Observations: Now showing: Airport '09

One of the saving graces of a long-haul flight is the choice of top new movies on hand to alleviate boredom and take passengers' minds off the battery-farm seating plan. Now, British Airways is taking the cinema concept one step further by introducing a screening room to one of their shiny new lounges at Heathrow's Terminal 5. The first film screened there was Two Lovers, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, a choice that utilised the star's links with both New York and London to promote BA's new travel site, www.metrotwin.com. The airport cinema is open only to those with access to the BA lounges, making it rather an exclusive venue, especially as the room seats just 20 travellers. This veteran of tiny screening-rooms enjoyed the free coffee and food on offer and found the seats to be extremely comfortable.

Unfortunately, since the screen up to now has been used predominantly for big sporting events, there is no cinematic projector and just a Goliath-sized flat TV. And, thanks to airport business, there are frequent interruptions as slow-coaches are called for flights that are ready to take off. There are plans to do more screenings open to those not travelling, but this seems unlikely to catch on, given that a Heathrow Express ticket costs more than a visit to the local cinema and the security checks are reminiscent of Fort Knox. But for those using Terminal 5 for a not-so-quick getaway, the airport cinema is sure to be an idea that takes off.