Terminal 2 at London Heathrow Airport opened this week following a €2.5 billion renovation, with United Airlines first to move in.

United's Star Alliance partners began consolidating operations at the updated facility, with all 23 alliance members operating at the major business hub to collocate within six months. "Once all airlines are in residence, connections for transfer passengers will be smoother than ever before at Heathrow, with a standardized minimum connection time of just 60 minutes," according to a Star Alliance statement. Terminal upgrades include reconfigured check-in areas, common-use self-service kiosks that enable bag-tag printing, fast-track security checkpoints for premium passengers and four airline lounges. Additionally, "eight out of 12 gates at the T2B satellite will allow self-boarding, meaning passengers simply pass through a mechanical barrier to board their flight," according to Star.