The Aspire Airport Lounge Heathrow Terminal 5 is the lounges you can access with your Priority Pass in Heathrow. If you have an American Express Platinum Card then you can also access the Plaza Premium lounge which is similarly positioned at the other end of the Terminal.
The problem with this lounge is that you are not guaranteed free access with your Priority Pass. This lounge quickly reaches capacity, and if this happens, people who have prepaid to get access get priority over Priority Pass holders with their “free” lounge access. Ultimately, this means that you may be turned away or wait-listed at the entrance to this lounge, and you can’t rely on getting in to relax before your flight.
The same is true for the Plaza Premium lounge in London Heathrow. Your American Express Platinum card will allow you and one guest into the Plaza Premium airport lounge, but if the lounge has been prebooked with paid customers, your American Platinum card gets you to the bottom rather than the top of the queue, and you may not get into this lounge before your flight.
In this trip report, I review the ambiance, food, and drink at the Aspire Airport Lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 5. My family and I used this lounge before a flight to Nice from London Heathrow Terminal 5 in Euro Traveller (BA Economy), as I wasn’t fast enough to snap up 3 Business or Club Class tickets with my Avios.
As I was flying out of Heathrow Terminal 5, I was unable to use the array of British Airways lounges at Terminal 5, so I used my Priority pass to access the Aspire Lounge in Terminal 5 instead, which is a busy lounge that costs around £40 GBP on the door.
How To Access The Aspire Airport Lounge Heathrow Terminal 5
You can pre-book the lounge online (for less) or access it with your Priority Pass for free if you have a credit card that offers a free Priority Pass. Elsewhere, we have already reviewed the Aspire lounge in Terminal 5 in detail but not the food and drink.
Location
This lounge is located to the far right of the main terminal when looking out at the planes.
Style & Character
This time, the lounge was extremely busy; initially, we could not find a seat and had to share a table with other guests. The views from this lounge right over the tarmac are great, much like the views you get at A gates. The setting is nice and airy, with those high Terminal 5 ceilings.
There is plenty of seating in the lounge but it’s difficult to find anywhere that isn’t already being used. There are also a few sleeping cabins.
Food & Drink
The quality of food and drink was also nowhere near that found in the British Airways Galleries Club lounges at Heathrow. This lounge has convinced me that it is worth upgrading to Club Europe (Business Class) on British Airways on outward bound journeys from London Heathrow as this gives you access to the excellent BA Galleries lounges.
The complimentary food at the Aspire Airport Lounge, Heathrow Terminal 5, comprised a self-serve buffet. The hot food included a rice and chicken dish, a pasta and meatball dish, vegetarian samosas, and fresh warm bread rolls.
There was also tomato soup and some scones with clotted cream and jam. In the cold buffet, I tried a variety of very pleasant salads, along with olives, cheeses, and hams. You could also have crisps (salted cheese and onion, salt and vinegar), biscuits from a biscuit barrel, or chocolate cake.
The complimentary non-alcoholic drinks at the Aspire lounge in Heathrow Terminal included a variety of juices, cokes and Fanta, water and tea, coffee, and hot chocolate from one of many machines dotted around. There was also a choice of alcoholic drinks, including Prosecco, spirits, Baileys, Martini, Tia Maria, Gin, Bacardi, Port, and Whisky. There were plenty of beers and wines available.
Is it worth paying for the Aspire Lounge?
I am not convinced for myself and my family at an on-the-door cost of £40 GBP per person. We had tea and a salad with a couple of rolls, but what we ate would have come to under £10 GBP each at sandwich shops like Pret a Manger at Heathrow. I can see that if you intend to make use of the alcoholic drinks along with the food, you could justify the price, but for me, as Heathrow T5 is such an impressive terminal, I am equally happy trying one of their restaurants pre-flight.
If you have a Priority Pass, the lounge becomes cheaper or is free, which is worth a try.
It is also worth noting that the lounge has showers and a spa, which you can use for an additional fee. However, there are no toilets in the Lounge, and you must exit to use the facilities shared by the rest of the airport.
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