Review: the British Airways lounge at Newark Liberty Airport

This is my review of the British Airways lounge at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey, often used for flights to New York City.

This lounge is used by Aer Lingus as well as by British Airways passengers. This is the final part of my series on a trip to experience Business Class on the new Aer Lingus single-aisle A321LR fleet.

This lounge joined Priority Pass earlier in 2022, but you can only access it from 8am until 2pm. There are no British Airways or Aer Lingus flights during this period.

You will see that the lounge is very quiet in my pictures. After the 07.50 flight to Heathrow, the first British Airways evening flight is at 18.05. The daily Aer Lingus flight departs at 17.20 so there would have been no more than a handful of early birds for the 18.05 BA service when I arrived.

Security at Newark was impressively quick. I’d passed the lounge, up a lift on the first floor (2nd floor if you’re American!), on arrival four days earlier so I knew where I was going.

There is formal dining …. but it was closed

As with most British Airways lounges in the US, the lounge was set up for formal pre-flight dining. This allows you to eat and then board what is almost invariably an overnight flight and go to sleep without waiting for a dragged out meal service.

Pre-flight dining wasn’t open at 3pm, of course. I did get a photo of the Club World area:

…. and the First Class dining area:

As you can see, it is the typical Galleries lounge decor. It won’t set your heart ablaze but it’s certainly not as sterile as, say, a Lufthansa lounge.

Regular visitors to the UK lounges will instantly recognise this tea and coffee set-up:

The lounge contains three zones. You have the dining area pictured above, plus a seating area here (my photo only shows around half of it):

…. and, on the other side of the room, this space (again, this is only part of it):

This side is where you’ll find the bar. Whilst there is no-one to be seen in this picture, the bar is staffed and you are not encouraged to help yourself. Unlike most US airline lounges, drinks are free and there is no obligation to pay the semi-obligatory $1 tip per drink demanded elsewhere.

There is also a small work area tucked away:

…. and, whilst not pictured, shower facilities.

Newark has the QR code-based food ordering system that you will find in Heathrow and Gatwick. It worked well, as usual. My daughter had the BA burger:

Other options included:

• ‘Italian Wedding’ soup (meatballs)
• pan seared salmon
• penne ricotta pasta
• vegetarian burger
• garden salad
• spring fennel salad
• strawberry rhubarb shortcake
• banana pudding

The burger was delivered promptly and I had no complaints from my teenage companion.

That’s about all I can say, given that pre-flight dining wasn’t open. It is a perfectly satisfactory lounge, with well above average food offerings via the QR-code ordering system. The decor isn’t the most modern but I’ve also seen a lot worse. It is definitely better than spending time in the main terminal.

Do note that, if you visit between 8am and 2pm using a Priority Pass, you will find a different food and drink system in operation in keeping with the modest sum that Priority Pass pays to use the lounge.

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

Here are the six options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

Your best value option (but no points):

The cheapest route to a Priority Pass airport lounge card is via the Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.

The credit card has a fee of £15 per month, and comes with a Priority Pass which gives unlimited free access for the cardholder. If you add a free supplementary cardholder, they will also receive unlimited free access.

Unlike the version of Priority Pass you receive with American Express, the Lloyds Bank version also lets you access £18 airport restaurant credits.

Even better, the credit card has 0% FX fees and comes with 0.5% cashback. Full details are in my Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard review.

Lounge access via American Express cards:

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 in-depth review of The Platinum Card from American Express is here.

You can apply here.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card 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 Credit Card review here.

Lounge access via HSBC Premier credit cards (Premier account holders only):

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.

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider The American Express Business Platinum Card which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

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:

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