follow along on Instagram if you want to hear first.

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