London Heathrow’s Terminal 4 will reopen in June in time for the summer peak travel season. Etihad’s online schedule shows flights switching back to Terminal 4 from Wednesday 22nd June.
Over the course of the pandemic, Etihad has operated out of a number of terminals at London Heathrow. As a result, premium and status passengers have been directed to several different lounges. Some have been better than others.
An open question is whether Etihad will return and resume using their existing First and Business Lounge in Terminal 4. My assumption is that they will.
Etihad retook management of the lounge just prior to the start of the pandemic. It will be interesting to see if they have used the two-year closure to upgrade the facilities.
Terminal 4 is also home to the excellent Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge which is accessible via a number of lounge programmes including LoungeKey and Priority Pass.
What lounge is Etihad using at London Heathrow?
Etihad is currently flying from Terminal 3 at London Heathrow. Terminal 3 is home to a couple of excellent lounges including one of my favourites, the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge.
Etihad is currently using two lounges in Terminal 3. Passengers are being sent to one or the other depending on which flight they are departing on.
Qantas Lounge
The lucky passengers departing on EY12 and EY20 are able to use the Qantas Lounge. This is one of the best lounges in Terminal 3.
My favourite points and miles site Head for Points recently reviewed the Qantas Lounge in Terminal 3.
British Airways Galleries
Passengers departing on late EY18 departure are able to use the British Airways Galleries Lounge. This is a less impressive lounge than the Qantas Lounge.
However, passengers in First and Platinum Guest members have the added advantage of being able to access the First Class area within the lounge.
Bonus miles if no lounge is open
There are still a handful of airports with no lounge access available. Etihad is not currently providing lounge access in Chennai, Tokyo Narita, Santorini, Shanghai, and Zanzibar.
If you are flying to any of these destinations in Business or First, or a Gold or Platinum member, Etihad will automatically credit your account with 3,000 bonus Etihad Guest Miles.