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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. As a result, British Airways put us up in the Airport Hilton Terminal 5 overnight, so we reviewed that too.
How To Access The British Airways Galleries Club lounge at Satelite Terminal 5B
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 members also get free access to this lounge, regardless of their class of travel.
If you are traveling within Europe, the only lounges you can access with your ticket (or as a Silver tier member) are the British Airways Galleries Club Lounges. You can’t pay to access British Airways Galleries lounges or get in using lounge club cards such as Priority Pass or American Express Platinum card.
If you have not got access to the British Airways Galleries lounges in Terminal 5 there are two alternative non-British Airways lounges in the main Terminal 5 airport building which accept lounge club cards. We have reviewed the Club Aspire Airport lounge and the Plaza Premium Airport lounge at London Heathrow, which you should be able to access with your American Express Platinum card.
Unfortunately, you often have to pay to prebook these lounges to secure a place. If you rely on your Priority Pass or American Express Platinum you are put at the back of the queue. Guests who pay for this lounge will be prioritized in front of you.
On a recent trip, we ended up sitting outside on the gate seats by the Plaza Premium lounge, waiting to get into this American Express Platinum lounge for hours. Eventually, we had to go to our gate and depart for our flight. We never made it to the front of the waiting list. I recount this story to highlight that it’s worth paying for Business Class on British Airways if you value an airport lounge, as you cannot guarantee airport lounge access at Terminal 5 with either an Amex Platinum or a Priority Pass card.
Location
If your flight departs from Terminal 5B or 5C, you will likely use the British Airways Galleries Airport Lounge at Satelite Terminal 5B. You can access this lounge even if your flight departs from Terminal 5A, but I wouldn’t reccomend doing this. Yes, the setting is more peaceful, with loads of comfortable seats available, but getting to and from the lounge is a hassle if you leave from the A gates in the main terminal building.
If you want to go out of your way to access this lounge, you can get to it via the transfer train or the walkable tunnel with travelators (those flat escalators). To get back, you must use the tunnel. If you take the train back to Terminal 5A, you will end up in the arrivals area, which would leave you in a pickle.
Passengers flying from Terminal 5C would be advised to use this lounge and then hop back on the transfer train along to the 5C stop, as Terminal 5C lacks any lounges whatsoever.
The British Airways Galleries Airport Lounge at Satelite Terminal 5B is located above the gates in the center of this long thin terminal. You follow the signs to the lounge and then can reach it by climbing steps, using an escalator, or taking a lift.
Style & Character
This lounge is much lighter and brighter than the British Airways lounges in the main Terminal 5 building because it is up in the rafters with windows on either side. Terminal 5b satellite terminal is much thinner than the main T5 building, and there is a balcony on both sides of the lounge, which is bathed in sunshine from the windows and gives views down to the gate areas.
The lounge is split into lots of different areas, and not only is the seating much more readily available, but the seats are more comfortable. This lounge is much, much quieter than all the other BA Galleries lounges.
There is a brilliant work area with solid high stools, with four solid wooden legs, and a decent back. This is a huge step up from the wobbly metal, hard high stools available in the other lounges. The desk area in front of these high stools is also solid wood and nice and wide with plenty of charging stations. It’s a delight to work in this area.
Beyond is a sofa area with round sleep seats. While these seats aren’t specifically for sleeping in, when you sit in them, you’re gobbled up by their soft spherical exterior, so you are in your own little world and can’t see your neighbor. These seats are hugely comfortable.
The remainder of the seating is a mix of well-designed restaurant-style tables and comfy sofa seats. There is so much choice. The buffet area sits in the center of the lounge, between the two seating areas, both of which run along the edge of the lounge along the balcony edge.
Service & Facilities
There’s a shower facility and a bathroom with plenty of toilets in this lounge.
Food & Drink
The food and drink in this lounge is the same as the food and drink in the other Galleries lounge. While we were there, we enjoyed hot food which consisted of a vat of peas and carrots, a huge bowl of rice, a bowl of chicken curry (really good), a bowl of potatoes or mash, a bowl of tomato pasta and a bowl of a beany type stew.
These dishes are the size of an extra-large saucepan, so there’s plenty to go around. There is usually something fried beside these bowls, usually fried breaded chicken or fish, which also goes nicely with the potatoes and rice. Sometimes, they have extra items like onion bhajees, which are tasty, although they tend to give me indigestion, so I avoid them!
The British Airways Galleries Club salad bar is always very good, with loads of salad options, including a cucumber salad with dressing, cut tomatoes with pesto dressing, raw lettuce, and all the elements you need to make up a Caesar salad. Then there are various other leafy options, cold bean options, hummus options, etc.
There’s usually a counter with nachos, dips (salsa, sour cream), and cheese, which is exactly what you need to make up a nacho dish. And then there’s bread and soup, sandwiches (usually coronation chicken, cheese, and tuna), scones, and jam with Roddas Cornish clotted cream. They also provide some really good lemon and carrot cake.
The carrot cake goes extremely well with a cup of tea. Honestly, I eat much better in the BA lounges than I do at home. The whole offering is really delicious. There’s also a specific kid’s station offering chicken nuggets, macaroni cheese, and mini pizzas.
If you fancy a drink, there’s and extensive bar area containing just about every alcoholic drink you could wish for, with bottles of spirits, beer in the fridge and bottles of wine and sparkling wine in silver ice filled buckets.
Conclusion
This Satelite Terminal lounge is brilliant. The best Galleries lounge in London Heathrow and the best lounge you can access on your Club Europe and Club World ticket. I would not switch terminals just for the lounge, as it would be a lot of hassle, but if I knew my flight was heading out of Terminal 5b or 5C I’d be thrilled and would immediately head to this brilliant Terminal 5 airport lounge.
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