UK airport lounge reviewers wanted

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• John C says:

  27 Apr27 April 04:24

  Hi Rob. Whatever happened to your new writer you were hiring last year? Did that not happen in the end? This article reminded me of that.

  • Julian says:

    27 Apr27 April 06:41

    That does seem strange as I thought Anika was long gone from working with Rob and she wasn’t even there at the last Christmas Party. Instead Rob’s keen young male intern in his gap year (not the long term paid employee Rob was supposedly interviewing for) seemed to be managing everything at that event.

    My understanding was that Anika was getting married and that as a result of that for some reason (probably moving elsewhere in the UK) she was no longer able to continue in the role.

    • Nathan says:

      27 Apr27 April 06:49

      Poss recycling of an old call to arms whilst the sub-editor on Easter hols?

    • Lady London says:

      27 Apr27 April 13:13

      Anika is still contributing @Julian. I miss her hotel reviews where she spotted things in hotels that matter to us ladies. Notably she is doing the regular ‘promotions that are about to close’ curating. Her name has been on the byline of other articles recently too. NOMB but I think she’s helping Rob out on the behind the scenes tasks that keep the site funded and running.

  • Joan says:

    27 Apr27 April 07:23

    I was just wondering the same thing as you were recruiting a new person to replace Anika ?

    • Rob says:

      27 Apr27 April 10:26

      We’re not replacing Anika – she is on the payroll but will be spending 100% of her time on marketing / commercial / promotions / competitions / sponsorship, so you will still see her name on stuff but it will be mainly linked to special reader offers or competitions.

      But, yes, she is not in London now unless she needs to be. I might be able to get her down for the Summer party!

      Anyway, announcement due soon.

  • Alex Sm says:

    27 Apr27 April 07:45

    +1
    As Rob explained here and there, the previous recruitment attempt didn’t work out despite a higher number of applicants. But perhaps, something changed?

    For the record, my partner is still keen to try it out.

    • Crafty says:

      27 Apr27 April 08:52

      I would imagine the role is under review while the dust settles post Amex-geddon. If page views are permanently down it may no longer stack up.

      • Rob says:

        27 Apr27 April 10:22

        There will be an announcement in the next two weeks.

        However, the plan had to change. We will lose around 25%-30% of our revenue with the Amex changes and, if we lose some of the ‘leisure’ end of the readership, the figure will be higher as ad revenue etc will weaken too.

        I don’t expect any drop in page views. We may be flat for a year but the continual influx of ‘hard core traveller’ readers will simply offset the loss of a few leisure readers, and the content may tweak to reflect that.

        We can sustain this – it only takes us back to where we were in 2017 – but at the same time we need to be cautious.

      • Russ says:

        27 Apr27 April 12:45

        As HFP seems to be coming to a paradigm shift can I make an impassioned plea on behalf of ‘hop over to Europe for the weekend’ type spenders as well as once a year aspirational holiday types? Sorry but I don’t know anyone socially who saves for holidays (dappy financially challenged relatives excluded). They want to go somewhere they pay and go.

      • sean says:

        27 Apr27 April 12:45

        I just assumed the Nanny may have more time on her hands soon

      • Lady London says:

        27 Apr27 April 13:49

        @Russ there are other blogs that cover the leisure thing particularly from the hotel side. However for some strange reason those bloggers do seem to review Indian Ocean and far flung Asian hotels on islands that take a plane, another plane and then a seaplane to reach, as compared to the ‘We earn loads in the City but we have to be there in the week so we can leave on Friday but must be there and back by Monday cost does not matter time does’ option for a couple.

        As the half of a couple that had to decide and arrange this type of break at least monthly you are right @Russ there is definitely a market for it. However I like thus blog for its business and finance orientation. Others could maybe cover this as well. But others don’t link in a business / finance approach as well as Rob.

• Tim M says:

  27 Apr27 April 05:15

  The current Manchester Terminal 2 will close April 2020 for refurbishment when the first stage of the new T2 finally opens. This will bring a whole raft of new lounges to review – to add to the diary!

• Nathan says:

  27 Apr27 April 06:56

  And why pray tell would you not be going to Norwich? It’s a fine city. It even says so on the sign as one drives in. Although, granted, the ‘International’ does stretch the imagination somewhat!

  OT transited through Changi for the first time the on Thursday and what a magnificently bonkers place it is too, my new favourite airport 😎

  • Mr Entitled says:

    27 Apr27 April 07:09

    Even if the great man himself is busy, I’m hopeful that it can be written Partridge style.

    • Shoestring says:

      27 Apr27 April 07:40

      They had some Pouilly Fuisse – quite good – but all this wine nonsense! You get all these wine people, don’t you? Wine this, wine that. Let’s have a bit of red, let’s have a bit of white. Ooh, that’s a snazzy bouquet. Oh, this smells of, I don’t know, basil. Sometimes you just want to say, sod all this wine, just give me a pint of…mineral water
      The chemical toilet was a Saniflow 33, now this little babe can cope with anything, and I mean anything. Earlier on I put in a pound of mashed up Dundee cake, let’s take a look…not a trace! Peace of mind I’m sure, especially if you have elderly relatives on board.
      Airports are great. I’d just like to fly a helicopter all around Norfolk. You know, swoop down over a field. Scare a donkey so that it falls into a river. Hover over one of those annoying families that go on holidays on bikes. And shout at them “get out of the area!” and watch them panic!

