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Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge now open in Heathrow Terminal 4

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Plaza Premium has unveiled its new Arrivals Lounge in the landside area of Heathrow Terminal 4.

Regular Head for Points readers will know that I rate Plaza Premium highly.  They invest a lot of money into their facilities, especially in design, and they have a genuinely high end feel.

I have reviewed (click to read):

Heathrow Terminal 2 departure lounge

Heathrow Terminal 4 departure lounge

Heathrow Terminal 2 arrivals lounge

…. and liked them all.  The Terminal 2 arrivals lounge is pretty small – although it does have shower facilities – but the two departure lounges are very spacious.

There is also a Terminal 5 departure lounge on the way for the end of 2017 which will hopefully be better than the Aspire lounge.  A Terminal 3 arrivals lounge is also in the works.

The new Terminal 4 lounge – on the mezzanine level in the arrivals hall – has 25 shower rooms, a lounge and bar area and a new-style dining concept, Flight Club, based around healthy eating.

Capacity is 75 people which means it should be bigger than the Terminal 2 arrivals lounge, albeit only 40% of the size of the upcoming Terminal 5 departure lounge.

It is not yet listed on the Priority Pass (for Amex Platinum cardholders) or Lounge Club (for Amex Gold cardholders) websites.  As the Terminal 2 arrivals lounge is part of both schemes, I imagine that it will be added very shortly.

You can book access for cash via the Plaza Premium website here.

Getting airport lounge access for free from a credit card

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (April 2024)

Here are the four options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.

Category

General

Comments (38)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Zoe says:
    17 Apr17 April 06:10

    OT just booked my daughter an economy flight on American Airlines from CAE (Columbia , SC ) to DCM (Des Moines, Iowa) I understand that checked bags cost $25 for the first and $35 for the second, will this cover the entire (one way ) trip or will she have to pay for each flight separately? I have looked on their website but can’t seem to figure it out.
    Later today I need to book her from Chicago to Barbados and expect to face a similar issue.
    Thanks in anticipation, Zoe.

    • Michael says:
      17 Apr17 April 10:50

      Zoe, the bag fee will cover the entire one way itinerary if connecting flights are involved (provided it’s all booked on one ticket as one trip). If your daughter has any form of Oneworld status then she’ll be entitled to at least one free checked bag on all AA flights. Be aware that the 2nd bag fee is up to $55 for Caribbean flights (depending on travel date).

      • Zoe says:
        18 Apr18 April 07:35

        Thanks very much Michael. I will ask her to seriously think about how much stuff she could throw away before she heads home.

  • mark says:
    17 Apr17 April 07:13

    any news on the Plaza Premium lounge in T5? Was due to open late 2016/early 2017?

    • Rob says:
      17 Apr17 April 07:36

      Last word was September 2017. It is apparently going in the same relative spot as the Aspire lounge but at the other end of the terminal.

  • Alex W says:
    17 Apr17 April 08:18

    Wouldn’t you need a boarding pass to be airside anyway?

    • Andrew says:
      17 Apr17 April 08:32

      The lounge is landside.

      • Alex W says:
        17 Apr17 April 10:14

        The first line of the article says airside!

        • Nick says:
          17 Apr17 April 11:05

          Rob is not god and does occasionally make mistakes – whatever the article says, in this case the lounge is definitely landside. It’s where the Windsor Castle Spoons used to be (the cheapest pub on the airport! Which probably explains why HAL closed it down). To get there turn left when emerging through arrivals into the concourse, and there’s an escalator opposite WHSmith-it’s at the top. The Yotel is there too, and it’s just above the HEx platform for train access (the opposite side of the terminal from the tube, although it’s tiny so it’s not exactly far to walk).

      • Rob says:
        17 Apr17 April 12:50

        First para corrected to say landside!

  • Andrew says:
    17 Apr17 April 08:35

    I used the T2 lounge twice last week – the first time I was asked for my passport OR boarding pass; the second time just where I had flown in from. On both occasions I had luggage with me so perhaps they just employ a ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ policy before asking for a boarding pass.

    • NigelM says:
      17 Apr17 April 17:53

      I was thinking it’s a bit much to ask for a boarding pass – I can’t be the only person who has sometimes parted with it by the end of the journey.

  • Trev says:
    17 Apr17 April 08:49

    Any idea of the opening date for the T3 arrivals lounge?

  • John says:
    17 Apr17 April 09:20

    Any idea of the opening times? I always seem to end up on BA transatlantic flights that arrive after 2pm, which means I can’t use their (or the AA) arrival lounge.

    • Andrew says:
      17 Apr17 April 10:15

      Closes at 10pm – so will cater for those arriving after the BA or *A lounges close at lunchtime.

  • Brian says:
    17 Apr17 April 09:23

    Slightly OT – does anybody know if it is possible to view one’s Lounge Club history? I can’t remember if I’ve used my two free visits or not, since I sometimes use my Diner’s Club card to access lounges. Thanks!

    • Sandgrounder says:
      17 Apr17 April 09:33

      If it is the Amex PRG LC account, you should have been sent a username and password with the card. (I think?)

  • Sandgrounder says:
    17 Apr17 April 09:32

    OT but I was pleasantly surprised with the Plaza Premium offering at HKG on Sat night when flying Virgin UC. They have created a separate lounge for Virgin passengers with a decent drinks and food selection. The cabin was pretty full but there was plenty of seating in the lounge beforehand. They also have shower facilities available, a short walk away in another PP facility. I was sad the clubhouse closed before my long awaited reward booking, but the alternative was better than I had expected.

    • flyforfun says:
      17 Apr17 April 10:23

      Sounds like you went to the PP lounge in the centre of HKG. The one by Gate 40 (or nearby) has views over the runways and is very relaxed. Great food. They have a separate area for certain airlines, but the general access areas have a better view imho.

      When flying to oz, I look to see what prices Cathay are because I prefer transiting there than Dubai because of the PP lounge.

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