Review: the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 2

This is our review of the Singapore Airlines Business Class Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2.

This is part of our series of reviews of airport lounges across the UK.  You see all of the reviews here.

Earlier this year, I spent a few hours at Heathrow Terminal 3 trotting round the lounges to update our reviews. In the spirit of equal opportunity, I thought I would do the same at Heathrow Terminal 2, home of the Star Alliance carriers.

There are four Star Alliance lounges at Heathrow T2 – Lufthansa, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines. The latter three are all in Terminal 2B, a short walk from the main terminal. There are two more lounges in Terminal 2 – the Aer Lingus lounge, which we reviewed a couple of weeks ago, and the Plaza Premium lounge (most recent review here).

Our most recent review of the Lufthansa lounge in the main terminal is here. Whilst I tried to review the United Club lounge on this visit, it was so overcrowded that I couldn’t get enough usable pictures – a 2016 review of Heathrow’s United Club by Rob is here.

After spending a couple of hours in the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge (review here) I moved on to the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge just across the corridor.

How to access the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2

You do not need to be flying Singapore Airlines to access the SilverKris lounge. The only requirement is that you be flying a Star Alliance carrier (such as Lufthansa, SAS, United, Air Canada etc), either on a Business Class ticket or with the relevant status.

That means anyone with Star Alliance Gold can access the lounge, even if you are flying an a hand-baggage-only economy flight. Gold members can bring one guest for free.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold members can also use the lounge, as long as you are flying Singapore Airlines.

I got in on the back of a short haul business class flight to Stockholm with SAS.

Where is the Singapore Airlines Heathrow lounge?

The Singapore Airlines Lounge at Heathrow is a bit more of a trot than the Lufthansa or Aer Lingus lounges in Terminal 2A. It is located in the satellite terminal at T2B.

The lounge is open from 5:30am until 10pm daily.

Unlike at T5 there is no air train – all passengers must take the underground tunnel, although there are some moving walkways. Note that you can also return to T2A from T2B this way, although there are unfortunately no travelator in that direction.

You then take two escalators up to get to departure level. Fortunately the lounge is in the central part of T2B. The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge is co-located with the Singapore Airlines lounge, whilst the United Club is on the other side of the escalators. You have to take the elevator or stairs up:

The SilverKris Lounge is on the right.

Inside the SilverKris Business Class Heathrow Lounge

The SilverKris Lounge is made up of two parts at Heathrow: a Business Class and First Class lounge. The First Class lounge did not appear to be open when I arrived around midday, although I may just have missed it.

You must check in to the lounge when you arrive, which involves a quick scan of your boarding pass:

When I arrived, at around noon, it was very quiet; the last Singapore Airlines flight had left just before and it was still a good six hours or so from the evening departures.

The complex is larger than the Air Canada lounge, although not as big as the United Club. It also has more of a complex layout than either of the other two Star Alliance lounges in Terminal 2B.

Immediately to the right of the reception is a small room. I’m not sure about the purpose of this although I suppose it does increase capacity slightly:

To get to the main part of the lounge you walk down a small corridor:

You pass the buffet (more on that later) plus some dining tables and bar stools:

and

…. before heading into the seating area of the lounge, which has been partitioned with various wooden screens to break up the space:

One ‘room’ features these pods which look perfect for business travellers working or on calls.

Each one includes dedicated power outlets:

Like the Air Canada Lounge, the Singapore Airlines lounge benefits from floor-to-ceiling windows. Unfortunately, much of the view is obscured by the blinds which were hanging at half-mast, despite there being no direct sun on that side of the terminal. It meant that the lounge felt smaller and more hemmed in than necessary.

Behind the row of high-backed armchairs along the window you’ll find a host of square armchairs, each with in-seat power supply thanks to the little table between each one.

They’ve certainly seen better days though:

The magazine rack, at the rear of the lounge, is empty, replaced with access to an app which in my opinion is a poor substitute for physical papers and magazines.

I do wish lounges would go back to offering real reading material, although the last time Rob was in this lounge he found it filled with ‘What Pool and Hot Tub?‘ magazine – it seems that who paid the most got the spot.

WiFi speeds were much better than in the Air Canada lounge next door, at 54mbps down and 28 up, so you should have no problems if you need to do heavy online lifting.

Food and drink in the Singapore Airlines Lounge at Heathrow

As mentioned above, the buffet area is pretty much the first thing you see when you enter the lounge. It is a fairly compact area, so I can imagine it gets crowded during busier periods, but the selection is good.

I arrived during lunch time and the lounge staff had just finished setting up all the food. The centre island features a choice of four salads:

…. plus a range of finger sandwiches, including coronation chicken and beetroot and chia wraps:

Hot options ranged from chicken sweetcorn soup and chicken congee all the way to chicken jalfrezi, mee goren and pasta and meatballs:

Two additional options were available via the QR-code menu: a sticky Korean chicken slider and breaded scampi.

Soft drinks and hot drinks were self service and available at various stations throughout the lounge.

If you want alcohol, you can only get this from the staffed bar just behind the buffet. I asked for champagne and was offered prosecco:

I know, I really do suffer for my art 😉

Showers in the Heathrow SilverKris lounge

Just like the Maple Leaf lounge, the SilverKris lounge has three showers available, plus an attendant to allocate and clean.

I’ll be honest – I was expecting more from the showers. Having seen the very nice showers in the Air Canada lounge I had high hopes for the Singapore Airlines lounge, which were quickly dashed as soon as I had a look in:

It was totally fine, but nothing special and certainly not as stylish. The toiletries were a no-name brand.

Conclusion

I expected more from the Singapore Airlines lounge at Heathrow. After the beautiful contemporary Air Canada lounge the decor in the SilverKris lounge feels more traditional and dated – you wouldn’t know that these lounges opened at roughly the same time.

I was also disappointed that the blinds obscured the view and the natural light from the big windows. It seems a shame to have such a view and then not make the most of it, and only makes the lounge feel more cramped than it is. A weird floor plan doesn’t exactly help.

That said, I was impressed with the selection of food, including a number of fresh salads and hot options, so I would definitely return to eat.

You can find out more about the lounge – and check the latest opening hours – on this page of the Singapore Airlines website.

Travelling from Heathrow Terminal 2? Here are your lounge options ….

At Heathrow’s Terminal 2 you currently have eight lounges to choose from.

Our overview of the best airline lounges at Heathrow Terminal 2 is here, or you can read individual reviews of all the lounges here:

• Aer Lingus Lounge review
• Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge review (Star Alliance)
• Lufthansa Business Lounge review (Star Alliance)
• Plaza Premium Lounge review
• Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge review (Star Alliance)
• Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge review (Star Alliance)
• United Club lounge review (Star Alliance)
• United Global Services Lounge review (Star Alliance)

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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.

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

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.

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.

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