British Airways First Wing and Virgin’s Upper Class Wing security closed from Tuesday

The security channel in the British Airways First Wing at Heathrow Terminal 5 will close from tomorrow, 9th January, for 3-4 months.

There has been no official announcement from the airport or BA that tomorrow is the day (we knew it would happen at some point in January) but it was confirmed to my wife at 5am this morning when she went through.

This shouldn’t be a surprise, of course. The UK Government has mandated that airports must switch to the new ‘keep your stuff in your bags’ / ‘bring all the liquid you want’ security scanners by June.

Although, according to recent press reports, there is no chance of most airports hitting the June target ….

It seems that the entire First Wing security area will be remodelled at the same time, which partly explains the time frame. However, with 24/7 working possible and no airside security constraints, it seems long.

There is apparently no requirement to reinforce the floor to cope with the weight of the new machines – something which is proving an issue elsewhere.

The check-in area in the First Wing will remain open for qualifying passengers, primarily British Airways Executive Club Gold members and ticketed First Class passengers.

You will then need to leave the Wing and head to South Security. There is a dedicated lane here for those who would qualify to use the First Wing which looks like this:

Virgin Atlantic is planning a similar closure

The Upper Class Wing is the Virgin Atlantic private check-in area at Heathrow Terminal 3. This area allows you to be dropped off by car directly outside the door.

If you arrive by public transport, you need to check in at Zone A in the main Terminal 3 area but can then take a lift up to the Upper Class Wing private security channel.

We wrote a HfP article here which explains how the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Wing works.

The private security lane in the Upper Class Wing will also be closed from Tuesday. It will re-open in late February with brand new security scanners. 7-8 weeks does make the 3-4 month closure of BA’s First Wing look a little long.

You can still use the Wing for checking in but will need to go into the main part of the terminal to clear security. However, from 22nd to 28th February the entire Wing will be closed.

Check the Upper Class Wing page of the Virgin Atlantic website for current updates.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (January 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.