Review: the Skylife lounge at London Southend Airport

This is our review of the new, expanded Skylife lounge at London Southend Airport.

Back in 2016 Rob had a pleasant day out at London Southend Airport including a visit to the small Skylife lounge.  Since then the lounge has been fully refurbished and hugely expanded and reader Olivier was so kind and sent us pictures of it. 

The entrance is the same as before with an added door on the right for the entrance to the new area.  This is an old 2016 picture so ignore the £20.95 price (it is now £22.95 if you pay cash).  The capital ‘L’ in ‘Life’ has also now been dropped!

When Olivier visited the lounge in February, the old lounge area was not in use.  One of the employees told him this part would be refurbished later this year once they understood what worked with the new area and what didn’t.

The new area is huge compared to the old lounge, with a large number of sitting areas, many of them featuring comfortable sofas.  There is also a large dining area with tables and chairs.

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Olivier was very positive about the setting, the design, the decoration and the furniture used.

The food on the buffet was only pastries and fruit in the mid-afternoon, but they also have a machine to make your own pancakes and one to make your own hot dog.

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There was a good selection of alcohol including draught beer.

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Conclusion

All in all the improvements are very positive and the Skylife lounge at London Southend Airport now appears to be competitive with independent lounges at similar sized airports.  When Olivier visited the lounge on a Wednesday afternoon there was only one other couple there.  Even if it did get busier there would always be enough seating.

You can get into the lounge using Priority Pass.  You can buy one here or you receive two (which admit four people between them) with The Platinum Card from American Express.  You also get two free vouchers for one-off lounge visits with American Express Gold.

You can book for cash via the Lounge Pass website here.

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

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (December 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 1,500 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. Click here to apply.

You can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

Huge 80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 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 £290 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 good package, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

Got a small business?

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

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card, which has a lower fee and also comes with Radison Rewards VIP status:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th December 2024, there are EXCLUSIVE sign-up offers for our readers on the two Capital on Tap small business Visa cards. You can earn 20,000 points on the Business Rewards card and 30,000 points on the new Pro card. Click here to apply.

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

30,000 points (TO 9TH DECEMBER) plus good benefits 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.