Following numerous Club Europe (British Airways European Business Class) flights out of London Heathrow, I have compared and analyzed the best British Airways airport lounge across terminals 3, 5, and 5B. This full smorgasbord of reviews will help you choose which terminal you should fly out of based on the best airport lounge.
Terminal 5 has five excellent airport lounges in Terminal 5A and Terminal 5B. If your flight departs from Terminal 5C, you must use the lounges in Terminal 5A or 5B, ensuring you leave the lounge at least 40 minutes before your departure time so you don’t miss your flight.
In reality, British Airways chooses which terminal you fly out of, so if your flight is to Vienna or Budapest, you have no choice but to use Terminal 3 lounges. However, if you are flying to destinations like Nice and Venice, and, to be honest, most of British Airways other destinations, you will have the choice of 5 lounges as long as you are flying in premium class.
Stating the blindingly obvious, if you are flying in First Class, your best lounge options are the Concorde Room and the Galleries First Lounge. The Concorde room is the best airport lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5. So you’ll want to pick one of these lounges rather than the busier Galleries lounges. There’s a Galleries First Lounge in Terminals 3 and 5.
If you’re flying in Business or Club Class worldwide or around Europe, it’s the Galleries lounges that you will be invited into, and to give you a spoiler, our favorite Business Class Galleries lounge when choosing between Terminal 5A North and South, Terminal 5B and Terminal 3 is the lounge at Terminal 5B, so if your plane is leaving from the 5B departure gates, we highly reccomend trying this lounge out.
Best Airport Lounges In Heathrow Terminal 5
I love traveling out of London Heathrow. Unlike the comparatively tatty Gatwick, I find its architecture and modern design inspiring. Heathrow is now terribly easy to get to with access by tube or via the new Elizabeth line that stretches more than 100km from Reading and Heathrow in the west through central tunnels across to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. This new railway, built by Crossrail, stops at 41 stations, making getting in and out of central London a breeze.
1. The Concorde Room
The The Concorde Room is definitely the best lounge across London Heathrow, this lounge is situated at Heathrow Terminal 5. This lounge can only be accessed if you’re flying First Class on British Airways (one guest is welcome as well) or hold a Concorde Room card, given out for earning 5,000 tier points in a year. This lounge boasts a Concorde bar and restaurant.
The Concorde Room is BA’s most exclusive lounge category, and I first reviewed this lounge in 2015, it was better than the other Business and First Class lounges that BA offers across the globe. The Concorde Room is the very best lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 5.
The Concorde Room is only available at London’s Heathrow Airport and New York’s JFK Airport (with smaller, less extensive Concorde bars at Dubai Airport and Singapore Airport which we have reviewed).
If you are a top-tier frequent flyer on any other Oneworld airline, like American Airlines, you will not get access to the Concorde Room. Instead, you can access the British Airways First lounge.
If you’re flying Business Class on British Airways, however much you have paid for your ticket, you only get access to one of the three British Airways Business Class Galleries Lounges at Heathrow T5 and one British Airways Business Class Galleries Lounges at Heathrow T3. You will not get access to the Concorde Room or the First Class Lounge.
At Heathrow T5, the Concorde Room can be reached from the escalator, which leads to British Airway’s First and Business lounges. This entrance can be found in front of the First Class lounge and next to the spa entrance.
The lounge itself is reminiscent of the lobby of a boutique hotel. It features the same contemporary decor that can also be found in the other BA lounges and offers a calm and inviting space with luxurious furniture imported from Italy, beautiful chandeliers, and artwork. It is a much quieter space than the hectic Galleries Club Business Class Lounges.
The lounge features stylish high-backed chairs, sofas, and horse statues on dark oak wood floors. A standout feature is the private cabanas, which can be reserved in advance. These cabanas, reminiscent of mini-hotel rooms, offer a secluded space with a comfortable day bed and an en-suite bathroom. Although the lounge is compact and often bustling, there’s ample seating around cozy gas fires. Alternatively, you can explore the opposite side of the lounge and step onto the internal terrace. The terrace is positioned above most of the terminal yet still under the main roof and provides pleasant views of the airport’s concourse and apron.
The center of the lounge comprises a bar and a restaurant area. The bar at the Concorde Room is very stylish, and the staff makes great cocktails. The restaurant space features a collection of stylish private booths and long tables where you are seated next to other passengers. There’s full waiter service and an a la carte menu.
The food quality is not noticeably better than what is served in Galleries First (although significantly better than the Business Class Galleries buffet). Breakfast is extensive and is served until 11:00 am with a solid selection of hot breakfasts: eggs any which way you fancy, full English, boiled egg and soldiers, kipper and poached egg, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, eggs benedict, eggs royale, omelet as well as pastries, cereals, fruit, and juice.
