New research from Which? has found luxury in short supply at UK airport lounges – and travellers are often paying more for less after price hikes of 37 per cent since 2019.
Which? found that the price of entry to airport lounges has soared in recent years, but in recent visits, it found facilities in decline.
The consumer champion’s researchers anonymously visited 20 UK airport lounges and assigned them a rating of between one and five stars. To establish a star rating, reviewers took into account facilities on offer, such as toilets and showers, whether the lounges offered a runway view, whether there were designated quiet areas and spaces for families, as well as the food and drink selection available.
Overall, few lounges impressed. Just a quarter of those visited (five out of 20) managed a rating of three out of five stars or above. Value for money was a particular issue. Lounges that cost an average of £29 when booked in advance in 2019 cost as much as £40 to pre-book this year – a rise of 37 per cent. Yet while prices have risen, the consumer champion found facilities have largely got worse.
Perks like made-to-order meals and spas have been slowly phased out by many lounges in the last few years, but this year the consumer champion’s researchers found even toast may now be a remnant of the past – with many lounges removing toasters amid concerns they may be a fire hazard.Heathrow arguably had the poorest offer in terms of the airport lounges Which? visited, as it was home to the only lounges reviewers rated just one star - Heathrow Plaza Premium Terminal 5 and Heathrow Terminal 3 No1 Lounge.
On Which?’s visit to Heathrow Plaza Premium Terminal 5, even basics like coffee were hard to come by, as the machine was out of order – not what visitors might expect when paying up to £47.50 per person on entry (or £43 if booking in advance). Adding to the poor impression, Which?’s reviewer encountered sopping floors in the toilets, ‘cheap and nasty’ food options and poor service – ultimately branding it the ‘worst’ lounge they’d ever visited.
Heathrow’s Terminal 3 No1 Lounge was no better, with Which?’s reviewer encountering wet chairs. Though these aren’t problems that would be found on every visit, Which?’s experience showed that random failings were depressingly common.
The remaining lounges Which? visited at Heathrow - Heathrow Terminal 5 Club Aspire and Heathrow Plaza Premium Terminal 2 - both scored two stars, particularly disappointing when the latter was also one of the most expensive lounges, at a cost of £48 on the door.In contrast, Which? found travellers at Gatwick had the best lounges of any London airport.
Gatwick My Lounge South was the joint highest scoring in the survey, with a four-star rating. At £38, it was averagely priced, and offered comfortable seating, a good selection of hot meals, and self-serve beer and wine – avoiding the need to queue at the bar. Its outdoor terrace is also the only place in any major UK airport terminal where smoking and vaping are permitted.
Other lounges at Gatwick included the No1 Lounge at Gatwick North, with a three star rating, and No1 Lounge Gatwick South with a score of two and a half stars. Both had impressive runway views and decent food and sparkling wine included in the £38 advance entry fee, but the latter lounge was let down by ‘grubby’ toilets.
Clubrooms Gatwick North was the most expensive option at the airport at £42 in advance or £48 on the door, but didn’t live up to its price tag with smelly toilets contributing to a score of two and half stars.
Plaza Premium Gatwick North was the lowest rated at the airport with a two star score, where Which? found a ‘cheap’ seeming hotel-style buffet, and a crowded room. However, its modern, clean toilets were a bonus.
At Stansted, reviewers rated the airport’s only lounge, Stansted Escape, three stars. Which? found the lounge lived up to its name and offered plenty of space despite being fully booked. The recently refurbished lounge offered only a limited dinner menu, but items were quickly replaced.
Which? reviewers also reported an average experience at Luton My Lounge, which received a score of 2.5 stars. A recent refurbishment impressed with bright and airy décor, and children were thrilled by the pancake machine, however gloomy toilets and uncleaned tables took the sheen off.
At Manchester Airport’s Terminal 1 – scheduled for closure in late 2025 – Which?’s reviewers were largely underwhelmed. Manchester Terminal 1 Escape was uninviting, with low ceilings and gloomy strip lights, and over-promised when it came to its food, which was advertised as featuring the “finest regional ingredients”.
Manchester Terminal 1 Aspire Lounge scored slightly better with a two and half star rating, but at £9 more than its rival Escape Lounge, still failed to offer value for money.
At Edinburgh Airport, Which? found one of the best rated lounges, tied with Gatwick South’s My Lounge on four stars. The airport’s Premium Plaza Lounge received four stars and had great facilities for children, including table football, air hockey and even a small climbing wall. Crucially, this was in a separate area from the adult bar – ensuring peace and quiet. Breakfast included haggis and was of good quality, even late morning.
Other Scottish lounges were less impressive, with Glasgow The Lomond Lounge receiving 2.5 stars, and Inverness Aspire receiving two stars.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said:
“The best airport lounges should offer a comfortable escape from increasingly chaotic terminals – and even a touch of luxury – but when we went undercover this year we found even passable lounges in short supply.The cost of some lounges were galling for the service received.
“Some lounges like Gatwick My Lounge South and Edinburgh Plaza Premium bucked the trend and impressed. If you do intend to book, do so through the airport or a comparison site, as we found booking directly with the airport lounge was more expensive.”
How to save money on lounges:
- Shop around: Which? found it is usually cheaper to book a lounge through the airport website or a third party like Holiday Extras, rather than the lounge operator directly, so it is worth shopping around before booking. The one exception was where a lounge operator offered a two hour booking, rather than three.
- If you’re planning to visit more than five lounges a year a basic Priority Pass (£69 for first year, or offer at £51 a year at time of writing) might make sense. Lounge access with the pass costs a flat £24 per person.
- Some credit cards include lounge access as a perk, so it’s worth checking if you already have this. For example, an Amex Gold card gives you free lounge entry four times a year, while Barclaycard Avios Plus gets you into most lounges for £18.50.About Which?
Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.
Which?’s results can be found at https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/airports/article/best-and-worst-uk-airport-lounges-aesGK0P1j9Vd
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