Come next year, it will be battle of the terminals at London's Heathrow Airport (www.heathrowairport.com/). Terminal 3, home to Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com/), is currently undergoing a revamp, while the brand-new Terminal 5, home to British Airways (www.britishairways.com/), is being constructed. Although both carriers are touting things like new lounges and railway stations, the amenity customers are most looking forward to is a faster and more efficient check-in process.

In fact, Virgin Atlantic, which will be the first to debut its terminal later this year, said that fast, efficient and stress-free check-in are the three key factors for passengers, according to internal research.

The most prominent feature of T3, which has been designed by Foster + Partners in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic, is its "Upper-Class Drive-Thru Check-In." This allows for first and business class passengers to be chauffeured up a curved ramp directly to the terminal, where they will be greeted by a Virgin Atlantic host who will complete all the formalities of check-in, including document checks and some security questions, while the passenger is still in the car. From there, passengers proceed to security, through to the Clubhouse and then onto the gate. For economy passengers, the airline is providing online and kiosk check-in.

Back in March, transportation officials at the European Union unanimously approved the "Open Skies" agreement, which will liberalize transatlantic air travel, allowing for greater competition between U.S. and European carriers. What's more, many experts believe the agreement may revolutionize the industry, prompting consolidation among European airlines, reducing transatlantic fares, introducing more routes and frequencies and establishing more antitrust immunity among airline alliances.

Come March 2008, when the Open Skies agreement between the United States and Europe goes into full effect, the landscape of who flies where will drastically change. Until then, routes, timetables and—perhaps most important—slots at London's Heathrow Airport are up for grabs, with some airlines aggressively pursuing certain routes, while others are playing it a little more coyly.

Some of the more exciting points of the treaty allow for carriers to explore previously unchartered territory, in turn beefing up competition and travelers' options. For one, the agreement states that European airlines can operate flights to the U.S. from any country in Europe, which means a carrier like British Airways can now fly from Paris to New York, competing with the likes of Air France and even all business-class carriers like L'Avion. In fact, British Airways announced in May that it has set up a project team to review plans to operate direct services between the U.S. and what it has deemed key EU business cities. "We are looking at various destinations in Europe such as Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Brussels and Milan," said Lisa Lam, a spokesperson with the airline. "In the U.S., New York would be an obvious destination. The service would provide a premium product targeted at the business market.

Similarly, experts note that larger carriers may also enter markets until now dominated by smaller European airlines, meaning an airline like Lufthansa could march into TAP Portugal's territory in southern Europe—a move the carrier is currently rumored to be contemplating through the possible acquisition of Spanish airline Spanair.