Best UK airport lounges

Our undercover inspectors visited lounges at every major UK airport and found only two of the 25 they checked that were really worth the money. 

Too many buffets were unappetising, ‘premium drinks’ cost extra – and there was no more space than you’d find at the airport pub or café. Luxuries that you might once have come across – such as spas, or made-to-order meals – have been removed over the years. Even toast is no longer an option at many lounges, toasters having been taken away because they tended to set off smoke alarms.

This is despite the fact that the kind of pay-as-you-go airport lounges, where everybody’s welcome – not just business travellers – are more expensive than ever. Lounges that cost £29 on average in 2020 cost £40 at the end of 2024 – an increase of 37%.

Undercover inspection of airport lounges 

Our inspectors review lounges anonymously and pay for all visits.

Our lounge rating, of between one and five stars, is based on an assessment of a number of criteria. These include the quality of the food and drink, if there is enough seating and whether the lounge is clean and well staffed. 

We carry out reviews of airport lounges on a continuous basis and all of the lounges below have been visited between February 2023 and March 2025, with most being reviewed in summer 2024.

Our latest round of inspections saw two lounges that really were worth a visit. Gatwick My Lounge, in the airport's South Terminal, was rated four by our inspector, as was Edinburgh's Plaza Premium. Several other lounges were awarded three or three and a half stars, and may be worth booking if you can get a good price. 

The best UK hotel - our undercover inspectors have reviewed in seven years

How to get the cheapest airport lounge 

When we checked prices for lounges, we found that booking direct - through the lounge operator - was never the cheapest option. Comparison site Holiday Extras was often cheaper, as was booking through the airport.

We've linked to Holiday Extras in the table below, but it's also worth checking the airport price as well, to see which is cheaper.

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Best UK airport lounges

Gatwick shines – but Heathrow disappoints

We visited six of the seven lounges at Gatwick airport and found two that stood out, while most were acceptable. The My Lounge in the South Terminal was particularly good, while the No1 Lounge in the North Terminal also impressed.

This was a big contrast to the four lounges that we visited at Heathrow. None of them got more than two out of five from our reviewers, even though they all cost more than £40 for the dates we checked – and two of them got just one star.

Best airport lounge at Heathrow airport

Heathrow Club Aspire T5, £40
Two stars out of five

It's difficult to say which of the four lounges we visited at Heathrow were the best. Some were mediocre, while others were awful.

The Heathrow Club Aspire T5 (2/5) did at least avoid some of the worst failings of other lounges. Its unimpressive score came down to issues we've seen in most lounges. We had to queue to get in, then had a bog-standard, hotel buffet-style breakfast. Anything vaguely luxurious costs extra. It offers 'made to order' meals, premium drinks and showers, but you'll pay an extra £7.99 for a burger, £4.99 for prosecco or £20 for a shower – on top of the entrance fee.

However, the other lounges were no better - and some were even worse. We visited Plaza Premium T5 (2/5) for a second time in a year in March 2025 but it was only slightly better than our dreadful experience in summer 2024. The coffee machine was now working, which was an improvement (it was broken in summer 2024 and we spotted somebody bringing their own coffee in from Pret). However, it was the food that was the big let-down. The website promises 'freshly prepared seasonal food', but we're not sure what the season is for the hash browns and cheap, gristly sausages that were available at breakfast. The one truly luxurious touch - a shower - was fully booked when we visited, despite costing a startling £27.50.

The Heathrow Plaza Premium T2 (2/5) – wasn't much better when we visited in summer 2024. It was overcrowded, hot and stuffy, despite the huge electric fans sitting in the corner. Providing a suitable temperature shouldn’t be beyond them – not for nearly £50 a go.

However, both were better than the No1 Lounge T3 (1/5), where another reviewer and her friends left with ‘soggy bottoms’ after finding their chairs were wet. These are not problems you’ll find on every visit but, after several years of lounge reviews, we know that random failings are depressingly common. 

Verdict Don’t bother with Heathrow lounges. There are many restaurants in all terminals that provide more comfort and better food at half the price.

Best airport lounge at Gatwick airport

My Lounge, South, £38
Four stars out of five

We visited six of the seven lounges at Gatwick and found that the most expensive ones aren't necessarily the best. 

The No 1 Lounges at Gatwick North (3.5/5) and Gatwick South (2.5/5) had genuinely impressive runway views, acceptable food and sparkling wine included in the price, but the latter was let down by grubby toilets. 

Clubrooms Gatwick North (2.5/5) didn’t feel crowded, despite being near capacity, and there were decent food options such as red Thai curry, chicken burgers and an exotic fig and goat’s cheese salad. However, smelly toilets with water on the floor, again, heavily knocked the ‘luxury’ feel. At £42, it was also the most expensive. 

Plaza Premium Gatwick North (2/5) had a cheap hotel-chain buffet room ambience that didn't feel 'premium' at all. We felt they just let too many people in, but its clean, modern toilets were a bonus (not always a given). The best was surprisingly also the cheapest – My Lounge South. 

My Lounge South Gatwick

My Lounge has the unique selling point that it's the only place in any major UK airport terminal where you can smoke. Best to whisper this, though, because its small, outdoor terrace (pictured) would lose its charm if overrun by gasping smokers. 

