In this trip report, I review British Airways Airport Lounges in London Heathrow Terminal 3 & 5, Gatwick, New York JFK, LAX, and the iconic Concorde Rooms. Collectively we’ve flown with British Airways many times and have also reviewed British Airways First Class flights and British Airways Business Class flights.
The Concorde Room is only available at London’s Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 and New York’s JFK Airport (with smaller, less extensive Concorde bars at Dubai Airport and Singapore Airport). These Airport Lounges can only be accessed if you’re flying First Class on an airline in the Oneworld alliance (one guest is welcome as well) or if you hold a Concorde Room card, given out for earning 5,000 tier points in a year.
British Airways also offers an exclusive First Lounge at Heathrow and only a First Lounge at Gatwick (there is no Concorde Room at Gatwick).
Which Lounge is best? Well, it has to be the Concorde Room at Heathrow, which offers iconic styling and a much more serene environment than the busy Galleries Lounges. The prize for the best Airport Lounges in the world does, however, probably go to Qatar Airways for its jaw-dropping Al Safwa First Class Lounge in Doha’s new Hamad International Airport.
You will find all our British Airways lounge reviews below, starting with those in Heathrow Terminal 5 with the Concorde room & First Lounges for First passengers. The Galleries Lounges are available for those traveling in Club Europe or Club World. I have also included the Aspire lounge, which is the paid or Priority Pass lounge that you can use out Terminal 5 if you are traveling in Economy. We’ve reviewed the Terminal 3 British Airways and Aspire Lounges, followed by the two South Terminal BA Lounges in Gatwick (picture above is from the First Lounge at Gatwick). I also include reviews of the British Airways Singapore Lounge in Changai Airport, the British Airways Lounge at JFK, the British Airways Lounge at Brussels Airport, the BA Terraces Lounge at Berlin Airport, and the BA Oneworld Lounge at Los Angeles LAX.
British Airways Airport Lounge Reviews
Review of The Concorde Room Terminal 5
British Airways has five Club Lounges in London Heathrow Terminal 5. The most accessible are the Galleries Club South and Galleries Club North lounges, open to First or Club class passengers (including Club Europe) and Gold or Silver members of BA's Executive Club. The next step up is the Galleries First lounge, for First class passengers and Gold Executive Club members. The Concorde room epitomizes elegance and the pinnacle of Club Lounges at Heathrow Terminal 5.
Review: British Airways Galleries First Lounge Terminal 5
The British Airways Galleries First Lounge in London Heathrow Terminal 5 is spacious, embraces the daylight, and has a lot of food on display: a fresh soup bar, hot and cold entrees, lots of snacks, full coffee stations with all sorts of cappuccino, and lattes, and a vast selection of wines, beers, and spirits.
Review: British Airways Galleries South Lounge Heathrow Terminal 5
I used the British Airways Galleries Club South Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5 in April 2023 when my family and I flew out of Terminal 5 in British Airways Club Europe. This in our opinion, is the best Business Class lounge in Terminal 5. It’s worth mentioning the changes to this lounge since COVID-19. Straight after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, this lounge was horribly busy, but I am pleased to report that this lounge is now much quieter, and you can now find seats without too much problem.
Review: British Airways Galleries North Airport Lounge Terminal 5
Terminal 5 exclusively hosts British Airways flights, and we have reviewed the British Airways Galleries North Airport Lounge Terminal 5 below. You can access the British Airways Airport lounges in London Heathrow Terminal 5 by buying or upgrading your ticket to Club Europe, Club World, or First Class. Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald members, and British Airways Executive Club Silver or Gold, also get free access to this lounge, whatever class of travel they are flying.
Review: British Airways Galleries Club Lounge Terminal 3
On our most recent trip to Budapest, we departed from London Heathrow Terminal 3. As we were flying in Club Europe, we had access to the British Airways Galleries Business Class Lounge in Terminal 3. While we were in Budapest, we reviewed The Ritz-Carlton Budapest, Hotel Matild Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, and Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest, so you might want to take a look at these reviews if you fancy a bit of luxury for less. Budapest was remarkably good value with hotel prices less than half what you'd pay for the same brand elsewhere.
Club Aspire Lounge Heathrow Terminal 3
In this article I review the facilities at the soon-to-launch Club Aspire Lounge at Heathrow terminal 3. Club Aspire will open to the public in October 2016. Located near Gate 9, the new lounge will open as a number of new airlines start serving Terminal 3 (including Delta Air Lines, Philippine Airlines and Garuda Indonesia).
Review & Pictures Of Gatwick South British Airways Business Lounge
The new British Airways Business lounge for Club passengers and First lounge is open at London Gatwick’s South Terminal, and it is an absolute cracker. Following a late opening due to electrical teething troubles, the lounge is now fully functional if a little hot. While I was there, the air conditioning was clearly not working, and the room was a balmy 24’C ish - not a problem for me, but another passenger complained that the heat was "disgraceful". Other than this issue, the lounge really was rather good.
Review: British Airways Gatwick South First Class Lounge
Being brutally honest, in looks and seating alone, the First class British Airways lounge at Gatwick South is no better than the Business Club Lounge at Gatwick South which we have already reviewed with pictures. In fact, the seating on offer is pretty much identical, although the room itself is a more intimate space. What the First Class lounge does offer over the Business lounge is a quieter atmosphere and arguably a better view of the planes. You see, the Business lounge is partially overlooking an airport road and the top of part of the terminal.
