British Airways reopening 2 Heathrow lounges on Saturday

As flights begin to resume, so, too, will the airport experience. Around the world, the airport experience is gradually returning to normal — including with British Airways at London Heathrow.

Beginning July 4, British Airways will reopen its First and Arrivals lounges at London Heathrow Terminal 5. The airline said in a statement that its other lounges will continue to reopen across its network throughout July and early August as flights gradually increase.

Until all of BA's lounges are open, any customer who is eligible for lounge access will be able to use the First lounge on departure in T5. This applies to those traveling in Club World, as well as those with status.

Notably, First passengers will have their own area of the lounge. The terrace area in the First lounge will be converted to a "Concorde Terrace", available only to First passengers and those with a Concorde Room Card.

Related: How can you access British Airways lounges?

When the lounges reopen, BA will begin trialling a new, reduced contact entry method. The airline will use automatic contactless lounge entry screens, which will enable eligible passengers to scan their own boarding pass when entering the lounge. The move will decrease any unnecessary contact with lounge attendants.

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"Upon entry, customers will be provided with a card to place on their seat when the[y] leave, allowing cleaners to thoroughly sanitize the seating area after each use", British Airways said in a statement. "Throughout the lounge customers will also find a number of sanitization stations and safe distance markers".

The airline said that the bathroom and shower facilities will be cleaned after each use.

Food service will change as well. Rather than a traditional buffet-style food selection, passengers will be able to order their food and drink selection online. Once ordered, their selection will be brought directly to them at their seat.

Since the peak of the pandemic, British Airways has consolidated all of its London operations to Heathrow Airport. Furthermore, all of its Heathrow operations have been consolidated from Terminal 3 and Terminal 5 to just Terminal 5.

Related: Heathrow consolidation: The airlines still flying here and from which terminal

Once passengers board, BA passengers can expect a significantly reduced onboard experience in all cabins, with food being served to passengers in snack-boxes, including those in First.