Aspire to manage the British Airways lounge at Belfast City Airport

British Airways has handed over management of its lounge at Belfast City Airport to Aspire.

Aspire is already active at the airport, operating the independent lounge which is literally next door.  We reviewed the Belfast City Aspire lounge here and the British Airways lounge here.

The good news is that the changes so far are positive according to HFP reader feedback.  Aspire has put in a new coffee machine, expanded the range of premium drinks and launched new food options across the day.

It isn’t clear what the long term plans are.  Flybe was the biggest airline at Belfast City, and the necessity for two lounges will probably depend on how many ex-Flybe routes are picked up by other operators.

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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.

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

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.

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.

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