Review: the refurbished Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

This is our review of the refurbished 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.

The Aer Lingus lounge recently reopened after refurbishment. This has always been a pleasant space, although historically let down by its food, so I was keen to see what was new. Aer Lingus kindly let me look around even though I was flying on a different airline.

Where is the Aer Lingus lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2?

Terminal 2 is the newest of the four Heathrow terminals (Terminal 1 closed when the new T2 opened) and, whilst not as expensively finished as Terminal 5, is bright and airy.

The layout is similar to Terminal 5, with the main shopping area down one level. The lower level is also where the independent Plaza Premium lounge sits – review here. 

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 your right. You will find it next to the Lufthansa lounge. All of the other Terminal 2 lounges – Singapore Airlines, United, Air Canada – are in the T2B satellite terminal.

There is technically no Business Class on Aer Lingus flights from Heathrow, although an ‘AerSpace’ ticket gets you most of the benefits with an empty middle seat, no charge for buy on board snacks and lounge access. Apart from that, the lounge is mainly for the benefit of passengers connecting to Business Class long haul flights or who get in via status.

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.  You cannot bring a guest if getting access via your BA status.  British Airways Gold and Silver cardholders are also allowed to access Aer Lingus lounges in Ireland but only when flying to London.

The first thing you notice when walking in are the large floor to ceiling windows. These run the full width of the lounge and flood the space with light. I’ve never been here in the evening so I don’t know how the atmosphere changes.

After many visits to the Plaza Premium lounge downstairs – which is a windowless space – this lounge is a breath of fresh air.

Just after the reception and in front of the seating areas were the toilets and one shower. I’m not sure if the lack of showers can become an issue, but the one shower they have looked decent.

The shower has not changed during the refurbishment. Even the white tissue holder is identical to our last review of the lounge in 2022!

The new seating in the Aer Lingus lounge

Let’s look at the seating from right to left.

Anyone who has been to this lounge before will know that there was a large relaxation area to the far right, with loungers in front of the windows. This has changed.

There is still seating at the back of this area, which is new although it looks similar to the old:

.… but in front of this a lot of additional seating has been added, sharply increasing the density:

The investment in the slate wall tiles 10 years ago has paid off. Frankly, you would be hard pressed not to think that the lounge had been entirely guttered, rather than just getting, in the main, a lick of paint and new soft furnishings.

The seating density also seems to have increased as you leave the old relaxation area (no longer so relaxing!) and head towards the buffet.

I did like these blue cubicles which are immediately on your right as you walk past reception:

If anything, it’s almost cluttered here now:

The central area of the lounge contains a new work area. There used to be a similar sized worktop here, but capacity has been doubled by making it wider and adding the screen down the middle:

The far left corner used to contain a small semi-private area with a table and four chairs where you could have a small meeting.

This has been replaced by two small rooms with sofa seating:

Food and drink in the Aer Lingus lounge

The food and drink offering has always been the weak spot of this lounge, but I’m pleased to say that things are much improved.

It’s certainly not lifechanging but you need to remember that this is a relatively small and lightly used space – it’s not a British Airways lounge or even Plaza Premium downstairs.

You’ve got fruit, cereal and yoghurts:

…. and, unpictured, pain au chocolates, croissants and cinnamon swirls, and:

Basically it’s ‘make your own hot roll’. You can choose from bacon, sausage patties or omelettes and slot them into a muffin.

Hot drinks are served from two coffee machines.

Alcoholic drinks (not that I was drinking them at 8am) included Bacardi, Smirnoff, Gordon’s, Jameson, Bailey’s and Jack Daniels. The fridge contained Carlsberg, Budweiser, lots of coke and a weirdly large selection of Schweppes-branded soft drinks, not just tonic water.

Conclusion

The Aer Lingus lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2 is spacious and well lit. The interior is contemporary, mirroring the Aer Lingus colours, and the new furnishings fit the space well.

They have definitely squeezed in more chairs, but as I have only ever been here in the early morning I can’t comment on how crowded it was in the evenings.

Whilst the food and drink won’t be winning any prizes, it is far better than it was and you can at least now get something hot to eat in the morning. The Aer Lingus lounge is a good place to spend some time before your flight and arguably better than it needs to be.

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

At Heathrow’s Terminal 2 you currently have nine 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)
• No1 Lounge review
• 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 (July 2025)

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

Your best value option (but no points):

The cheapest route to a Priority Pass airport lounge card is via the Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.

The credit card has a fee of £15 per month, and comes with a Priority Pass which gives unlimited free access for the cardholder. If you add a free supplementary cardholder, they will also receive unlimited free access.

Unlike the version of Priority Pass you receive with American Express, the Lloyds Bank version also lets you access £18 airport restaurant credits.

Even better, the credit card has 0% FX fees and comes with 0.5% cashback. Full details are in my Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard review.

Lounge access via American Express cards:

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 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our in-depth review of The Platinum Card from American Express is here.

You can apply here.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card 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 Credit Card review here.

Lounge access via HSBC Premier credit cards (Premier account holders only):

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 £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider The American Express Business Platinum Card which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:

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