You can now pay £6 to reserve the Club Aspire lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5

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• Sharon Fairley says:

  2 Aug2 August 05:51

  Can you receive a refund from the platinum membership over the Covid period when you couldn’t travel?

  • Rob says:

    2 Aug2 August 06:59

    No

  • Johnny5a says:

    2 Aug2 August 09:26

    We cancelled out platinum right at the beginning of COVID. We’re now eligible for the bonuses again

• Michael C says:

  2 Aug2 August 06:32

  Not that I was going in, but BHX Nº 1 had a sign outside on Sat. saying “No access for cardholders”?!

  • Andrew J says:

    2 Aug2 August 06:51

    Most lounges in the U.K. are now saying that – they only allow airline guests and pre-booked guests or those willing to pay to enter on the door.

  • John says:

    2 Aug2 August 07:49

    The sign at STN Aspire Lounge has been there so many years they really ought to make it permanent.

    ⬆️ Lounge ⬆️ (Piss off)

    • Paul says:

      2 Aug2 August 08:19

      When I was travelling regularly, the STN lounge would often be “at capacity”, but given the ebb and flow of passengers, if you handed over a contact number you might have to wait 15 minutes to be let in. So when we took our first flight in more than 2 years last week, and 9am the “lounge full” sign was up, like Mark J. I went and asked. There being just two of us and our flight was being at midday we were accommodated – most of the reservations on the tables seemed to be for 1pm bookings.

      Whilst here I’d like to recommend the Airport Lounge World lounge in Munich Terminal 1. Staff don’t win any prizes for breezy cheeriness, but the space is good, lots of recharging points and a very good food and drink offering at lunchtime.

  • Mark J says:

    2 Aug2 August 08:02

    I flew out of Luton last week (last minute flight to Inverness due to train strike). The Aspire lounge had a “Lounge at capacity – prebooked guests only” sign up. I walked past it and threw myself on the mercy of the desk clerk with my broadest smile. She did a quick visual check of the seating and let me in. It was hell, but not as much hell as the main terminal! Maybe always worth an ask? People are coming and going all the time.

• Ro says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:04

  Any feedback on priority pass lounge at LHR T4?

  • Rob says:

    2 Aug2 August 07:10

    There isn’t one any longer, just Plaza Premium.

    • Ro says:

      2 Aug2 August 18:28

      Was meant to ask are Plaza Premium turning away Amex platinum priority pass customers or is the lounge normally not that full?

      • Ro says:

        2 Aug2 August 18:31

        Amex app does show plaza premium as T4 lounge open for business so assume should be possible to use it but would I need to flash Amex platinum card or priority pass card?

        • Rob says:

          2 Aug2 August 19:49

          Plat

• Iain says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:29

  Last time at Heathrow (late July) customer experience was dreadful! Aspire rammed and we had to go on a waiting list and Plaza Premium wanted to limit my visit to two hours so took refuge in BA south terminal and a sea of tranqulity apart from a noisy Canadian but she soon moved on. Such a shame that driving the othe end so could only drink their water.

  • lumma says:

    2 Aug2 August 08:45

    I don’t understand the love for the Plaza Premium T5 on this site. I was really looking forward to trying it when that cheap Dragonpass deal was available before the pandemic and just found it very average.

    • Lady London says:

      2 Aug2 August 09:00

      Even worse, I can’t understand why anyone would bother using this lounge. It’s low quality and tacky and feels like Blackpool. And people pay for this experience?

      I’d sooner sit on the floor in the terminal.

      • Lady London says:

        2 Aug2 August 09:01

        …referring to the Aspire T5

      • Mike says:

        2 Aug2 August 11:00

        And I’d rather sit on the floor in Blackpool than enter the Plaza Premium T5 !

        • flyforfun says:

          2 Aug2 August 11:20

          Really? Last time I was at T5 I went to Weatherspoons thinking I’d get a cheap meal. The state of the place, not to mention the groups drinking as if it was going to be the last drink ever, made me stay long enough to put a lounge entry onto my Dragon Pass.

          Instead of sitting at tables that hadn’t been cleaned properly with stag and hen do’s wobbling about me, I went up to the PP lounge. There, I had reasonably nice Thai Green Chicken curry, along with soups, salads and desserts. There was a bar, but I’m not one for drinking before a flight anymore. The seats were comfy and the view was great. It wasn’t busy either, but obs, YMMV.

          It’s not as great as the PP in HK, but that’s probably to do with the space it has.

• John says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:32

  Personally I think a £5/6 reservation system for PP cardholders is preferable to being turned away or sent to a noisy pub with £15 credit. While not quite “free” access a lounge, a booking system does at least level the playing field and guarantee entry once booked. Perhaps this is something Amex-PP or PP-lounges could insist upon when re-contracting?

• Wally1976 says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:51

  Does the £6 include fast track security in this case?

  • Wally1976 says:

    2 Aug2 August 07:55

    To answer my own question, it is a “no”. The fast track security use only included at Gatwick and Birmingham.

    • Mark J says:

      2 Aug2 August 08:06

      Last time I checked there was no way of booking fast track security at Terminal 5 anyway. Can’t remember if it’s open to business class travellers or whether it’s been removed altogether. The bundling of fast track with the lounge booking at LGW does make it good value. It’s now a regular part of my flight-booking process if we’re coming back up to Scotland on Easyjet.

      • Chabuddy Geezy says:

        2 Aug2 August 10:05

        I think a way around this is to buy a cheap first class ticket on Heathrow Express, this gives you fast track.

    • The real Swiss Tony says:

      2 Aug2 August 08:24

      And that’s currently suspended at BHX, both for direct sale and as a freebie with pre-booked lounge access. Still open to people who bought before the chaos hit and to relevant airline guests.

    • Rob says:

      2 Aug2 August 08:45

      …. now only Gatwick.

  • Rob says:

    2 Aug2 August 08:48

    No. Heathrow withdrew paid fast track at the start of the pandemic and its not really a thing anyway – it is purely a psychological thing to make premium passenger happy. It doesn’t move any faster 🙂

    • lumma says:

      2 Aug2 August 14:50

      Last time I flew from Stansted there was a couple ahead of me who’d paid for fast track but went into the regular security. They managed to get someone to let them into the fast track section. A couple of minutes later they re-entered the same queue I was in but just behind me!

• Michael says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:57

  Does the bronze fast-track check in extend to security, or is this £6 well-spent at Gatwick?

• Terry says:

  2 Aug2 August 08:01

  Heathrow T3 No 1 lounge can be pre booked too.

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