Review: the Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

This is our review of the Aer Lingus Lounge at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 2.

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

Over the next week or so I am reviewing an Aer Lingus business class trip from London to Boston via Dublin.

Due to the low taxes and excellent Aer Lingus business class seating, this is a great way to spend your Avios.  If you want to know where Aer Lingus flies long haul, and how to book using your points, look at the first part of this series which was published yesterday.

My journey began with a short connecting flight to Dublin.  Aer Lingus flies from many regional airports in the UK to Dublin.  Living in London this meant my trip started at London Heathrow Terminal 2 and by visiting the Aer Lingus Lounge.

Here is my review:

Where is the Aer Lingus lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2?

Terminal 2 is the newest of the four Heathrow terminals (Terminal 1 is now closed) and, whilst not as expensively finished as Terminal 5, is bright and airy.

The main shopping area is down one level.  The Aer Lingus lounge is located within the main departures area on the same level as security, so don’t head for the escalators!  Instead, head to the right.

As the Aer Lingus flight from Heathrow to Dublin doesn’t operate a Business Class I had to show my ticket for the connecting Business Class flight from Dublin to get in. Alternatively I could have flashed my BA Silver card.

(British Airways Gold and Silver cardholders can access the Aer Lingus lounge at Heathrow when flying Aer Lingus, whether or not their ticket shows a British Airways codeshare flight number.  There is no Aer Lingus lounge at Gatwick so this does not work if you are flying from there  You cannot bring a guest.  You are also allowed to access Aer Lingus lounges in Ireland but only when flying to London.  .)

The first thing you notice when walking in is a large amount green and blue chairs around small coffee tables in the center of the spacious lounge. There were several screens showing the flight timetable as no announcements were made in the lounge.

Even though my picture doesn’t show this very well, the lounge was well lit thanks to floor to ceiling windows.

Just after the reception and in front of the sitting area were the toilets and one shower facility. I’m not sure if the lack of more showers can become an issue at times.

I was in the lounge just before lunch as my flight was at 12:15 which meant that the breakfast buffet was still out.

There was a selection of cereals, pastries, yoghurts, cheese and crackers as well as filter coffee, two coffee machines and juices. No hot food was provided.

I wasn’t in the mood for an alcoholic beverage, but Guinness, red wine and white wine were available.

What I noticed was that even though the lounge was rather busy when I visited it, there were enough seats to accomodate everyone.  Besides the large sitting area in the centre of the lounge  there was a further sitting area next to the food area with a separate TV area at the far back.

Towards the far right of the lounge was a chillout area with a large TV showing the news to the far right. This area also had a row of sun loungers facing the floor to ceiling window overlooking the tarnac – unfortunately all were occupied which meant I didn’t get to lay in one.  I thought it would be inappropriate to take a picture.

Next to the TV area was a separate work area with printer.

Is the Heathrow Aer Lingus lounge worth a visit?

The Aer Lingus lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2 is a spacious and well lit space with a large amount of seats. The interior is contemporary, mirroring the Aer Lingus colours.  I wasn’t too impressed by the food and drink selection but overall the Aer Lingus lounge is a good place to spend some time before a flight.

The next part of this series will briefly look at the short flight to Dublin as well as the US immigration pre-clearance process and the new pre-clearance departure lounge.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (June 2022)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards.

Until 18th July 2022 there is an astonishing special offer on these cards. You get 50,000 Avios on the Avios Plus Mastercard and 10,000 Avios on the free Avios Mastercard. You can apply here. We strongly recommend getting the Avios Plus card whilst this offer is running.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points.

SPECIAL OFFER: The sign-up bonus on Amex Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 Membership Rewards points until 19th July 2022. This card is free for the first year.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,000 Avios.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)