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New luxury lounge planned for Newcastle Airport

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It looks like a lot of regional airports in the UK are seeing value in adding high-end lounge offerings.

I was recently in the Lomond Lounge at Glasgow Airport (review here) which has also just opened and offers, to my view, a genuinely premium experience – albeit for £40.

Newcastle Airport is the latest to announce a new premium lounge, and is hoping to have it open and running by Summer 2020. Our experience with lounges, however, is that they are almost always delayed ….

Newcastle new luxury lounge

The new lounge is being designed for 100 guests – so it will not be huge – and will compete with the existing British Airways lounge reviewed here  and the existing pay-to-use Aspire and Aspire Plus lounges (review).

To quote Nick Jones, chief executive at Newcastle International Airport:

“Airport lounges are becoming increasingly popular, and with the introduction of this new premium lounge in summer 2020, this will ensure we are satisfying customer demand.

“We are working closely with the designers to create a high-quality facility that responds to a range of customer requirements.”

It does look very classy (see artists impression above) with a warm brown-grey finish with wood and brass accents, as well as excellent views.  We will be up there to try it out next Summer.

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.

Category

General

Comments (127)

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

  • Peter K says:
    29 Oct29 October 08:51

    It’s like the new ‘premium lounges’ are what used to just be called ‘lounges’. Quieter, more refined places to spend time before a flight.

  • Peter says:
    29 Oct29 October 08:56

    I got the Amex offer on my BA Amex on Friday and by the time I got round to the email on Friday evening the email was stating “limit reached”.

  • Roger* says:
    29 Oct29 October 09:47

    I’m still waiting for the Avios from the previous spend £x get Avios offer. I chased at the time but to no effect.

    I haven’t got the offer this time – perhaps because I had the offer last time?

  • Lumma says:
    29 Oct29 October 09:51

    OT I’ve got £200 off Emirates first class or business class when spending £1800 on my rewards credit card

    • Harry T says:
      29 Oct29 October 11:05

      I’ve had this on my Platinum for a little while. Only card it’s appeared on.

  • RussellH says:
    29 Oct29 October 10:40

    No 250 avios for spending £5, but I have just got £20 off £80 at Eurostar, which could be quite useful!

    • Alex says:
      29 Oct29 October 11:18

      Same here, no 5 pounds but the Eurostar offer will come in handy!

      • Raj says:
        29 Oct29 October 11:52

        In the same position here too. I only have the Eurostar offer so will try to use it to go to Amsterdam next year. Ironically a one-way standard premier ticket I was looking at is £79, so I’ll have to see how I can trigger the £80 spend for the Amex offer.

    • aDifferentSimon says:
      29 Oct29 October 13:19

      rats, I have a eurostar payment from yesterday in pending… I take it if I add the offer now that’s too late!?

      • Js says:
        29 Oct29 October 13:31

        I got away with adding it after buying with a Ted Baker purchase last year. Worth a shot.

  • Andrew says:
    29 Oct29 October 11:27

    Bits…

    Just saw this on the BBC website concerning the recent seat hogging elderly couple :-

    “Yet her predicament reveals the hollow promise of advance train reservations: they are enshrined in law, and the rail industry says they are the only way to guarantee a seat.

    But in practice train companies say that, when faced with peaceful protest from those unwilling to move, they often cannot enforce them.

    Even the British Transport Police says it would only deploy officers to a reservation row “appropriately and proportionally” after a call from train staff.”

    Think the airlines would allow me to have a “peaceful protest” by sitting in someone elses seat?

    • Anna says:
      29 Oct29 October 12:25

      Not if you were on United.

    • marcw says:
      29 Oct29 October 12:29

      Problem is PIC can off-load you, very easily.

    • Russ says:
      29 Oct29 October 12:43

      Don’t know Andrew, I’m seeing more vigorous behavior from those who self upgrade. A few months ago I was flying back on Iberia short haul in j (only passenger) and someone came up from the back to use the loo and sat down in a j seat. Given j was empty apart from myself he was swiftly spotted and told by the FA to return to his seat. As he went passed my seat he deliberately banged into me. No apology. A short time after someone else tried to come through the curtain and again stopped by the FA. Customer then started reeling off why it wasn’t fair I had the whole cabin to myself. The mushroom ravioli was very nice by the way Iberia!

      • Nick_C says:
        29 Oct29 October 23:37

        Flying to LAX in CW a couple of years ago, a couple tried to self upgrade. Cabin crew didn’t notice. The cabin was half empty and J passengers had moved around. This couple moved into CW about 3.5 hours into the flight after the meal service had finished and the lights had been dimmed. Given the timing, I’m guessing they had done this before.

  • JeffStrongman says:
    29 Oct29 October 12:06

    OT – reaching out to those HFPers who have a good Australia points collecting knowledge. Is there a set order to apply for Amex credit card in Australia to max bonus offers? Just arrived long term and would like to retain my Avios points earning. Also have virgin flying club which I think I can use in conjunction with virgin velocity earnings CC. And would opening a Qantas points CC work in conjunction with my Avios? Main use of points will be to explore Asia from Australia base with some inter Oz flights and NZ options. Unlikely to use points back to UK but may look at upgrades. Anxious not to make a rookie error in card order application!!

  • krys_k says:
    29 Oct29 October 12:25

    OT. Does anyone fly AA first regularly enough to offer some advice on meals? I’m flying PHL – LAX next week and have read a whole bunch of negative stuff on food options provided. Is one of the special meals options particularly good? Many thanks.

    • Spaghetti Town says:
      29 Oct29 October 12:38

      i’ve heard they’re pants. I think if you’d been flying from JFK you’d of been able to get first class dining on the ground

    • Rooster says:
      30 Oct30 October 03:12

      First domestic is like club Europe, the other week there was the option of chicken salad or chicken wrap, the salad was actually quite big. Still it’s better than the offering on Delta first which is just the same crisps/sweets going round continuously.

    • Rooster says:
      30 Oct30 October 03:13

      Also no lounge access if you haven’t had a international connection! Makes CE look good!

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