From midday until close, there is an afternoon-evening menu which includes soup of the day and then a varying menu along the lines of duck salad, sea bass (beautifully cooked), ribeye steak, and then permanent offerings of BA Burger, Club Sandwich with desserts like Treacle Tart and cheeses.
If you fly in Business or First, you can use an Elemis Travel Spa with complimentary 15-minute treatments. If you are flying in First Class, you can pre-book treatments within 28 days of departure, while Business Class passengers and BA’s elite frequent flyers can only book them upon arrival at the spa.
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.
2. Galleries First Lounge
The Galleries First Lounge is for First Class passengers and Gold Executive Club members (as well as high tier members of other Oneworld airlines like American Airlines). It hosts a champagne bar.
The crucial difference between the Galleries First and the Concorde Room is that the Concorde Room can only be accessed if you’re flying First Class or holding a Concorde Room card. This means that the Concorde Room is the best and most exclusive lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 5.
The First Class Lounge is better described as the ‘Gold’ lounge. Gold tier executive club members and the equivalent frequent flyer high tier members of other Oneworld alliance partners like American Airlines OneWorld Emerald can access it. It is, therefore, not as exclusive as you don’t have to fly in First to access this lounge. You just have to fly about enough to generate a high-tier status.
When deciding between the Concorde Room and the Galleries First Lounge, there are several factors to consider. While the Concorde Room’s bar is very stylish, the Galleries First Lounge features an impressive self-pour champagne bar. The Concorde Room offers superior wines and table-served meals, whereas the Galleries First Lounge provides a buffet-style dining experience, which some may prefer.
The Concorde Room also has private cabanas ideal for a shower and a nap, a feature not available in the Galleries First Lounge. However, these cabanas are often occupied and can feel somewhat claustrophobic, which might diminish their appeal.
The British Airways Galleries First Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5 is notably spacious, offering a wide array of buffet food, including a fresh soup bar, hot and cold entrées, plenty of snacks, full coffee stations with various cappuccino and latte options, and an extensive selection of wines, beers, spirits, and liqueurs.
The Galleries First is classier and less busy than the Galleries Business Lounges outlined below, and the buffet is better, with slightly higher quality and more variety. The key difference, however, is the availability of seats, as the First lounge does not get as busy. There is also a wide selection of additional food in the First Lounge on the a la carte menu, offering salads and burgers similar to those in the Concorde Room.
The First and Concorde British Airways lounges at Terminal 5 share an Elemis Travel Spa. While the free treatments are quick, like 15 minutes, they are top shelf, plus it is something else to do to break up the trip. And it doesn’t matter which lounge you are in. You have access if you are traveling on International Business or First. If you are traveling in First, you can get priority booking online for these spa facilities, and they get fully booked.
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.
3. Galleries Club Lounge At Satelite Terminal 5B
Oh my goodness, this is my favorite Business Class lounge at London Heathrow by miles. You can access this lounge if you are flying British Airways Business Class across Europe or worldwide. Crucially, this lounge only really works if you’re flying out of Satelite Terminal 5B or 5C, so watch out for your gate number on the screens. If you’re flying out of either of these satellite terminals, this is the best Business Class lounge in London Heathrow, and you should make the effort to travel over to it and use it.
This British Airways Galleries Airport Lounge at Satelite Terminal 5B is quiet and beautifully airy, with high ceilings and balcony views over this satellite terminal. It has wonderfully comfortable seating, including some huge swivel chairs that were so comfy you could sleep in them, and much more comfortable high stools and tables than in the other Galleries lounges which offer rather flimsy stools that feel unstable like you’re going to fall off them,
The food is fundamentally the same as in all the other Galleries Club Lounges, with a decent hot breakfast, lunch and evening food. I love curry, and my guilty secret is curry with mash and then carrot cake! The same array is available in all four Galleries lounges we have visited across Heathrow Terminals 3 and 5.
The setting and quiet nature of the Terminal 5B lounge sets it apart, and you can read more about this lounge in my review below.
Review: British Airways Galleries Airport Lounge at Satelite Terminal 5B
The British Airways Galleries Airport Lounge at London Heathrow Satelite Terminal 5B is located on the first floor of Terminal 5B. It can be accessed using an escalator or a lift. We used this lounge for a few hours because of a delayed flight from London Heathrow (LHR) Terminal 5 to Venice (VCE) in Aug 2024. This delay was hugely inconvenient but allowed us to fully review the British Airways Galleries Airport Lounge at Satelite Terminal 5B. After being loaded onto the plane around 3 hours late, we were quickly unloaded, and our flight was disappointingly canceled.
