Facilities for people with impairments or any additional requirements
Assistance areas are located in departures (before and after security) and in the arrivals hall. If you are connecting at Heathrow and have booked assistance, you will be met at the aircraft and escorted to the appropriate Assistance area in departures.
Help points can be found in all official car parks, designated drop-off points, and bus, train, and Underground stations. Don’t worry if you have trouble finding a help point, just ring us directly on the following numbers:
On the help points, simply use the push button or telephone to talk to our Assistance team to let them know where you are and what support you need. They will guide you through the next stage or if you are happy to wait, a colleague will come and assist you.
If you have a non-visible disability, free sunflower lanyards are available at the Assistance areas. This gives you the freedom to travel independently through the airport whilst knowing that if you need any additional support, any of our colleagues will be able to assist you.
Accessible toilets can be found throughout the airport.
Changing Places are available for departing passengers. Changing Places have additional equipment and space to use the toilets safely and comfortably.
To use the Changing Places facilities, you’ll need to use a RADAR key. If you don’t have a key or you’ve forgotten to bring it with you, you can borrow one from the assistance area.
Changing Places can be found in the following locations with links to our maps:
The Terminal 2 Changing Places facility is currently closed for repairs. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
*The Lichfield Suite offers additional facilities for travellers with more severe physical or learning disabilities, including a height-adjustable adult-sized changing bench, hoist and showers.
Induction loops are found throughout the airport (look for signs showing the 'sympathetic ear' symbol). Payphones and credit card telephones are available and are adapted for hearing aids. There are also text pay phones in the arrivals area, after Customs.
If you're a deaf passenger travelling through Heathrow, the free Convo service makes communication easy. No app, no booking - just scan a QR code and get instant access to a qualified British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
The interpreter will help you communicate with Heathrow colleagues, wherever you are in the airport. This includes:
The Heathrow app supports screen readers like VoiceOver and Talkback making it accessible for passengers with blindness, low vision, and colour blindness. Download the Heathrow app for real-time flight updates, interactive maps and information on transport to the airport. You can also skip the queues by pre-ordering food and drink from airport restaurants.
Assistance dogs are welcome at Heathrow. Take a look at our dedicated Assistance Dogs page to help you prepare for your visit to Heathrow and beyond.
There are reserved seating areas in every terminal within the general seating areas, marked by signs. They generally have:
Journey times to gates will vary depending on the terminal and your destination. To help cover these distances we provide moving walkways, lifts and a transfer shuttle in Terminal 5.
Departure gates are subject to change and prior notice will be given on the flight information screens in the terminal. You can also check departure gates with your airline at check-in.
Use our interactive map to preview all walking distances, or see below for approximate timings.
All departure gates in the main terminal ('A' gates) are approximately 200m (about five minutes) from security. Gates in satellite terminal T2B ('B' gates) are 800m (about 20 minutes) from security. UK and Ireland flights depart from 'A' gates.
The majority of departure gates are 800m (about 20 minutes) from security.
Most departure gates are approximately 200m (about five minutes) from security. Some are 400m (about 10 minutes) from security.
All gates in the main terminal ('A' gates) are approximately 400m (about ten minutes) from security. Gates in satellites T5B and T5C ('B' and 'C' gates) are 600m (about 15 minutes) from security (via transit system). Domestic and EU flights usually depart from 'A' gates, other international departures from 'B' and 'C' gates.
You can plan your route and view the distances between all locations using our interactive maps.
If you require a wheelchair for your journey but don't need an agent to push you, you are welcome to use any of our purple Staxi chairs. Just pick up one up free of charge from one of our Assistance areas.
Narrow enough for to fit the aisle of the aircraft, smaller aisle chairs are used for passengers who need assistance getting onto the aircraft and into the aircraft seat.
Buggies may be used instead of staxi chairs at certain parts of your journey within the terminal. Family members can also travel if there is space, otherwise our team will let them know where to meet you.
Accessible transport between terminals is available to help passengers with reduced mobility. If you have passed through Immigration and Arrivals, an Assistance bus is available from the terminal forecourts.
So that we can assist as many passengers as possible, we sometimes use an i-caddy: a set of interlinkable wheelchairs in a row, pushed by an agent and an electric driver system.
You are always welcome to use your own mobility equipment. For info on how to prepare for travel, visit our Accessibility and Mobility FAQs.
If you are travelling with someone, we also offer a self-serve wheelchair service available in all terminals.
Simply take a wheelchair from the designated area, and your companion can assist you through the terminal. Once you're finished using the wheelchair, leave it in a safe space and the assistance team will collect it.
If there are no wheelchairs available, contact a member of the assistance team using a help point or by visiting the assistance host area.
To speak to someone at Heathrow, contact us on our helpline: +44 (0)20 8757 2700. The helpline is open 05:00 to 23:00.
Outside of these hours, you can still contact us if you're in the airport. Just look out for one of the help points which are located in all official car parks, designated drop-off points, and bus, train, and Underground stations. On the help points, simply use the push button or telephone to talk to one of our team.
Wheelchairs and heavy bags are not permitted on the escalators - please use our accessible lifts which are available throughout the airport.
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