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You will soon see a ‘refresh’ of the British Airways Chicago, Berlin and Edinburgh airport lounges

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British Airways has revealed the next batch of lounges to receive refreshes across its network.

This is not entirely ‘new news’, since it was included – possibly by mistake – in BA’s ’20 New Year’s Resolutions’ press release over Christmas.  British Airways shared full details of its plans this morning, although plans for Heathrow are still under wraps.

The BA lounges at Chicago O’Hare, Berlin Tegel and Edinburgh airports will all be refreshed this spring.  These lounges will receive new carpets and furniture in line with the full refurbishments recently opened in (links to articles) San Francisco, Johannesburg, Geneva (review), Aberdeen, Rome and Milan.

British Airways clearly feels these lounges are in good shape and only need retouching.  You won’t be getting a comprehensive refurbishment or reconfiguration of the space that has happened in other locations. That means you are unlikely to see the new bar that anchors all of BA’s recent lounge refurbishments:

Given this is a lighter ‘refresh,’ we can also expect the lounges to remain in service.  As happened with the Concorde Room in Heathrow Terminal 5 recently, presumably the lounge elves will come out at night and replace the carpets and soft furnishings to ensure minimum disruption. This avoids the 5+ months closure that recent lounge upgrades have required.

Chicago gets a bigger refresh with renewed decor, a new reception and redesigned buffet area.

Edinburgh and Chicago are set to be completed by ‘Spring 2020’ whilst Berlin should be refreshed in ‘early Spring’. 

Of all the places where you may want to update your lounge, picking an airport which is closing permanently in November 2020 – assuming Berlin Brandenberg finally makes it – seems odd.  Or perhaps the new chairs will be packed up and shipped off to the new airport.  We will be in Berlin during March for the massive ITB travel show so we may get to try it out then.

Given that all three lounges are set to be complete by Spring this year, it seems we can expect British Airways to reveal another run of lounge refurbishments in the coming months. Whether these will be refreshes or full refurbishments are yet to be seen.

British Airways is also working on their Heathrow lounges, which are now getting a little long in the tooth. We do not yet know what we can expect, although rumours have been circulating of an additional lounge in T5C to reduce disruption in the event of an extended lounge closure.  This would suggest that BA is considering an extensive lounge refurbishment program.

PS.  If you missed it, take a look at our recent article on the top 10 benefits of the FREE British Airways American Express credit card.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (April 2025)

Here are the five 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.

You can apply here.

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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.

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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.

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You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:

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PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.

Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (82)

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

  • ChrisA says:
    16 Jan16 January 09:40

    ‘Baited’ breath? Sounds smelly! 😄

  • 1DES1 says:
    16 Jan16 January 09:46

    O/T – I’m travelling through LHR T3 on Saturday morning (9.35am departure – will arrive around 7.30am) – which pay to access lounge would be best at this time?

    We are also travelling through T3 on a Wednesday evening in a couple of weeks (10.05pm departure – will arrive around 7pm) – which pay to access lounge would be best at this time?

    My HSBC WE Mastercard (Lounge Key) grants access to No 1 and Club Aspire. Seems like No 1 is the better option but it can get ultra busy? Thanks in advance for any tips.

  • Richard Thomas says:
    16 Jan16 January 09:51

    I use TXL BA Lounge quite often, it seems ok-ish. I don’t really understand why BA are bothering to refresh it given the imminent closure of Tegel.

  • Alex says:
    16 Jan16 January 09:58

    The lounge situation at LHR is getting interesting. AA seem to have cancelled their Flagship at T3, and I overheard (absolutely not substantiated, literally just) rumours about Pre-Clearance arriving at Heathrow in 2021. I know it’s a confirmation bias, but having BA rumours of a T5C lounge on top could maybe mean a “US” satellite at T5C, joint between BA and AA?

    • AlexT says:
      16 Jan16 January 10:13

      That would be interesting, though pre-clearence is less of a concern now that US customs takes substantially less than it used to with the introduction of kiosks.

      • Rhys says:
        16 Jan16 January 10:37

        Took me 90 minutes just to get to the kiosks in JFK last year!

        • riku2 says:
          16 Jan16 January 10:39

          One tip is that the same kiosks handle US passport holders and non-US passport holders but the queues are normally separated. Keep your passport inside its wallet and join the shortest queue.

        • Doug M says:
          16 Jan16 January 11:26

          Was that T7, the BA one. Lots of complaints about that at certain times.

        • Dev says:
          16 Jan16 January 11:43

          +1
          And most kiosks have difficulty scanning fingerprints! The last few times I had to hop from kiosk to kiosk to find one that would scan properly. One time, the airport staff redirected me to a never ending queue to see an Immigration officer. Took 3 hours that day from when I stepped off the aircraft to get to the baggage hall. 😊

    • Rob says:
      16 Jan16 January 11:07

      Very possible – you would want all the pre-cleared flights in the same area.

    • Doug M says:
      16 Jan16 January 11:24

      T5C would need extensive changes, they couldn’t use the entire satellite surely. A380 gate availability a factor, as they’d need some in the non Pre-Cleared area, do they depart A380s from T5B, I think there were some gates, but are they used.
      Also, Pre-Clearence for BA/AA, I can feel the Delta/Virgin/United lawyers chomping at the bit.

      • Charlieface says:
        16 Jan16 January 12:16

        Usually with these kind of things they fiddle with the corridors. A similar thing is done in T5A for domestic and at AMS section D for Schengen/non-Schengen. So T5C the level below departures would have the corridors there.
        I agree though that this sounds like someone’s dreaming a bit too much. I think we would have heard about it already if it was so soon.

