Best and worst UK airport lounges

Gourmet dining, free-flowing champagne and direct aircraft boarding are just some of the perks offered by the best business class lounges at UK airports.

Tucked away from the busy terminal, they provide an escape. For one visitor, the Emirates business lounge ‘makes air travel a pleasure, rather than a chore’. For others, Virgin Atlantic’s space provides a ‘relaxing, civilised start to the holiday’, where ‘nothing is too much trouble for the staff’. But access to these lounges is reserved for business and first-class passengers, or those with elite airline memberships.

In contrast, independent airport lounges from brands including Aspire and Escape Lounges open their doors to anyone willing to pay an entry fee. With airport restaurants rarely offering cheap meals, paying for lounge access can seem like good value.

However, when we surveyed 1,461 travellers who have visited UK airport lounges in the previous two years, most independent lounges fell short of expectations. Fortunately, only 21% of respondents in our survey paid full price for entry to an independent lounge – which, during our undercover visits over the years, we found had increased from an average of £25 to £42 by 2025*. But cut-rate discounts are likely fuelling the overcrowding that spoils the experience.

Read on to find out what holidaymakers thought about airport lounges across UK airports.

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Best and worst business class airport lounge brands in the UK

British Airways business class lounges

Customer score 63%

Available at Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Gatwick South, Glasgow, Heathrow T5 and T3

With customers giving three-star ratings across every category, BA’s lounges fell short of the competition. One stated: 'It’s a far cry from some of the Asian or Middle East carriers' lounges.’

Guests told us how overcrowding had spoiled the relaxed atmosphere. One visitor to a BA lounge at Heathrow Terminal said: ‘It's huge, but there are so many people using it I have never found two seats together to sit down when we first arrive. We have to lurk like sharks in the corridor areas ready to strike when we see someone collecting their belongings. Then run up and ask them if they are leaving. It's so undignified.’ 

A few experienced travellers said they purposely bypass A-gate BA lounges at Heathrow T5 to try to find a quieter B or C gate lounge.

The food on offer was described as average, though dismissed by one traveller as ‘uninviting and not hot’, and another said ‘all that was left were a few dried-out pastries. The coffee was likewise not up to standard.’ The drinks service proved more reliable with a decent selection. One repeat visitor explained: ‘I have to ask for champagne now, whereas in the past one could help oneself, but there is always an excellent choice of wines.’

Perks seemed to have been scaled back. One guest told us that they missed the free newspapers and magazines it used to stock.

Verdict British Airways business class travellers say the UK lounges have lost their shine.

Passengers rated airlines after taking more than 9,500 flights. Find out the best airlines for 2026.

Best and worst independent airport lounges in the UK you can pay to enter

Clubrooms lounges

Customer score 64%

Available at Birmingham, Gatwick North and South, and Heathrow T3

Clubrooms was the highest-rated independent lounge, with a 64% customer score, and it was the only one to score three stars for food and drink. It offers à la carte table service, and visitors generally found the food acceptable, noting that ‘there was plenty of it’ because guests can order as much as they like.

How crowded Clubrooms lounges get seems to be a matter of luck, depending on how busy the airport is. A major selling point for many is its policy of not allowing children under 12 inside, which helps keep a calm atmosphere. But during busier periods, the spaces were still described as cramped and noisy.

However, the customer service was consistently satisfactory and earned a three-star rating in our survey. One visitor said the ‘staff were welcoming’, and another observed that when the lounge appeared understaffed, they were ‘doing the best they could’. 

Verdict Could be worth a visit if you can find a discounted rate.

Club Aspire lounges

Customer score 45%

Available at Heathrow T5, Gatwick South

Club Aspire visitors said they were met with ‘embarrassingly cheap food’, ‘aged sandwiches’, and, for some, waits of at least 10 minutes for the buffet to be replenished.

Multiple travellers also criticised the number of guests permitted, despite it already feeling very busy with little spare seating. One visitor told us that it was ‘hot, crowded [with] screaming, out-of-control children. I left and went to the oasis of calm that is Wagamama’. Another said: ‘I have visited this lounge three times recently and it is always full. Too many people for the size of the room. It doesn't help when some are sleeping on the furniture!’ A third was frustrated that ‘some reserved spaces are unoccupied for hours’.

Verdict With dismal one and two-star ratings across some key criteria, Club Aspire lounges aren’t worth visiting.

Frequent flyer? Find out if you should buy an airport lounge membership.

Research

*Across the airport lounges we visited for review in previous research, the average entry cost rose from £25 in 2017 to £42 in 2025.