Heathrow’s 12 Tips of Christmas

Check, check and check again that you do not have any liquid gifts over 100ml in your hand luggage. It doesn’t matter who they’re for or how much they cost, you will have to dispense with these items at security!

Items include: all drinks and syrups; creams, lotions, oils, perfumes; sprays, shaving foam, deodorants, gels and pastes; soups, jams, preserves, chutneys…

…and snow globes!

(Liquid gifts over 100ml should be packed in your checked-in luggage.)

Packing and wrapping headaches can be swiftly overcome by doing all your Xmas shopping at World Duty Free. You can get perfumes, food, liquor, bags, chocolate, limited edition gifts, cigarettes, wine, watches, electronics, jewellery and all sorts of other airport exclusives – all at a pleasing 10% reduction.

You can also save precious time browsing by using our free Reserve & Collect service. Products from most shops at Heathrow are available to pre-order, even if you don’t see them online. Check the Explore Brands page or enter your flight number to see the brands available in each terminal. 

Home Delivery is a service already available at Heathrow, but for the Christmas season only, we are providing the service with no minimum spend so passengers can shop before they depart without worrying about travelling with their purchases.

During school holidays – Christmas included! – parents should look out for the Kids Eat Free* offer. It’s a simple concept: when an adult chooses an item from the main menu your kids can eat for free. With great restaurants to choose from, and a wide range of dishes, they'll be spoilt for choice.

A lot of Heathrow restaurants will also be offering Christmas menus and if you’re in a hurry you can pre-order food and drink with selected restaurants via the Heathrow app (see below). It'll save you time queueing, which means more time to enjoy yourself.

You can track flights, access live queuing times, book parking, discover shopping and dining, and – as we mentioned above – even pre-order your food or beverages on the Heathrow app. Whether it's your first time at Heathrow or you're a frequent traveller, the app is the ideal travel companion to make the most of your Yuletide excursion.

Christmas is a super-busy time for everyone, and early flights can cause even the most organised passenger unwanted stress and anxiety. So why not alleviate some of the pressure by staying at one of our on-site hotels the night before? 

You’ll be able to relax exactly how you want, get a prompt wake-up call, enjoy some tasty food and get to your terminal with the minimum of fuss.

Book the Aerotel at Terminal 3. (Walking distance to Terminal 2 and Heathrow Express, making it easy to travel between all terminals.)

Book the Hilton near Terminal 4. (Seven minutes to Terminal 4 via a covered walkway and less that 15 minutes to Terminals 2, 3 and 5.)

Book the Sofitel near Terminal 5. (Five minutes to Terminal 5 via a covered walkway.)

If you want any trip to go smoothly, it’s important to plan ahead and that’s no different when travelling through Heathrow.

Over the Christmas period, we recommend that passengers arrive at the airport two hours before short-haul flights and three hours before long-haul flights.

We do ask people not to turn up significantly early for your flight, as this can cause unnecessary congestion in the airport. And to please make sure all your travel documents are up to date before you arrive. 

Why not give yourself a treat this Christmas by relaxing and refreshing in style before take-off in one of our premium lounges?

They are less expensive than you think, children are welcome and you have access to a delightful array of complementary foods and beverages – with some seasonal twists to boot!

It’s a slick way of indulging and regrouping before take-off, and everyone should try it once.

Okay, so we know this isn’t always possible – especially at Christmas when there’s inevitably more stuff to carry – but if you are only travelling for a short period of time and don’t need to transport bulky gifts, then you should consider it.

You’ll just need to print your boarding pass, and then you can nip straight through to security to begin your journey. You won’t have to wait to collect any baggage on arrival either – straight to security and out, ready to enjoy the Christmas holidays.

(There are certain rules around hand luggage, so make sure you’re aware of these before you get to the airport.)

We know that Christmas can be a demanding, pressured time and that Heathrow can be a busy place, but we do ask passengers, where possible, to remain in the Christmas spirit.

Being nice really is a superpower, especially at this time of year. A kind word can mean a lot and good vibes really do help a journey run smoother.

Our staff will always try their absolute best to make your time at the airport as comfortable as possible, so try and be nice to them where you can – and look out for other passengers too.