Review: British Airways Galleries North Airport Lounge Terminal 5
Terminal 5 exclusively hosts British Airways flights, and we have reviewed the British Airways Galleries North Airport Lounge Terminal 5 below. You can access the British Airways Airport lounges in London Heathrow Terminal 5 by buying or upgrading your ticket to Club Europe, Club World, or First Class. Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald members, and British Airways Executive Club Silver or Gold, also get free access to this lounge, whatever class of travel they are flying.
Review: British Airways Singapore Airport Concorde Bar And Lounge
British Airways transformed its Business and First Class lounge at Singapore's Changi Airport. The centerpiece of the new British Airways Singapore Lounge is the Concorde Bar. An exclusive lounge for BA's elite First Class passengers and top-tier Executive Club frequent flyers. The British Airways Singapore Lounge will open its door daily from 3:00 pm until the 11:15 pm departure of flight BA16 to London. You must travel in British Airways first class and business class to enter.
Review: British Airways Galleries Lounge JFK Terminal 7
Several Oneworld airlines use Terminal 7 of New York’s JFK Airport - British Airways, BA OpenSkies, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, and Qantas. However, there are only two Oneworld lounges in JFK Terminal 7: the British Airways Galleries Club Lounge and the British Airways Concorde Room. The more exclusive Concorde Room is only open to passengers flying First Class on British Airways or those holding a Concorde Room Card when flying any Oneworld carrier. The British Airways Galleries Lounge has a First Class and Business Class section.
British Airways Terraces Lounge Review, Berlin Tegel Airport
In my recent trip to Berlin, I stopped by the British Airways Terraces Lounge at Berlin Tegel airport. Berlin Tegel is quite a messy airport to say the least, with almost every gate having their own mini immigration and security area instead of a centralised one. As such, the British Airways Terraces Lounge is actually located before security in Terminal A, on the 1st floor opposite the Starbucks. The Air France lounge is located one floor above the British Airways lounge. To get to the lounge, you can walk up a flight of stairs or take the elevator up to the first floor.
Review: Oneworld British Airways Airport Lounge, Los Angeles
This article reviews the Oneworld® British Airways lounge at Los Angeles Airport (LAX). There are 7 terminals at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), plus the Tom Bradley International Terminal. All have at least one lounge, and there are five at the Tom Bradley Terminal, one of which is the Oneworld® Alliance Lounge.
Review: British Airways Galleries First Class Airport Lounge, O.R. Tambo International
In this article, we review the British Airways Galleries First Class airport lounge at O.R. Tambo International Airport. We reviewed this lounge before traveling in First Class on the British Airways A380 from Johannesburg to London Heathrow. The First Class lounge or Galleries First lounge is located to the left of the small reception desk, while the Business Class or Galleries Club lounge is located to the right. Both lounges are only open from 3:00 - 9:00 pm daily to accommodate BA's twice-daily services, one on their A380 and one on their B747 between Johannesburg and London.
Review: British Airways First Class Airport Lounge San Francisco
The exclusive British Airways First Class airport lounge in San Francisco is a cute small lounge that is accessed through the Club Lounge via swing doors with portholes. This lounge suffers from under capacity and on occasions, there are no seats left to occupy. It comprises comfy chairs, upgrades on food, and plentiful drinks. It does feel very private clubesque and is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop! Its location is very convenient, very close to the gates.
Review: British Airways Business Class Lounge, Amsterdam Airport
I arrived for an early flight from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to Heathrow and quickly reviewed this British Airways lounge. I was pleasantly greeted by the receptionist. There were few people in the lounge, so access to food and drink was plentiful. Power points where plentiful, and the lounge was split into two parts, tables and chairs for eating and working, or casual loungers and sofas to relax preflight. It has a very efficient business feel about the place, not a hangout place to pass hours of time pondering your next trip.
Review: British Airways Business Class Airport Lounge San Francisco
Having frequented the British Airways Galleries Business Class airport lounge at San Francisco on many occasions, it is simply too small to deal with a 747 and a 380 departing within three hours of each other. This makes it one of the worst British Airways airport lounges that I have experienced. You can read all my British Airways airport lounge reviews separately. The earlier flight is a 747, and you can access the plane directly from the lounge. This was not possible with my flight on the BA A380, and it requires different gates to facilitate the larger aircraft.
Review: Priority Pass British Airways Lounge, Nice Airport
British Airways flies out of Nice Airport to London Heathrow from Nice Terminal 1. There is a Priority Pass VIP lounge that British Airways Club Europe travelers have access to, ideally located just above the international departure gate for these British Airways flights. Because of the flight times, this lounge is also often shared by Emirates passengers flying to Dubai, which also goes in the afternoon from these gates from Nice Airport. This is the lounge that British Airways Business Class passengers get access to at Nice Airport.
I also compare British Airways Club World Vs. Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, American Airlines Vs. British Airways and British Airways Vs. Emirates Vs. Etihad Vs. Qatar, Best First Class Airline and the best airlines to fly to Europe in Business Class.
If you are planning to book a flight, don’t book through the airline’s website direct, our flight experts will quote you cheaper for Economy, Premium Economy, Business, and First Class long-haul flights.
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