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Review: the British Airways lounge, Glasgow Airport

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This is our review of the British Airways business class lounge at Glasgow Airport.

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

A couple of weeks ago I had to travel to Glasgow and took the opportunity to check out both lounges in the airport.  My review of the Upperdeck Lounge will follow later.  Today I want to review the British Airways lounge.

Let me start by saying that I was impressed by this facility.  It is not huge – the Upperdeck lounge reviewed here is larger and brighter – but the designers have done a great job in creating a lounge with a number of distinct zones to suit whatever mood you are in.

The new lounge opened in 2013 and has a capacity of 150, double that of the previous lounge.  It is situated down by the British Airways gates, whereas the Upperdeck lounge is situated above the shopping and dining area.

This shot gives an impression of the size of the lounge:

Review British Airways Galleries Lounge Glasgow Airport

The two food islands are the focal point.  I was there over lunch and it was the typical BA sandwich fare.

Review British Airways Galleries Lounge Glasgow Airport

At the back is the work area where I spent most of my time.  Behind that are a number of sofas and large comfy chairs.

Review British Airways Galleries Lounge Glasgow Airport

If you want to sit with your partner, there are a number of tables for two along one wall:

Review British Airways Galleries Lounge Glasgow Airport

Here is the drink selection which was impressively comprehensive.  I was told that the lounge used to have a selection of rare whiskies in the evenings but that it has now been pared back.

Review British Airways Galleries Lounge Glasgow Airport

If you want a hot drink:

Review British Airways Galleries Lounge Glasgow Airport

And some more of the seating:

Review British Airways Galleries Lounge Glasgow Airport

Because of the time I was there, I can’t comment on what you might find over breakfast or dinner and whether it is better than the restaurants in the central area.  I thought it was an attractive, well laid out space and the perfect place to while away an hour before a flight.


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.

Comments (38)

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

  • C77 says:

    You need to de Akina-ise the copy/paste intro blurb if you’re going to post Rob (zero chance of Rob or myself….) ☺

  • Ross says:

    Glasgow lounge is one of the best in the network. The BS staff there are exceptional, and will always pull out a good wine if you ask nicely – they usually have a nice CDP AOC in the back somewhere 😉

  • Martin says:

    Has the whisky snug gone? Even if you weren’t taking advantage of the 21-year old single malt (I forget which distillery it was sponsored by), the two or three armchairs next to the fake roaring fire was nice on a dreich Glasgow day.

    On a more pedantic note, I believe it’s just branded “British Airways Lounge” – not Galleries.

    • Ross says:

      Whisky snug is still there, albeit sometimes closed due to a window warping issue with the sun (deemed unsafe). But the whisky is still there, The Glenlivet 18 being the best.

    • CV3V says:

      On my last 2 visits over Christmas the snug was closed, but they still had the Glenlivet in the main drinks section.

      It’s a well done lounge, would be even better if they did bacon rolls in the morning!

  • Save East Coast Rewards says:

    It’s not a Galleries lounge as the article rightly states this was opened in 2013. It’s the former bmi lounge which BA refurbished in their new style that’s unimaginatively titled ‘British Airways Lounge’. I think anyone will agree it’s much nicer than Galleries lounges of similar size and definitely better than the Terraces it replaced.

    One thing I miss from bmi days was the ability to board directly from the lounge. It was also larger in the bmi days with a ‘diamond club’ section to the right of the entrance.

  • Chris says:

    Whiskey snug became a great play room, I could have a few drams whilst the toddlers were kept in a small area away from other guests!

  • Paul says:

    It’s a nice lounge but it’s best feature are the staff!

  • Nick says:

    Don’t know if anyone saw my comment on the groupon avios in Iberia plus. Mine landed yesterday and nicely topped up my baec!

  • Nick says:

    Sorry, OT: I think James67 could help me out here with this one. Flying BKK-DOH-AMS in J with QR in 2 weeks time. What’s the best lounge to use at BKK?

    • Jovanna says:

      Use the CX lounge. However, keep an eye on which gate you’re departing from. It could be quite a walk.

    • Brian says:

      You might want to do a bit of lounge-hopping to see which one you like. Jovanna says the CX lounge, but I was distinctly unimpressed by it last year. So I guess it depends on your opinion, which is why it might be best to take a look at a couple and just stay in one you like.

      • AndyR says:

        Which lounge do u prefer?

        • Brian says:

          To be honest, none of the few I have been to. They’re all just acceptable, nothing more. Fine as a place to wait for a bit before your flight, but not worth getting to the airport early for.

    • AndyR says:

      I would definitely use the Cathay Pacific lounge. Has a noodle bar, nice dim sum, champagne, cocktails and runway views. I didn’t think much of the Thai lounge (albeit only went in one) which QR officially use.

      • Lady London says:

        I found the Thai lounge boring noisy and unremarkable by Asian lounge standards. However that was only the Silver equivalent lounge. Thai First Class lounge in BKK is something else entirely, I would love to get some time in there.

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