Etihad to take back control of its London Heathrow lounge from No1 Lounges
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According to Executive Traveller, Etihad is taking back control of its lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 4 on 20th December.
Earlier this year, the lounge was renamed ‘The House’ with management handed over to No1 Lounges. Etihad continued to use the lounge for its premium passengers but No1 was also selling access for cash.
The switch is potentially due to Etihad adding a permanent 4th Heathrow service. Air Serbia has also reportedly handed back its Heathrow slots to Etihad, the original owner, which would allow Etihad to add a 5th flight if it chose.
Etihad may have felt it was losing brand equity by not running its own lounge, or that there was little scope for No 1 to sell space to other passengers with four Etihad flights to handle.
If the report is correct, signage in the lounge will not be changed until next Spring.
The two other ‘The House’ lounges operated by No1 Lounges, in Sydney and Melbourne, will remain under their control and have not reverted to Etihad.
How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (March 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.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive a huge 120,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Platinum by 9th April 2024. You receive 80,000 points for spending £12,000 within 90 days and a further 40,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
American Express Business Platinum
Crazy 120,000 points bonus (to 9th April) 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.