This summer, my family and I flew out of Terminal 5 in British Airways Economy to enjoy a brilliant stay at the Hilton in Venice. This stay was booked via our luxury travel concierge, which gave us free benefits, including resort credit, room upgrade, and free breakfast.
Both my husband and I have Amex Business Platinum Cards, which offer access to Plaza Premium lounges, so this Plaza Premium lounge was our best lounge option before our flight out.
Priority Pass cards are not accepted at Plaza Premium lounges but are accepted at the Aspire lounge at Terminal 5 which is a mirror image of the Plaza Premium lounge. The Plaza Premium tends to be a better choice than the Aspire lounge as it is the less busy of the two lounges, but it can be almost impossible to gain access to this lounge on your American Express Platinum card as the last 3 times we went through Heathrow Terminal 5 we tried to access this lounge and never got further than the waitlist. Do not, therefore, assume you get access with your American Express Platinum Card. Unless Terminal 5 is very quiet, the chances are that you won’t get in.
The Plaza Premium at T5 is located by Gate A7 to the left side of the building when facing out towards the planes (with your back to security). It is more or less underneath the British Airways North Lounge.
Having frequented the British Airways Galleries lounges at Terminal 5, because I usually book Club Europe on our outward leg, I wanted to know if the Plaza Premium paid lounge was as good.
Spoiler alert, while the Plaza Premium lounge was quieter than the busy Galleries lounges in Terminal 5, the food offering, in particular, in the Plaza Premium lounge, was terrible. Unfortunately, this lounge has convinced me to continue booking Club Europe on my outward flight legs as even if you are able to access this lounge, it is nowhere near as good as the British Airways lounges.
On the positive side, my family and I didn’t find it difficult to find a seat. There was plenty of space at the communal table beyond the bar in this lounge. There were also plenty of individual “privacy chairs,” which are ideal for single travelers as they provide privacy and a place to rest your head. So the seating was good here. Actually, it was better than the British Airways lounges from my recent experience, which have tended to be rammed to the rafters and almost impossible to find a seat in.
The ambiance in the lounge was far more peaceful than outside in the rest of the terminal, which was hectic even with the recently reduced capacity limits at London Heathrow. Pleasant Jazz was playing, and it was a calm, pleasant space.
That’s the good. The bad was, unfortunately, the food which was awful. On offer, while I was there, were tasteless mini muffins and rather sorry croissants, and pain au chocolate. Cheese and ham sandwich triangles on brown and white processed bread. Rice. Chicken curry, but all the chicken had been nabbed, so it was just a lemony vegetable sauce. A bean and tomato dish and a further pasta dish (I think it was macaroni cheese).
There were alcoholic drinks at the bar and a limited choice of cans. You can see what I tried to eat in the photos above, but it really wasn’t nice. My family felt the same. Even the cheese sandwich was tasteless.
The food was so bad that I had to go out and buy some food externally to eat in the lounge. When compared to the British Airways lounge, which has fruit, salads, delicious curries, snacks (biscuits and crisps), and even desserts, the Plaza Premium lounge did not compare. You can read my latest review of the food in the British Airways Galleries lounge which you can access when you fly Club Europe.
Would I use this Plaza Premium lounge again over sitting in the terminal if I fly out of London Heathrow in Economy or “Euro Traveller” in the future? Yes because I have a Platinum American Express card, so I get free entrance (assuming I am not just waitlisted) and the atmosphere was more peaceful than the main terminal. Would I pay for it? No. Moreover, I will buy food outside the lounge and bring it in next time.
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