The new Bristol Airport lounge will still be in Priority Pass

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

Operation of the lounges has passed to Manchester Airports Group, via its CAVU subsidiary.

From 1st May, the existing Aspire and AspirePlus lounges at the airport have switched to:

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

The Priority Pass website says that, despite previous feedback, you CAN access the Escape lounge with your Priority Pass card. However, the website also carries a warning that access will be restricted. 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.

What the Priority Pass website doesn’t tell you, however, is that the Escape lounge remains closed for now. Whilst 1903 is open, you can’t book the Escape lounge for cash until 1st June.

The opening hours of the Escape lounge will be 3.30am to 7.30pm when it finally opens.

Cash rates are an ambitious £37 for the Escape lounge and £45 for 1903. Children are banned from the 1903 lounge.

You can find out more on the airport website 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.