      • Mr Entitled says:

        27 Apr27 April 08:03

        Job done. Take Norwich off the list.

      • Lady London says:

        27 Apr27 April 13:22

        Try it with a drone. Oh, wait..!

    • Brighton Belle says:

      27 Apr27 April 08:11

      Won’t be long before Boris puts London’s next airport there.

      • Anna says:

        27 Apr27 April 08:48

        I saw an advert for Southend airport on the back of a bus in Lancashire yesterday! Most likely a complete waste of advertising revenue; most people think we are odd for routing via Heathrow a couple of times per year…

      • John says:

        27 Apr27 April 12:45

        Saw an advert for BA to some Caribbean place in Great Yarmouth.

      • Lady London says:

        27 Apr27 April 13:21

        There won’t be any right-on trendy soundbites for that and there are better options than Norwich to stress the multiculturality of London so Saddiq Khan will not be announcing that anytime soon.

• barnaby100 says:

  27 Apr27 April 08:14

  The LBA lounge review is a couple of years out of date. They now have 3 lounges and the one reviewed closed and the space is now starbucks. So you could ass those to your list.

  • barnaby100 says:

    27 Apr27 April 08:14

    Or even add those to your list.

    • Rob says:

      27 Apr27 April 10:24

      We have someone doing LBA already.

• Ikaz says:

  27 Apr27 April 08:25

  There is also a new 1903 at Manchester T2, quite simmilar to the T3 1903 and a step up from the PPass lounges in T2

  • Dale says:

    27 Apr27 April 08:59

    Funny that it’s not mentioned on the 1903 website?

    What is the best lounge at Manchester T2 for PP or Amex plat??

    • Ikaz says:

      27 Apr27 April 11:28

      I prefer the Escape lounge, they have prosecco on tap, some decent salads (not mayo and pasta with a few other food items for colour), 4 hot food selections with one or 2 meat options, a few beer options. I usually go to the escape for food and drinks, then go to the aspire lounge for the stamps/points and apron views. If I have more time and wanted a meal, I would consider spending £25 for a “short stay” at the 1903

• Will says:

  27 Apr27 April 10:25

  Speaking of Priority Pass – does anyone know if Rhodes airport has a PP lounge? Not on the PP list so assume not.

  • Julian says:

    27 Apr27 April 10:39

    These are the two lounges in Rhodes.

    See http://www.rhodes-airport.org/lounges/

    • Will says:

      27 Apr27 April 22:06

      Yes but do they accept PP?

      • Peter K says:

        27 Apr27 April 23:09

        It appears not. On the priority pass website only 2 airports in Greece are listed, and Rhodes is not one of them.

        Looking at the websites of the two lounges, neither mention priority pass sorry.

• signol says:

  27 Apr27 April 10:45

  Although Norwich is my local airport, all my current year’s flying is scheduled put of Heathrow (with one possibility from Stansted). I’ll let you know if this changes…

  • Lady London says:

    27 Apr27 April 13:27

    You mean you are choosing not to use STN ? You must be passing by its front door on your way to LHR from Norwich?

    • signol says:

      28 Apr28 April 21:03

      Not by train 😉 but yes it’s a possibility!

• ankomonkey says:

  27 Apr27 April 11:13

  Here’s my review of Gatwick South No 1 Lounge: Still unable to access this lounge without paying the extra £5 or whatever it is to reserve my spot. Since I only ever use Gatwick for flights with the family (during school holidays), this would cost £20 for the 4 of us. I have Priority Pass to cover the formal entry cost, and do not rate No1 enough – based on visiting BHX, MAN – to pay an extra £20 for the privilege when Grain Store gives me a food credit.

  The smugness of the Gatwick South No1 door staff/dragons really winds me up to the point that I’m starting to despise the company. It’s always the ‘looked down upon as I didn’t reserve their super-popular, super-exclusive offering so I should turn back and join the plebs’ attitude that pi$$es me off. They offer fish finger sandwiches for f**k’s sake. I loathe them and their offering with a passion.

  • Rob says:

    27 Apr27 April 11:22

    Aspire lounge opens in 8 weeks, problem solved.

    • ankomonkey says:

      27 Apr27 April 19:31

      Thanks. Will be happy to take my business there.

  • Lady London says:

    27 Apr27 April 13:34

    Gatwick North No. 1 Lounge seems to be playing these games a lot less than Gatwick South No.1. Gatwick North has reverted to buffet as they said they got too many complaints when they enforced you handing over your menu for one hot dish brought to you.

    The hot dishes were mostly very nicely flavoured and considerably nicer than what’s now on the buffet. The problem was they were spectacularly mean in sizing them. They were never much bigger than a large canape (this as a hot main course type item) and reduced over time to postage stamp size. That was the nature of the complaint – the mean portions. Buffet far worse now. Breakfast just about ok rest not really.

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