Emirates opens its lounge at London Stansted

There is good news for passengers on Emirates flights from London Stansted, with the Emirates lounge finally opening yesterday.

This is actually good news for EVERYONE who uses Stansted and who holds a Priority Pass airport lounge card.

Emirates was the major user of the Escape lounge in the main terminal, which was virtually impossible to access with Priority Pass for much of the day. With those passengers gone, a substantial number of daily slots will open up.

Emirates has spent more than £4 million on its lounge, which can hold up to 125 passengers. It covers 900 sq m in total.

It becomes the sixth Emirates lounge in the UK following London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Manchester. British Airways only has lounges at five UK airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Emirates, as the first Middle Eastern airline to make a big push into the UK, invested heavily in its own facilities because independent lounges were either non-existent or poor. Carriers who came later, such as Etihad and Qatar Airways, have – outside Heathrow – tended to partner with the best available independent lounge available.

It is to the credit of Emirates that it is still happy to invest in its own facilities. Other airlines would have been happy to offer to co-fund a premium independent lounge instead.

The decor should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been in an Emirates lounge recently: in fact, it looks virtually identical to the Emirates lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 which we reviewed this summer.

In other words, beige and brown leather armchairs, arabesque lattices and fresh cut flowers at every table. It’s not the most modern or innovative but matches the airline’s aircraft interiors.

If its other UK lounges are anything to go by then you should expect an excellent buffet service – far superior to those in other lounges – as well as a good selection of drinks.

Emirates has been flying from Stansted since 2018. Whilst many people, including myself, were sceptical at the time, the route has performed well, especially with the many life sciences companies in the region. There are now two flights per day.

Stansted is also, I think, the only UK airport which has the astonishing new Emirates Boeing 777 First Class suite which I reviewed here.

The lounge is in Satellite 1 and may be in the spot that No1 Lounges used to have. It is a short walk to the gates used by Emirates and includes shower facilities. It is open from 11am until 3pm and from 5pm until 9pm daily, coinciding with the two daily flights.

The lounge is open to First and Business Class passengers travelling on Emirates as well as Emirates Skywards Gold and Platinum members.

Emirates has partnered with Sussex-based Full Circles Farms, to roll out a “farm to table” food concept, offering seasonal menus with fresh organic vegetables. Customers can also enjoy premium spirits and liqueurs, a selection of decent wine, and a range of the finest Moet & Chandon champagnes.

Emirates now offers a crazy 133 weekly flights from the UK. Emirates will start flying to its seventh UK airport with the launch of services to Edinburgh Airport from 4th November. Whilst initially operated by a Boeing 777, this will switch to the A350 as it receives these from December. Emirates has teased a new seat arriving on its A350s, although it’s unclear how revolutionary this will be.

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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.