The lounge inside is basic, but self-service beer pumps and fridges mean you can get a drink quickly. The main food choices – chicken pasta, beef and veg hotpot and jerk sweet potato with rice – were all, sensibly, things that are difficult to mess up. Unlike in some lounges we've visited, the pancake maker was actually working.

You won't get the luxury touches here that you'll find at some lounges (sparkling wine is extra), but it does the basics very well at a very good price (£38). 

Verdict This is among the cheapest, as well as best, lounges we've visited.

Best airport lounge at Stansted airport

Escape Lounge, £35
Three stars out of five

Crowded Stansted is not a happy place to be, but we found this lounge offered a genuine escape. The Escape Lounge has recently been refurbished and, despite being fully booked when we visited, there was plenty of space. The dinner menu was limited (spicy chicken, tomato pasta and the like) but items were replaced quickly and were hot and satisfying. It's also cheaper than many other lounges we visited.

Verdict: Don’t expect luxury, but this is better than the rest of Stansted.

Best airport lounge at Manchester airport T1

Terminal 1 Aspire Lounge, £48.50
Two and a half stars out of five

There are four pay-as-you-go lounges across Manchester’s three terminals. We visited two of them at T1 for what should be the last time, as they're closing the dismal terminal entirely in late 2025. 

The Aspire is superior to the Escape lounge in the same terminal, but at almost £9 more expensive – a startling £48.50 – it’s hard to recommend. We liked the comfortable armchairs that look out through floor-to-ceiling windows across the runway. The space has a sense of light and openness – a big contrast to its main rival. Unfortunately, while the beef ragu and the chili con carne were fine, there was a long list of more appealing options on the online menu – such as chicken and chorizo pasta, or tikka masala – that weren’t available when we visited. 

The Escape Lounge (2/5), with its low ceilings and gloomy striplights, looks like a room you’d escape from rather than to. It’s a microcosm of the terminal itself, so it’s unclear why anybody would want to pay extra to be here. Part of the problem with lounges generally is overselling what they offer. The Escape Lounge promises ‘finest regional ingredients’, which leaves us wondering whether our pasta with tomato sauce comes from Salford, Rusholme or Didsbury. 

In Terminal 2 is the beautiful 1903 Lounge – £54 for the date we checked. We didn’t review it this time, but we’ve loved it in the past. 

Verdict Stick it out in the main terminal, however bad that might be. 

Best airport lounge at Edinburgh airport

Plaza Premium, £44
Four stars out of five

There are three pay-as-you-go lounges at Edinburgh Airport – two Aspires and a Plaza Premium. 

We visited the Aspire (3/5) in 2023 and were reasonably impressed, but the Plaza Premium was even better, one of the two best that we visited.

We loved the fact that it had great provision for kids – with table football, an air hockey table and even a small climbing wall – but, crucially, this was in a separate room to the quieter bar area for adults. Breakfast, including haggis, was still in good shape, despite it being 10.15am when we arrived.

Verdict: A relaxing place to spend a couple of hours before your flight – with or without children.

Best airport lounge at Birmingham airport

Clubrooms £44
3.5 stars out of five

The Clubrooms lounge is more expensive than the other lounges at Birmingham Airport - but it's also so much better than the Birmingham Aspire (2/5) and Birmingham No1 Lounge (1.5/5). 

At most lounges you'll find yourself shuffling around the buffet table, sometimes with a crowd of other people, trying to choose between various types of unappetising, beige stodge. Clubrooms has table service, meaning you can order fresh, hot meals like our poached egg on avocado and sourdough - brought direct to your table. The quality wasn't quite at the level of a high-end hotel - our egg probably needed 30 seconds less cooking time - but it was close. 

The wifi is fast, the seats are comfortable and it's clean, with tables quickly cleared. The fact that it's childfree also means it's quieter than some lounges. The only downside was the self-serve coffee machine. Anywhere that aspires to be luxurious should have coffee that's at least as good as the Costa Coffee a few minutes walk away, but this was quite a bit worse.

Verdict: A grown-up lounge with the touch of luxury that the price tag demands. Shame about the coffee.

How to save on airport lounges

As mentioned above, when we checked prices it was never cheaper to book direct. Going through Holiday Extras or the airport itself was always the same price as the lounge operator, or cheaper. 

The only advantage of booking direct is that you may be able to stay for longer if your flight's delayed. Swissport, which owns most of the brands in our table, has 'guaranteed' delay cover. We don't think this is especially useful, as the lounge will still kick you out if it is over subscribed. 

If you’re planning to visit more than five lounges a year, a basic Priority Pass (£69 for first year and includes most but not all lounges in our table) might make sense. Lounge access then costs a flat £24 – although if the lounge is full you won't be able to get in.

An Amex Gold card gives you free lounge entry four times a year. Barclaycard Avios Plus gets you into most lounges for £18.50. Barclays Travel Plus Pack account allows you six free lounge visits a year – although the account costs £22.50 a month.

If you know you want a lounge, then do book in advance – prices are almost always higher if you leave it to the last week or two before your flight. Prices are also higher at peak times, such as the summer, than they are off season.

More tips on how to save on an airport lounge

The best and worst airports

Airport lounges are likely to be most appealing at the worst airports. If you’re visiting a smaller airport, you’re likely to spend less time hanging around – and they’re generally better anyway.

See our guide to the UK’s best and worst airports to get an idea of whether you might need somewhere to hide from the chaos.