London Heathrow’s best Terminal is 5, but you will also find some of the best Heathrow airport lounges in Terminal 3 and Terminal 4.
Interestingly, Heathrow Terminal Four is situated to the south of the southern runway, next to the cargo terminal. Some of the airport lounges in this Terminal have great views, others have hardly any view at all.
The flights that operate from Terminal 4 are mainly for long-haul and European destinations, with Air France, Etihad Airlines, and KLM being some of the major airlines flying from this terminal.
Heathrow’s Terminal 4 is also home for many SkyTeam member airlines including Aeroflot, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, China Eastern, Garuda Indonesian, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines and Xiamen Air, so there’s a dedicated SkyTeam lounge in the terminal for SkyTeam elite members and premium passengers that pass through the terminal. This lounge can also be accessed with your Priority Pass but in our opinion, this is not the best Priority Pass lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 4.
The best Priority Pass lounge at Terminal 4 is the Plaza Premium Terminal 4 followed by the SkyTeam Lounge Terminal 4 followed by the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge Heathrow Terminal 4.
1. Qatar Airways Premium Lounge, Terminal 4
First and Business Class passengers flying with Qatar Airways and Oneworld First and Business Class passengers can access the Qatar Airways Premium Lounge, Terminal 4. Opening hours are related to Qatar flight departures, and the lounge is open 3 hours before the first Qatar flight leaves.
This lounge is simply stunning. The chandelier with candles on it and white orchids at the entrance set the scene for this utterly stylish lounge. Within the lounge, more attention to detail is highlighted by magnificent copper lamps above the buffet and real olive trees placed between the seating, providing a natural barrier between the seats.
The bar area is another stylish place to hang out with a mirrored base, the same lovely copper lamps, and an array of spirits. You can sit on the bar stools or on the surrounding sofas and look out at the tarmac through floor to ceiling windows.
The food here is great and is a choice between buffet and a la carte food and there is also a bar area. The food is laid out into starters on the left, which are little bowls of olives and nibbles. There is then a whole array of appealing salads and prawns and meat on skewers. If that isn’t enough, there is a huge cabinet full of desserts too.
Then again a buffet could be considered crass when you also have free a la carte option for food. On offer with your fine dining is a great selection of wonderful wines or Brut Laurent Perrier Champagne if you prefer. The food in the a la carte is things like pan-fried sea bass, lamb, beef burgers, fillet of beef, and so forth. Vegetarians have vegetable biryani or salads without meat.
This lounge also has showers with luxury gels, nice bathrooms and it also has a business center.
The whole lounge is a top-class experience. The feel is Arabian and you will be sad to leave. I think it is the best airport lounge at London Heathrow Terminal Four.
2. Etihad The House Lounge, Terminal 4
The second best airport lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4 is probably the Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge, which can be found directly below the SkyTeam lounge in Terminal 4. I reviewed this lounge before my First Class flight on an Etihad Airbus A380 London to Abu Dhabi.
This Etihad lounge is located in front of gate number 10 (from where its Airbus A380s depart). It is accessible to both First and Business Class passengers, who share all the facilities. You can get free access to this lounge is by flying Business Class with Etihad or Air Malta, Air Serbia, or Alitalia, who also share the lounge.
This lounge is quite small and, dare I say it, a little dated. I felt the mustard leather chairs looked tired in places when compared to the Qatar T4 lounge. The lounge is divided into 3 areas: one seating area with comfortable chairs, a restaurant with a bar, and a room where the buffet is displayed and with more comfortable lounge chairs.
There’s also a small business center, a spa, a kids club, and a prayer room. Although the lounge features floor-to-ceiling windows, the views are not great since the space is located in the basement of the terminal and since there is a corridor between the lounge’s windows and the outside windows.
There is a bar along the window side of the main room which serves up an extensive range of wines and alcoholic options and the overall feel was of a cozy living room. There are always several servers walking around in the lounge, so you never have to get up to get a drink which is a nice touch. Beyond this are some classy bathrooms.
Food-wise, there is a buffet and an a la carte menu. In the rather limited buffet (which is nowhere near as good as the Qatar buffet above) breakfast includes all the usuals; bread and jams, cereals, smoked salmon and turkey ham, muffins, yogurts, and fruit.
At lunch, the buffet is substantial with bowls of beef stroganoff, chicken breast, penne arrabbiata, and similar, with several cold options to choose from (e.g. sandwiches, wraps, salads, humus) in addition to some hot dishes.
The a la carte at breakfast includes things like eggs, cooked to your preference, with chicken sausages, turkey bacon, grilled tomato, baked beans, button mushrooms, eggs benedict, and waffle but the food isn’t great.
The a la carte at lunch includes things like cod, chicken breast, and vegetarian curry. You can see the menu I tried above in my photos.
The spa, which is run by Six Senses, offers a range of treatments, but they aren’t free unless you’re traveling in First Class, so if you’re traveling in Business Class and are not or a top-tier Etihad Guest, treatments have to be paid for.
3. Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge, T4
The Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge can be found by Gate 6 at Heathrow Terminal 4. It is split into First and Business Class areas which can be accessed by flyers on Oneworld airlines in either First or Business Class as well as Oneworld Emerald cardholders and Oneworld Sapphire cardholders.
The lounge is open for four hours prior to Malaysia Airlines’ morning and evening departures out of Heathrow. While this is one of the best lounges at Terminal 4, it is not nearly as good as the impressive Qatar lounge reviewed above.
The First Class section offers an a la carte menu as well as a self-service buffet, a shower room, and two computer work stations. The Business Class side also has access to shower facilities, a buffet, and a bar. Both sides have floor to ceiling windows and great views of the runway.
Within the First Class lounge, there is a First Class buffet and it is really good with hot and cold options with a mix of western and Malaysian foods. Things like sausage, baked beans, scrambled eggs, and grilled tomatoes, Mee Goreng, Nasi Lemak, and Squid Sembal. There are also sandwiches, fish, cheeses, and fruit. For their the a la carte menu, all food is prepared and cooked directly on-site and it is very good.
The Business Class lounge larger than the First Class side and there are men’s and women’s prayer rooms and a children’s playroom. There is a similar buffet and lots of seating. The decor, in the two lounges, is virtually the same but the First Class lounge is quieter and has the a la carte menu.
4. Plaza Premium Lounge Terminal 4
Unsurprisingly, the Priority Pass lounges at London Heathrow Terminal 4 are not the best lounges at the airport.
That said, the Plaza Premium Lounge Terminal 4 really is rather good, and while the SkyTeam lounge, just past security, is also a good lounge and easily the most convenient Priority Pass lounge to access, it is worth trekking further into the departures lounge to the quieter Plaza Premium lounge. The Plaza Premium Lounge in Terminal 4 has better food than the SkyTeam Lounge and it is more peaceful, making it the best Priority Pass lounges at London Heathrow.
The lounge has decent food, a bar, the decor is stylish and there are reclining chairs in a darkened room if you need sleep. While the lounge is definitely nice looking, it doesn’t make it to the top of our list because it lacks any views of the planes and runways. The SkyTeam Lounge Terminal 4 is the better lounge to chose for views. It does have floor to ceiling windows and skylights offering plenty of natural light. It also has sofa seats, well armchairs, by the windows and seats with desks in booths, it is very well laid out. There is also a cafe area where the buffet is located, as well as a bar area.
The buffet here is really good, lots of salads (maybe 7 varieties in total) sandwich wraps, cheeses, 5 hot dishes in 3 heated vats, cans of drink, and a tea and coffee machine. There is also a bar area with alcoholic drinks, spirits, wine, and beer along with a bowl of tacos or crisps with 6 dips including salsa, olives, guacamole, etc. All the food seems nutritious and fresh.
This lounge is very good. It is better and quieter than the SkyTeam lounge reviewed below, but it doesn’t have a spa. Why not pop into the SkyTeam lounge, get your 20-minute treatment for free, then head over to the, arguably better, Plaza Premium Lounge Terminal 4, for a more relaxing wait in Heathrow Terminal 4?
5. SkyTeam Lounge Terminal 4
This is SkyTeam’s Business Class airport lounge for a number of SkyTeam airlines. It has good runway views but lacks style and has adequate but not noteworthy food and drinks. You can access this lounge with your Priority Pass.
This SkyTeam lounge is just past security at London Heathrow. It is accessed for free by Skyteam Elite members and those flying in Business or First on SkyTeam member airlines including Aeroflot, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, China Eastern, Garuda Indonesian, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines, and Xiamen Air.
It has a stylish, jungly look, like something out of the 1970s with lots of bright oranges and colored lighting. Choose a seat along the wall of the main room on the entrance-level floor, for views out to Heathrow’s two runways.
There is loads of seating from armchairs, cafe booths to booths with desks, and a buffet area upstairs for hot food. The food here is fairly mediocre and not nearly as good as the Plaza Premium Lounge Terminal 4 reviewed above.
You can choose from a bowl of pasta or baked beans, potato wedges, and greens. The look is “motorway cafe” food rather than luxurious airport lounge dining! There are plenty of pastries and cakes and crisps (Walkers in packets), but again, nothing of amazing quality even though there is enough to fill you up. Drinks are pretty good with lots of cans, as well as alcoholic options, beer, cider, wine, spirits and coffee, tea, and so forth.
The Clarins Spa here is a highlight and you can have a free 20-minute treatment like a facial, so it is worth picking up a facial here, even if you then head to the Plaza Premium Lounge Terminal 4 for the better food and quieter atmosphere.
6. Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge Heathrow Terminal 4
We have not, unfortunately, visited this Priority Pass lounge, so have placed it at the bottom of our list.
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