British Airways launches ‘sleep pods’ in the Galleries First lounge

‘Sleep pods’ will launch today in the British Airways Galleries First lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5.

Seven pods will take the space that was previously occupied by the business centre, which has been chronically underused for a number of years.

Business Traveller reports than an additional five pods will be installed in the Concorde Room – potentially in the space currently occupied by the Elemis Spa – with a further three pods appearing in the lounge at New York JFK.

Here is a picture from the pod manufacturer, Restworks, of one in use:

Pre-booking will not be possible. Signage in the main lounge area will apparently indicate if a pod becomes free.

The pods will be overseen by a dedicated staff member who will offer hot towels and a wake-up drink after your session, which the manufacturers suggest will be 20-30 minutes.

I have never tried one of these pods so I can’t give you any sense of what it is like ‘inside’. A common complaint seems to be that you can only sleep in one position, with no space to turn, which can get frustrating. If you are in Galleries First today and decide to give it a try, please let us know.

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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.