What are the best airport lounges in Heathrow Terminal 2? My conclusions ….

If you’re travelling from Heathrow Terminal 2 there are an impressive list of departure lounges that you might have access to. Currently there are eight lounges (click for our most recent reviews):

• Aer Lingus lounge review
• Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge review
• Lufthansa Business lounge review (plus the Senator room at the back)
• Plaza Premium lounge review
• Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounge review
• Singapore Airlines First Class lounge review
• United Club lounge review
• United Global Services lounge review

Which is best? Having visited three of them in the same day recently, and with Rob and I having visited all of the others at some point, we feel as well placed as anyone to draw some conclusions.

There is, of course, a huge amount of personal preference here. What matters most? Natural light? Champagne? Restaurant-style dining? A kids play room? Peace and quiet?

Without stating the obvious, you can’t visit all the lounges even if you want to. Some, such as Singapore Airlines First Class or United Global Services are limited to the airline’s top flyers. The only lounge which is airline-agnostic is Plaza Premium, the only independent lounge in terminal.

1. Singapore Airlines First Class lounge

In first place is the Singapore Airlines’ First Class Lounge.

This is now the only true First Class lounge available in Terminal 2, with United’s ex-First Class lounge rebranded as ‘Global Services’ and no longer offering a la carte dining.

A lounge-within-a-lounge, the First Class Lounge is separate to the SilverKris Lounge and offers a la carte dining, cocktails and premium wines.

That said, the design is getting a little dated and could do with a refurbishment.

Best for: service, a la carte dining

Access: Singapore Airlines First Class passengers

2. United Global Services lounge

Formerly the United First Class lounge, this is now a refuge for United MileagePlus’ top-tier status holders with exclusive access to Global Services members and, occasionally, United Premier 1K members.

Given its exclusivity it is surprisingly large, but this is part of its appeal: compared to the United Club next door, it is never crowded and a picture of serenity.

Locally inspired touches, such as a large clock inspired by the face of Big Ben, give this lounge some character. The only catch is that a la carte dining has not been reinstated since covid – you have access to the same (admittedly good) buffet as the United Club passengers next door.

Overall, this is an excellent lounge – if you have access.

Best for: service, food, peace and quiet

Access: United Global Services members only; Premier 1K members if the Club Lounge is overcrowded.

3. Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge

In third place we have a three way tie, in my view.

The best of the three, least for me, is the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge. This may be somewhat controversial, for reasons I explain below, but it is almost always my go-to lounge if I’m flying with a Star Alliance airline.

There are two things I like about it. The first is that it is, by a wide margin, the most stylish lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2, with the imported Canadian stone and wood cladding creating an organic and natural atmosphere.

The second reason is that it is typically one of the quieter, less crowded lounges. Both the Singapore SilverKris and United Club lounges next door get crowded during peak times, but I’ve never seen the Maple Leaf lounge as busy.

The only downside, and why putting the Maple Leaf Lounge in third place is controversial, is that the food and drink on offer is poor. So if you are hungry – or on the hunt for champagne, rather than prosecco – then this lounge is not for you.

Best for: design, working, peace and quiet

Access: anyone flying in business class on a Star Alliance airline or with Star Alliance Gold status.

= 3. United Club lounge

In joint third we have the United Club. This is by far the largest of the Terminal 2 lounges, although it’s still not big enough and can get very busy.

The United Club has the best buffet of the business class lounges with a range of hot items plus a variety of salads, sandwiches and more catering to virtually all tastes.

Whilst there’s no alcohol on self pour, the United Club features an impressive bar where you can order wines and cocktails, including prosecco. It is, apparently, the longest bar in the airport.

Best for: Western cuisine, alcoholic drinks

Access: anyone flying in business class on a Star Alliance airline or with Star Alliance Gold status; United Club members.

= 3. Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge

Opposite the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge you’ll find the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge. If you have access to the Air Canada or United Club lounges, the chances are that you’ll also be able to use the SilverKris lounge as both are part of the Star Alliance.

Although the interiors are starting to show their age, the food and drinks offering is markedly better in the SilverKris lounge. There’s a much larger selection including more Asian options.

The only downside is that the lounge can get very busy during peak hours.

Best for: Asian cuisine

Access: open to anyone flying in business class on a Star Alliance airline or Star Alliance Gold members.

Runners up ….

Beyond the top five the remaining lounges are a bit of a muchness. Coincidentally or not, these are also the lounges in the main terminal and not the satellite.

Plaza Premium

Whilst this lounge has won the Skytrax award for World’s Best Independent Airport Lounge multiple years in a row, this isn’t the best lounge at Heathrow T2 or even my favourite Plaza Premium lounge (Edinburgh and Rome are better)

What lets this lounge down, in my opinion, is that there are no windows and therefore no natural light. Whilst it is a lovely space, it always feels dark. The designers did an impressive job making it feel like a period Asian bar and restaurant – see image above – but you still miss the light.

That said, the lounge will serve you a decent breakfast if you’re hungry and its location in the main part of the terminal means its one of the most convenient lounges.

The lounge is part of Priority Pass and DragonPass. If your only way of accessing a lounge is via a lounge club card, you will end up here.

Lufthansa Business Class lounge

A good sized lounge, it caters to business class passengers with a separate Senator Lounge inside for top tier members.

The design is fairly modern although a bit drab, in the typical Lufthansa way. The food and drink is fairly basic and can be a little odd at times.

That said, if you are flying short haul then you are highly likely to be departing from the main terminal. Do you want to take the long walk (there is no train or travelator) over to the satellite lounges, just to have to walk back? Not really, unless you clear security with at least 90 minutes before departure.

You can also access this lounge with your American Express Platinum card, even if you’re not flying business class or have Lufthansa status. The only condition is that you are flying on Lufthansa, Austrian or SWISS. If you are in business class, your Amex Platinum card gets you upgraded to the Senator area.

Aer Lingus

This isn’t actually a bad lounge, given that Aer Lingus is technically a ‘value’ carrier and doesn’t exactly have a huge number of seats out of Heathrow.

The decor, as you can see below, is attractive. The space is split into a number of different zones depending on your mood and there are floor to ceiling windows.

The downside is the quality of the food and drink on offer, which doesn’t reflect the quality of the surroundings.

British Airways Gold and Silver cardholders can access this lounge if flying Aer Lingus but you cannot bring a guest.

Our rankings: the best airport lounges at Heathrow Terminal 2

Best lounge for wine and champagne:

1. Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge
2. United Global Services Lounge
3. United Club

Best lounge for cocktails and spirits:

The United Club lounge takes the crown for the best cocktails and spirits at Heathrow T2 given its dedicated staffed bar.

1. United Club
2. Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge
3. United Global Services Lounge

Best lounge for food:

1. Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge
2. United Club
3. Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge

Let us know in the comments if you disagree. Don’t take these rankings too seriously though, because overall the quality of lounges in Heathrow Terminal 2 is exceptionally high. Many international airports would love to have even a couple of lounges of this standard, yet alone eight.

Travelling from another terminal? Our guide to the best lounges at Heathrow Terminal 3 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.