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Terminal velocity for HeathrowCNN gets a peek inside new-look airport
 Heathrow's Terminal Five is on track to open in 2008. BUSINESS TRAVELLER
QUICK VOTEYOUR SAY
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- When Terminal Five at Britain's Heathrow opens in 2008, more than 30 million people a year will pass through what promises to be an airport for the future. CNN has been given a glimpse inside the structure to see how its revolutionary design aims to profit both passengers and retailers. Big enough to hold 50 football pitches, the main terminal building is a breathtaking structure that boasts the largest single-span roof in Europe. The architects say their blueprint eliminates mistakes made at other airports to create a forward-thinking facility. "What we've really tried to address here is that in the future, everybody's going to have their own journey," says Heathrow business strategy advisor Mike Forster. "We're expecting 80 percent of people to have gone on to the Internet and have checked in there, or to come into here and use self-service check-ins. Business travelers in particular like to create their own journey and tailor that to suit their needs." Passengers arriving at the airport by car are dropped off on the same level as the departure forecourt. From there, it's only a short walk to the glass windows of the departure gates. "One thing we've done here, instead of having long distance piers, is to wrap the gates around the central terminal building," says Forster. "If you're dropped off here, you go through, you check-in, you go through the glass to security -- and you will be able to see daylight through security -- it's only 150 meters. Another key consideration is the shopping facilities, which are a major source of revenue at many airports. "Heathrow and Gatwick probably make more money per passenger than any other airport in the world -- they're right up there," says airport retail designer Robbie Gill. "They have been designed for retail, very, very analytically." With passengers spending an average of $30 each, Terminal Five's shops stand to pull in almost one billion dollars a year. But, says Gill, there are often conflicts between an airport's architects and its retail consultants.  Terminal Five will have the largest single-span roof in Europe. "Big name architects tend to be very precious about their buildings. In many cases there's this big worry that retail brings far too much color and far too much vibrancy and interferes with the pristine level of the design. "So we always have an interesting interaction with some of our design colleagues to ensure that the retail is interesting and vibrant and different but it also fits within the envelope of a stunning new building." Forster insists shopping is integral to the design of Terminal Five, but will not get in the passenger's way. "What you're going to see here is the shopping experience we've been able to offer in Heathrow, plus the daylight and the views of planes." Forster says that so certain are the builders that Terminal Five will be finished on time, that they are already looking at installing the baggage handling systems two-years ahead of the opening. "We've never seen an airport that hasn't opened because it hasn't got its roof on, or because it hasn't got the floors there. The reason airports haven't opened in the past -- and you can look at half-a-dozen examples -- is either the bag systems don't work or the security systems don't integrate with the other systems, and we've learned from that. "We've learned what was good and we've also learned what hasn't worked and we think we've captured the best here." CNN's Richard Quest and Neil Curry contributed to this report. 
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