    • ChrisC says:
      16 Jan16 January 11:28

      If LHR gets pre clearance then it will be for ALL airlines that fly between LHR and the US and not just BA and AA.

      • Doug M says:
        16 Jan16 January 11:37

        Which in a practical sense means T2 and T3 having Pre-Clearance as well, or all Delta/Virgin and United flights leaving from T5C. I really struggle to see how this works without a lot of busing, terminal changes, or extensive building work. Think of the lounge investment Virgin and United have. I’m either being really dense or this is pure fiction.

        • Riku says:
          16 Jan16 January 22:11

          In Munich they manage to handle three different types of passengers (arrivals from non-clean, schengen departures and non-schengen depatures) and even have the two parts of terminal 2 connected by a shuttle train moving all three kinds of passengers in both directions will full separation. At Heathrow all they can manage is one type of passenger on the train and the stupid “please wait…. security checks” while somebody tediously checks the train at the end of each run.

      • Lady London says:
        17 Jan17 January 09:57

        I bet there will be a lit of competition amongst within the US Immi service to staff the London clearance! I gather they send employees who base themselves here.

    • Mark says:
      16 Jan16 January 12:36

      And even if we’re talking about BA only, is there really enough capacity in T5C alone to handle all the departing US flights? Seems unlikely given that’s a pretty big chunk of BA’s longhaul business. What happens with the additional US bound security checks currently? Are those confined to particular areas?

  • Definitas says:
    16 Jan16 January 09:59

    The BA Chicago lounge is woefully inadequate due to its size. There is only one toilet cubicle in the mens room which itself is small enough to induce claustrophobia. Consequently it becomes dirty and smelly with a wet floor prior to every flight. No amount of “refresh” is going to improve the situation

    • sunguy says:
      16 Jan16 January 10:30

      Do you mean the “first” lounge in Chicago – which is indeed woefully inadequate ?

      The main galleries lounge there is actually not bad for the number of folks who use it….(or at least thats what I found!).

      I used to use the main lounge for some of my time, and the first lounge just before the flight to get access to the “secret” door for boarding (as long as it was going from that gate anyway!).

  • sunguy says:
    16 Jan16 January 10:31

    I shall harp on again for my hope of Bacon rolls being part of the EDI refresh!!!!!

    • Anna says:
      16 Jan16 January 12:43

      +1 if they refresh MAN. Muesli or rock hard toast with one’s champers the morning of a J/F trip is just soul destroying 🤣

      • Anna says:
        16 Jan16 January 12:50

        Though it’s just occurred to me I could make a couple of bacon rolls before we check out of the MAN Hilton and take them into the lounge, though almost certainly MAN security would find issues to have with that!

        • Craig says:
          16 Jan16 January 13:58

          I’ve taken bacon rolls through the crew channel in the past with no issues. Is there a microwave in the lounge for warming baby food?

          • Anna says:
            16 Jan16 January 14:50

            I don’t remember seeing one, but could try wrapping them in foil I suppose.

          • Craig says:
            16 Jan16 January 14:58

            Foil worked superbly in the aircraft oven, inserted into buttered rolls when hot. Just what the doctor ordered at 5am.

        • Mr(s) Entitled says:
          16 Jan16 January 19:18

          Surely easier to just eat them in the Hilton?

          • Lady London says:
            17 Jan17 January 09:59

            @Anna needs something to have with her champers and cold hard toast or muesli just doesn’t do it. Even eggs without bacon wouldn’t do it 🙂

  • Jason says:
    16 Jan16 January 10:50

    OT looking for any hotel recommendations for Chicago for a 3 night stay over thanksgiving. I am Hilton diamond, Marriott platinum assuming a some landing titanium and ihg spire ambassador. Cheers in advance Jason

    • Fraser says:
      16 Jan16 January 12:33

      I stayed at the Conrad Chicago in October, very nice, central location, sky bar, got a suite upgrade despite (at the time) only being Gold.

      Highly recommended.

    • Steve-B says:
      16 Jan16 January 12:50

      I stayed at the IC last year. Nothing bad to report but nothing spectacular either. Good central location and good upgrade to corner suite as Spire AMB though.

      • Dominic Barrington says:
        16 Jan16 January 14:02

        I live in Chicago, and prior to moving stayed in most of the downtown hotels. The IC has a good location on Michigan Ave, and, as remarked, is fine, but not remarkable. The Conrad is also well located and is very new, with impressive rooms and a lovely bar/restaurant on the 20th floor. I would also consider the Drake, which is an historic Hilton at the top end of Michigan Ave. It has a lovely old-fashioned feel, and I suspect will be full of atmosphere for Thanksgiving. There is also the Palmer House down in the Loop (another historic Hilton), but unless you have business reasons for being that far south, I wouldn’t make that my first choice location.

    • Liam says:
      16 Jan16 January 18:22

      In addition to those already suggested, consider LondonHouse (Hilton) downtown on Wacker, next to the river.

    • Tilly says:
      16 Jan16 January 23:07

      I loved my stay at The Drake in Chicago. Would highly recommend it.

  • Paul says:
    16 Jan16 January 11:14

    Anyone having problems with IHG not posting points for Double you accelerate points?

    I registered for it and hit all targets but they will not post me the points?

    • ChrisC says:
      16 Jan16 January 11:33

      The only points that haven’t posted for me are the 1k for my first stay. The x2 and x3 have posted at the same time as the base miles

      Check your detailed transactions

      Remember these bonus points also include any extra status points you might get.

    • Steve-B says:
      16 Jan16 January 12:41

      One of my x4 bonuses didn’t post last month which was odd because all others have. Anyway, email to CS quickly sorted it out.

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