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Is there a second contender for ‘Smallest Priority Pass Airport Lounge in the World’?

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Back in July, we brought you some pictures of the Priority Pass lounge at Iguazú Falls airport in Argentina.  Reader Graeme had been passing through – see his report here – and believed it was a strong contender for the title of ‘Smallest Priority Pass Lounge in the World’.

Here are a couple of shots of the Aeropuertos VIP Club.  You can see Graeme’s point:

iguazu falls vip lounge seating 2

and

iguazu falls vip lounge seating

Let’s be honest.  Many of us have more seating at home.  Sadly the lounge has now left Priority Pass so your chance of trying it out has gone.

However, it turns out that there is a new contender for the ‘Smallest Priority Pass Lounge’ prize, and it is a lot nearer than Argentina.

Welcome to the Ireland West Executive Lounge in Knock.

Click on any picture to enlarge – not that there is much else to see.

Ireland West lounge Knock Airport

Nominated by reader Paul, he reckons that capacity is around eight.

Cunningly, you can only get in by inputting a code on the door which is only available from the airport information desk landside – so if you have already cleared security, you’re stuck.  It is one way of keeping down capacity I suppose.

From the outside, it looks substantially more impressive:

Ireland West lounge Knock Airport

Of course, with only a handful of departures per day on average from Knock, you’re unlikely to hit rush hour anyway.

But is any good?

Ireland West lounge Knock Airport

“Sadly the coffee was all instant, the food selection a bit dull, and the room somewhat hot.  Given how relatively empty and relaxed Knock departures was, it didn’t add much for me than a quiet place to get on a couple of calls.”

If you can find somewhere smaller, let us know.


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 (43)

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

  • Alex says:

    In around 2006, the Virgin Nigeria “business class lounge” at Abuja Airport in Nigeria was eight white garden chairs and a fan. I’ll try and dig out the photo I have next to the sign.

    • sean says:

      similarly “BA Lounge” in Harare – 4 chairs and a fridge behind some dividers

  • Nick says:

    Does anyone else remember the old British Airways “lounge” at Malta International Airport back in the 1990’s? It was little more than a broom cupboard. When you checked in you were given a code for the door lock to enter. There were no staff, a few chairs and magazines and one or two snacks.

  • Michael C says:

    Knock lounge definitely had the same “design” team as IOM!

  • Peter K says:

    “A quiet place to get on some calls” thus it was no longer quiet.

  • Joe Carr says:

    Thessaloniki airport has a tiny lounge. I’d say it’s about 8 people. Just a few seats and a fridge.

  • Sharon says:

    I can nominate Inverness. Thats small, reckon only about 6-8 seats but great offerings and friendly staff. Hidden in a corner by one of thexgates

    • Rob says:

      We are planning to go up to Inverness later in the year so will check it out!

    • John says:

      INV is pretty cozy, yes. It does have over a dozen seats, though.

      Given how tiny it is, it’s actually a pretty well-run lounge.

      • ChrisC says:

        more like 20 seats and despite it being small and busy there is still the odd passenger who thinks that their coat or handbag deserves a seat of its own!

    • Jill. (kinkell) says:

      Inverness is a great wee lounge. I think it has a max. of about 25….that includes a few bar stool type seats at the window and the armchair at the reception desk. Great staff with the bacon butties at the ready for the 0705 to LHR!

  • David says:

    We flew last month from Juliaca to Lima in Peru. Only a handful of domestic flights arrive and depart from Nuliaca each day yet it had a really tiny PP lounge. Three of us filled it.

  • Jim says:

    Brussels Charleroi must be a contender. Entry by key code and no frontage to speak of. Seating for 6-8.
    The best feature is the selection of chocolate bars.

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

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