Greetings from the Terminal 1 Star Lounge
This morning I took the Tube from Earl's Court to Heathrow, and got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. United has just moved from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1, so I was a little worried that the place would be a total mess; however, check-in was fine.
I've only been to Terminal 1 once before, when my wife and I were going to Finland. It's okay, but rather old for an international terminal. (It's interesting how much airport design styles change over time: I'm sure that one day places like Terminal 5 and Kuala Lumpur, with their vast open spaces, will seem dated.) Fortunately, they got the Star Alliance lounge open, so I can hang out with the free food and drinks, and in somewhat nicer chairs.
The new lounge isn't quite as since as the one in Terminal 3, but I think they're still furnishing it. But if the check-in process was smooth, the lounge feels like just another day. Having basically fallen into a line of work in which I organize events for a living (or one of my livings, anyway), I have a far better appreciation for just how much work goes into making something like this run smoothly out of the gate. The staff is clearly working overtime, and the lounge manager-- or porter, or whatever she's called-- is really focused, but they're making it work. As a fellow craftsman, I'm impressed.
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