NEW: Plaza Premium takes over the El Al lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4

If you find yourself in Heathrow Terminal 4 this week, you may see an unfamiliar lounge: the Blush Lounge.

It is not, technically, a new lounge.

Plaza Premium has taken over the former El Al lounge at Heathrow. The story is a bit more complicated than that, however.

A brief history of the El Al lounge at Heathrow ….

El Al opened the King David lounge in 2016, when it moved to Terminal 4 following the closure of Terminal 1. It was managed by Plaza Premium, which operates a number of airline lounges on a contract basis in addition to its own-brand lounges.

In 2019, El Al quietly divested itself from the King David lounge. Operations were taken over by a new company which launched ‘ART&LOUNGE’. It described itself in the following terms:

“It is not a business lounge, it is not a gallery, it is a “bubble” allowing a high-end captive audience to experience an unconventional story, through art.“

It was as bizarre as it sounded. Rob’s wife managed to review the lounge and discovered that there wasn’t actually any art inside ART&LOUNGE …..

ART&LOUNGE was available on Priority Pass as well as being used for business class passengers on El Al.

Plaza Premium takes over (again)

ART&LOUNGE was not a success, although the pandemic clearly didn’t help. Fast forward to 2022 and Plaza Premium is back in the driving seat.

There is already a Plaza Premium-branded lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4 (review here) so the new lounge has been called the ‘Blush Lounge’. This is a brand new brand name – Plaza Premium has never used the ‘Blush’ name before.

To be honest, the name does seem a little odd – it would be interesting to know how it resonates with El Al’s premium customers, who will continue to use the lounge.

What you need to know about the Blush Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4

The Blush Lounge is located by Gate 2 at Terminal 4.

It is open to the public for a short window between 3pm and 7pm daily, except Fridays. Access is available with American Express Platinum, DragonPass, or by booking in advance. As usual with Plaza Premium, you cannot use a Priority Pass to gain access.

Outside of these times it is for the exclusive use of El Al customers. It operates two flights – one at 2pm and one at 10pm – daily except Friday, which explains why the lounge is closed that day.

Kosher food is available as an option ‘on request’ outside of El Al hours, and is presumably available as standard when El Al flights are departing.

It has capacity for up to 105 guests. Unless Plaza Premium has changed the layout, the lounge is approximately 340 sq m. Plaza Premium is describing it like this:

“Travellers will be greeted by a spacious entrance lobby, which leads to a cosy space, with several seats overlooking the runway. Inside the lounge, travellers can also enjoy a sumptuous buffet spread with a selection of food and drinks, with koshered meals available upon request. A wine menu is also available at the lounge.”

We will check it out next time we are at Heathrow Terminal 4 during opening hours. In the meantime, you can learn more about the Blush Lounge – and book for cash – on the Plaza Premium website here.

PS. If you missed it, our review of the impressive and brand new Plaza Premium lounge at Edinburgh Airport is 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.