British Airways working on a 5-year plan to fully renovate the Heathrow lounges
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Tucked away at the BA Showcase event we attended in 122 Leadenhall (the Cheesegrater) last night was a small corner dedicated to BA’s new Global Lounge Concept.
This was first teased late last year, when British Airways announced it was opening a brand new Miami lounge (still on track for an opening in the first half of 2025). At the time, it wasn’t clear whether this new concept was purely for outstation lounges or whether it would eventually appear at Heathrow too.
We can now reveal that British Airways is starting work on fully refurbishing all of its Heathrow lounges. No firm timeline has been given other than that the entire process will occur over the next five years, with the first Heathrow lounge refurbishment beginning at the end of this year.
British Airways has been working with architecture firm and lounge designers Gensler, who worked on the New York JFK lounges as well as the new Star Alliance lounge in Paris.
A new Dubai lounge is coming first
Before we get to Heathrow, let’s talk about the new Dubai lounge.
British Airways already has a lounge in Dubai which Rob reviewed here, but this will be a completely new space. Crucially, it will be larger than the existing one which can no longer cope, especially when an A380 service is rostered.
The new British Airways Dubai Lounge is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025, leapfrogging the previously announced Miami lounge.
Like the existing lounge, it will feature a dedicated space for First Class passengers, although what this will look like is still under wraps.
The existing Dubai lounge features an exclusive bar, originally called the Concorde Bar, for ticketed First Class passengers, but it is rather underwhelming as Rob’s review showed. A larger space might afford BA the opportunity to create a dedicated sections for Gold Card holders. We will have to wait and see.
The Heathrow lounge refurbishment program
Most exciting of all, however, is the confirmation that British Airways is working on a full lounge refurbishment program for all lounges at its home in Heathrow.
Planning is already advanced, with detailed design and construction plans in progress.
To minimise disruption the refurbishment program will occur in stages, lounge-by-lounge. The first lounge to receive the makeover at Heathrow will be the Arrivals Lounge at Terminal 5 (review here).
It makes a lot of sense to start here. Its landside location means it will be much easier to work in, and any issues can be fixed much more easily before being rolled out.
British Airways confirmed to me that the new Arrivals lounge will feature proper barista coffee, a feature we saw at the new oneworld Amsterdam lounge. The number of showers – currently a whopping 98 – will be reduced, with British Airways intent on improving the quality. Many of the existing ones are no longer functional, and those that replace them will be larger and more spacious.
You’ll also be pleased to know that the First Class cabanas, complete with baths, will also remain, albeit with a complete makeover.
I was told that BA is looking at completely revamping the layout of the South Lounge complex in Terminal 5, which includes the current Concorde Room, First Class Lounge and Galleries Club South lounges.
The aim here is to create more of a direct route for First Class passengers to the Concorde Room, rather than making them walk through the First Class lounge. This will likely involve a reshuffle of how the First Wing opens into the complex.
It’s not clear which lounge will be next after the Arrivals Lounge is completed, although we can make some educated guesses based on recent soft refreshes.
Terminal 5B is likely to be one of the last, given it has just received brand new flooring, furniture and other elements. The same could be true for the Galleries First lounge, for Gold Card holders, which has also received new furniture in recent months, eg:
What does the new Global Lounge Concept look like?
Whilst British Airways has not (yet) provided any renders for publication, I have seen images of the entrances for the Dubai lounge, Miami lounge and new Concorde Room at Heathrow.
I was exceptionally impressed. Whilst I was told that the lounges would share common elements, each lounge takes inspiration from its locale and was distinctive from the rest.
From what I saw, the concept will vary significantly from location to location. For example, the Miami lounge features beautiful fanned mosaics on the floor, neo-deco fittings and semi-translucent reeded glass reminiscent of Miami’s art deco heritage.
The render of the Dubai lounge was less revealing but featured a large arched door within a navy blue concave fluted wall.
Meanwhile, the new Concorde Room entrance at Heathrow features moody glinting black and gold wall fittings and a black marble table, reminiscent of a luxury hotel. Unlike the Miami lounge, with its reeded glass, it is impossible to see into the Concorde Room from the outside, preserving the sense of exclusivity and privacy.
All three lounges looked stunning and I can’t wait to see them in person. This really is a big step up and is, in my opinion, even better than the lounges that were unveiled in partnership with American Airlines at JFK Airport in New York.
Conclusion
It’s great to finally hear concrete news of a British Airways lounge refurbishment program abroad and at Heathrow. Whilst I can’t show you any renders yet, you’ll have to take me on my word that the new Global Lounge Concept is impressive. From the little I’ve seen so far, they will compete with the best oneworld lounges out there and put BA’s lounges on the map.
For now, we will have to wait until British Airways is ready to pull back the curtain and reveal what it has been working on. The future, however, looks bright.
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