EXCLUSIVE: No1 Lounges to reopen, starting next Thursday

No1 Lounges, the independent lounge network, is to start reopening its sites.

First up is the No1 Lounge in London Gatwick’s North Terminal. The website for the lounge is here.

It will reopen on Thursday 17th September, from 6am to 5pm. My Lounge and Clubrooms, also owned by No1, are not reopening just yet.

What has changed at No1 Lounges?

The key dfference is that the buffet service has, unsurprisingly, been withdrawn.

It will be replaced by table service. A new menu of hot and cold food will be introduced.

Other changes include a contactless reception system and the availability of hand sanitiser across the lounge. I would imagine that all newspaper and magazines will have been withdrawn too.

British Airways long-haul services are currently operating from Gatwick North. (There is no short-haul British Airways flying from Gatwick.) BA has done a deal with the Club Aspire lounge (here is our Club Aspire Gatwick North lounge review) for status, Business and First Class passengers.

If you have a DragonPass or similar card, however, you may want to try the No1 Lounge instead. It is a bigger and brighter space and will presumably be a lot emptier than it used to be. Hopefully I can take a look before too long.

You can book a spot for cash on the No1 Lounges website here.

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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.