Lounge news: impressive new BA options at Larnaca and Brussels, Eurostar changes

Lounge news in brief:

A new airport lounge opens in Larnaca

If you are a regular user of Larnaca airport, you will know that it has had no airport lounge facilities recently due to redevelopment.

The good news is that an impressive new lounge, Skala, is now open for British Airways passengers. You can see details on the airport website here.

Aegean Airlines now has its own lounge elsewhere in the airport, which has allowed the ‘everyone else’ lounge to expand into Aegean’s old space. The outdoor terrace has been retained as you can see below.

The Skala lounge is NOT part of Priority Pass yet but it may pop up in time. It already shows in the DragonPass app.

…. and over in Brussels ….

Meanwhile, at Brussels Airport, the airport has opened a new lounge called ‘The View’. It is apparently in the area where the dedicated British Airways lounge was in days gone by.

You can use this lounge if you are flying on British Airways and meet the usual access requirements. It is not part of Priority Pass or DragonPass. Looking at images online it appears to have good runway views, showers and a decent drinks selection.

Note that the oneworld lounge directory website has not yet been updated and still tells BA passengers to use the Diamond Lounge.

Eurostar lounge changes for Avantage members

Eurostar sent out a slightly confusing email to Avantage members of its Club Eurostar programme on Wednesday. Avantage is the middle status tier.

It said:

You may be aware that we’re launching new travel classes across all our routes from November 2024: Eurostar Premier, Eurostar Plus, and Eurostar Standard. As part of the launch of Eurostar Premier, we’re designing brand new lounges which will open later in the year for customers travelling in Eurostar Premier and our Club Eurostar members in Carte Blanche and the levels above.

To align lounge access in every station, we have taken the tough decision to remove Eurostar Lounge access for Avantage members from 12 August. We are aware that this might be disappointing and we’re sorry for that. To make up for it, we’re working on a new perk.

What is confusing here is that Avantage members of Club Eurostar never had access to Eurostar Business Premier lounges. These are the ones for passengers on Channel Tunnel trains in London, Paris and Brussels.

What Club Eurostar is referring to are the lounges branded ‘Eurostar’ which are used for passengers on continental European trains, ie the old ‘Thalys’ services.

Whilst this is clearly a loss of benefits for Club Eurostar members, in truth it is one that I suspect most UK-based Club Eurostar members never used. It is a bigger hit for members in continental Europe who primarily used Thalys services.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (April 2025)

Here are the five 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 1,500 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

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 £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:

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