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Bristol Airport lounges to be managed by Manchester Airports Group

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As we covered a few weeks ago, there are changes afoot for users of Bristol Airport.

We had heard that the Aspire lounge (reviewed here) was withdrawing from Priority Pass when it reopened following a refurbishment.

It seems that there is more to it than this.

Bristol Airport

The operation of the lounges at Bristol Airport is being taken over by Manchester Airports Group, via its CAVU subsidiary.

From 1st May, the existing Aspire and AspirePlus lounges at the airport will switch to:

  • an Escape lounge (mass market)
  • a 1903 lounge (premium)

The airport website has sample food and drink menus for the new lounges and they look surprisingly good, especially in 1903.

You can find out more on the airport website here.

The Priority Pass website now confirms that there will be no access from 30th April. We understand that the airport has agreed a contract with On The Beach which is presumably more lucrative and will take up much of its capacity.

Getting airport lounge access for free from a credit card

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.

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

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.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

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.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

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

Category

General

Comments (27)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Robert says:
    20 Apr20 April 11:35

    Can anyone confirm, does IHG charge the full rate of non-refundable rooms to the card at time of booking (hoping to stack the sale with an Amex offer)?

    • Rob says:
      20 Apr20 April 13:32

      Depends. Remember that this is a pain in the bum for hotels (they charge you now, then they need to charge you again after your stay for incidentals) so some don’t bother. This is especially true if you have status. They think they are doing you a favour. If your call up, however, you can get them to charge you now.

  • Julia says:
    20 Apr20 April 11:42

    Could do with some help please. I also have another IHG offer of 3000 bonus points per 2 night stay in UK. Top earning 18,000. So will I benefit from both offers if they both overlap or should I book some stays today and then book 6×2 nights separately? I can just sneak in the 6 nights before coming back to Blighty but I have already hit IHG lounge access requirement.

  • Ron Jacobs says:
    20 Apr20 April 13:21

    What on Earth is bizarre about the IHG exclusion sentence? Very clear and straightforward compared with much (most?) small print. And, surely, offer exceptions are often made for specific brands?

    • Rob says:
      20 Apr20 April 13:27

      You don’t think its odd to write ‘The sentence is:’ at the beginning?!

      • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:
        20 Apr20 April 14:49

        Oh Robert!

        It’s not as if you’ve never made a typo or written an incomprehensible sentence!

      • Ron Jacobs says:
        21 Apr21 April 17:43

        Yes, Rob, I do think that’s odd. So odd that I thought those words were yours not part of the small print.

  • Tom says:
    20 Apr20 April 14:31

    Just had an email from BA extending lifetime of my e-voucher from 30 Sept 2023 to now 30 Sept 2024:
    ___
    Dear Customer,

    We wanted to let you know that we’ve extended the expiry date of your eVoucher.

    Previously, you could use your eVoucher on flights that depart and return by 30 September 2023. It’s important to us that you get the chance to use your eVoucher, so you can now book and travel by 30 September 2024.

    To pay or part-pay for flights using your eVoucher, simply select your flights on ba.com and continue to the ‘Review your flights’ page. Click the link at the bottom of the page and apply your eVoucher details. You’ll need:
    eVoucher number
    Registered surname and email address associated with the eVoucher
    If you’re unsure of your voucher details, you can use our handy reminder tool.

    Up to four eVouchers can be used per booking. Rest assured, if your total booking value is less than your eVoucher, we’ll automatically send you another eVoucher for the remaining amount.

    We look forward to welcoming you on board.

    ___

  • Julia says:
    20 Apr20 April 19:27

    Thanks Rob. Better get booking then.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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