First look: London Heathrow's new Terminal 2

London's Heathrow Airport will officially open its new Terminal 2, known as The Queen's Terminal, on June 4, 2014.

Consisting of a main building and a satellite terminal (Terminal 2 B) connected by a passenger tunnel, the $4.1 billion terminal will eventually be the home of 23 Star Alliance airlines that serve Heathrow, as well as Aer Lingus, Germanwings and Virgin Atlantic Little Red.

Designed to accommodate up to 20 million passengers a year, Terminal 2 will open in phases, in hopes of avoiding some of the glitches and equipment meltdowns that occurred when the airport opened Terminal 5 in March 2008. United Airlines will move all its Heathrow flights and operations to T2 on June 4, with the other airlines moving in during the next six months.

While the terminal is still a work-in-progress, trials to test the terminal operations are underway and some preview tours are taking place to show off the parts that are done.

Photos from a terminal tour I took last week, along with images of United Airline's two new Terminal 2 departure lounges, are in the slideshow above.

Here's what's in store for passengers:

Arrive

A 77-ton, 230-foot long twisting aluminum sculpture titled Slipstream, by British artist Richard Wilson, hangs in the covered court leading into Terminal 2 and is impossible to miss. The sculpture gives form to the imagined flight path of a stunt plane and it was Wilson's intention, says Heathrow, "to transpose the thrill of the air-show to the architectural environment of the international air terminal."

Entering the terminal, passengers will be able to check-in at any of 66 self-serve kiosks that will print out boarding cards and bag tags and tag their own bags before moving on to any of 60 common bag drop check-in desks.

Fifty-six full-service check-in desks for premium passengers and economy travelers who need assistance will also be available and, once past security, many travelers will be able to board their planes using self-service boarding technology at the gates.

Eat and drink

The airport's departure lounge and gate hold areas are light and airy, with 63 shops, bars and restaurants, including seven restaurants that will have views of the airfield. Many shops will focus on trendy British brands and many restaurants will be projects of high-profile London chefs.

Britain's iconic department store John Lewis will open its first airport shop in T2, and Heathrow's team of personal shoppers will have a lounge where they can present the products they've picked out for passengers who have requested that service.

Dining highlights include a restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal (with liquid nitrogen ice cream on the menu), an exclusive Heathrow beer served at London's Pride by Fullers and The Gorgeous Kitchen, a restaurant created by local female chefs.

Amenities

In addition to a pharmacy, Terminal 2 will have attended play areas for kids and 100 power poles and seated plug-in devices (which I suspect will prove to be insufficient for the number of travelers using the terminal).

There will be a wide variety of independent and airline-branded lounges for those seeking a little extra pampering, free Wi-Fi that lasts longer than 90 minutes, and a better chance at finding a power plug to charge up their gadgets,.

The Plaza Premium Lounge (with locations in arrivals and departures) will be Terminal 2's only independent pay-per-visit lounge and will have lounge seating, eight sleeping suites, a business center, Wi-Fi enabled workstations, shower rooms, private resting areas and a restaurant.

Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines will have lounges for their premium passengers, as will United Airlines, which will have an arrivals lounge with 17 shower suites as well as two departure lounges: the United Global First Lounge (for first-class passengers) and the United Club, a 280-seat retreat with a 25-seat bar, a TV lounge, private phone booths and two buffet areas for United Club members, United's business-class passengers, Star Alliance Gold members and business-class customers traveling on other Star Alliance carriers.

The two United Airlines lounges will share eight shower suites that include the added perk of valet service for pressing and steaming garments.

Harriet Baskas is the author of seven books, including Hidden Treasures: What Museums Can't or Won't Show You, and the Stuck at the Airport blog. Follow her on Twitter at @hbaskas.