4. British Airways Galleries Club South Lounge At Terminal 5
The most accessible BA lounges are the British Airways Galleries Club Lounge South and Galleries Club Lounge North lounges. Thee lounges are in the main Terminal 5A and sit at either end of the Terminal building.
These lounges are identical in their offering in terms of food, although they have different layouts and are at opposite ends of the terminal. Galleries lounges are open to First or Club class passengers (including Club Europe) and Gold or Silver members of BA’s Executive Club. They can be very busy and offer a full buffet, salad bar, and a vast array of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, as well as tea and coffee machines all over the place.
The Galleries Club South Lounge sits above the First Lounge and Concorde Room and is accessible by lifts and an escalator. This lounge is huge and spacious, although finding seats at peak times can be hard. This lounge is usually less busy than the British Airways Galleries Club North Lounge.
For breakfast, there is a full English on offer with scrambled eggs, baked beans, black pudding, and sausages, as well as a big fruit bar with yogurts, cereals, and other healthy goodies.
A large buffet for lunch offers salads and coleslaw with or without dressing. Hot dishes include rice with spicy Moroccan beef, red Thai chicken curry, spinach and mascarpone penne pasta, vegetable or chicken curry, baked potatoes, and beans.
In the afternoon, you can pick at soup, rolls, crisps, sandwiches, wraps with egg, tuna, and chicken fillings, and a huge array of teas and coffees. Cake comes out around 1 pm, and their carrot cake is delicious.
In the afternoon, cakes and fresh scones with jam and cream appear, although I usually eat too many chunks of their delicious carrot cake, which has a delicate herby flavor, so I rarely have space for their scones. The rest of my family make a beeline to the ice-cream freezers that are fairly well hidden and offer up the most delicious vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream.
A useful British Airways help desk sits to the left of the entrance, with staff helping to sort out flight problems. There is also a cinema area (showing the news) and a kids’ play area.
Views are limited. One side (to the left as you enter the lounge) looks down onto the side of the airport. However, the other side has high stools that used to offer a birdseye view of the terminal’s interior. A position that I used to love and seek out.
Unfortunately, they have frosted over the glass since COVID-19, and you can no longer look out over the airport from this position. You can still sit fairly privately on the stools, looking at the frosted glass, although the stools have been getting increasingly wobbly and creaky over the years. You no longer get to look down on people milling around the terminal, going through security, and going up and down the escalators.
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.
5. Galleries Club North Lounge At Terminal 5
The Galleries North Lounge is located just after security. Go through security, then turn left along the balcony, and instead of taking the escalator down, carry straight on, and you will eventually come to the entrance of this lounge. This lounge is the quickest to access from security and is the one to pick if you don’t have much time before your flight.
As a result of its convenient location, this lounge tends to be busier than the Galleries Club South lounge. This version of the lounge has an interior portion and a terrace, which is like a massive balcony looking down to the rest of the terminal and the tarmac. The terrace is not outside; it is still within the terminal and under the roof but is airier. You also have big windows and views of the parked planes to one side of this lounge.
The North Lounge has better views and higher ceilings, but the South Lounge, in my experience, tends to be less busy and has such a nice spot overlooking the interior of the Terminal that I always pick the South Lounge.
Both are good and have identical food, but neither is as good as the First and Concorde Lounges in Terminal 5.
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.
6. Galleries Club Lounge At Terminal 3
Terminal 3 is quite horrible; it is a maze of 1960/70s blocky design with no real thought, having gone into the throughflow of people. It reminds me of London Gatwick Airport, which is similarly overly busy with many queues. The British Airways Galleries Club Lounge At Terminal 3 is a wonderful escape from this dreadful terminal. It offers a peaceful lounge with windows overlooking the tarmac (pictured above) and the same great British Airways curry, salads, and other goodies.
While this is the worst British Airways lounge that we have reviewed in London Heathrow, it is in such a ghastly terminal that I feel it is the most appreciated. I don’t actually mind being stuck in the main terminal area in Terminal 5 as it is a beautifully designed and uplifting building. In Terminal 3, you are squeezed into a foyer with too many people and not enough seats. For goodness sake, fly Business/Club out of Terminal 3. This lounge makes the expense worth it, in my opinion.
There is also a Galleries First Class Lounge at Terminal 3, but we have not reviewed that one, so I can’t place it in this “best of” listing.
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.
Finally, there are also two Priority Pass / Paid Access lounges at London Heathrow Terminal 5; the Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow Terminal 5 which we have previously reviewed and the Aspire Lounge Heathrow Terminal 5. Neither of these lounges is great and has a very poor food selection. You often need to queue to get into them, which is a right pain. You can’t rely on getting entry even if you have a relevant Priority Pass or Amex Platinum Card.
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