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Review: the refurbished Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

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This is our review of the refurbished Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow airport’s Terminal 2.

This is part of our series of reviews of airport lounges across the UK. You see all of the reviews here.

The Aer Lingus lounge recently reopened after refurbishment. This has always been a pleasant space, although historically let down by its food, so I was keen to see what was new. Aer Lingus kindly let me look around even though I was flying on a different airline.

Where is the Aer Lingus lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2?

Terminal 2 is the newest of the four Heathrow terminals (Terminal 1 closed when the new T2 opened) and, whilst not as expensively finished as Terminal 5, is bright and airy.

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

The layout is similar to Terminal 5, with the main shopping area down one level. The lower level is also where the independent Plaza Premium lounge sits – review here

The Aer Lingus lounge is located within the main departures area on the same level as security, so don’t head for the escalators.  Instead, head to your right. You will find it next to the Lufthansa lounge. All of the other Terminal 2 lounges – Singapore Airlines, United, Air Canada – are in the T2B satellite terminal.

There is technically no Business Class on Aer Lingus flights from Heathrow, although an ‘AerSpace’ ticket gets you most of the benefits with an empty middle seat, no charge for buy on board snacks and lounge access. Apart from that, the lounge is mainly for the benefit of passengers connecting to Business Class long haul flights or who get in via status.

British Airways Gold and Silver cardholders can access the Aer Lingus lounge at Heathrow when flying Aer Lingus, whether or not their ticket shows a British Airways codeshare flight number.  You cannot bring a guest if getting access via your BA status.  British Airways Gold and Silver cardholders are also allowed to access Aer Lingus lounges in Ireland but only when flying to London.

The first thing you notice when walking in are the large floor to ceiling windows. These run the full width of the lounge and flood the space with light. I’ve never been here in the evening so I don’t know how the atmosphere changes.

After many visits to the Plaza Premium lounge downstairs – which is a windowless space – this lounge is a breath of fresh air.

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

Just after the reception and in front of the seating areas were the toilets and one shower. I’m not sure if the lack of showers can become an issue, but the one shower they have looked decent.

The shower has not changed during the refurbishment. Even the white tissue holder is identical to our last review of the lounge in 2022!

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

The new seating in the Aer Lingus lounge

Let’s look at the seating from right to left.

Anyone who has been to this lounge before will know that there was a large relaxation area to the far right, with loungers in front of the windows. This has changed.

There is still seating at the back of this area, which is new although it looks similar to the old:

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

.… but in front of this a lot of additional seating has been added, sharply increasing the density:

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

The investment in the slate wall tiles 10 years ago has paid off. Frankly, you would be hard pressed not to think that the lounge had been entirely guttered, rather than just getting, in the main, a lick of paint and new soft furnishings.

The seating density also seems to have increased as you leave the old relaxation area (no longer so relaxing!) and head towards the buffet.

I did like these blue cubicles which are immediately on your right as you walk past reception:

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

If anything, it’s almost cluttered here now:

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

The central area of the lounge contains a new work area. There used to be a similar sized worktop here, but capacity has been doubled by making it wider and adding the screen down the middle:

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

The far left corner used to contain a small semi-private area with a table and four chairs where you could have a small meeting.

This has been replaced by two small rooms with sofa seating:

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

Food and drink in the Aer Lingus lounge

The food and drink offering has always been the weak spot of this lounge, but I’m pleased to say that things are much improved.

It’s certainly not lifechanging but you need to remember that this is a relatively small and lightly used space – it’s not a British Airways lounge or even Plaza Premium downstairs.

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

You’ve got fruit, cereal and yoghurts:

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

…. and, unpictured, pain au chocolates, croissants and cinnamon swirls, and:

Review: Aer Lingus lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

Basically it’s ‘make your own hot roll’. You can choose from bacon, sausage patties or omelettes and slot them into a muffin.

Hot drinks are served from two coffee machines.

Alcoholic drinks (not that I was drinking them at 8am) included Bacardi, Smirnoff, Gordon’s, Jameson, Bailey’s and Jack Daniels. The fridge contained Carlsberg, Budweiser, lots of coke and a weirdly large selection of Schweppes-branded soft drinks, not just tonic water.

Conclusion

The Aer Lingus lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2 is spacious and well lit. The interior is contemporary, mirroring the Aer Lingus colours, and the new furnishings fit the space well.

They have definitely squeezed in more chairs, but as I have only ever been here in the early morning I can’t comment on how crowded it was in the evenings.

Whilst the food and drink won’t be winning any prizes, it is far better than it was and you can at least now get something hot to eat in the morning. The Aer Lingus lounge is a good place to spend some time before your flight and arguably better than it needs to be.

Travelling from Heathrow Terminal 2? Here are your lounge options ….

At Heathrow’s Terminal 2 you currently have eight lounges to choose from.

Our overview of the best airline lounges at Heathrow Terminal 2 is here, or you can read individual reviews of all the lounges here:


Getting airport lounge access for free from a credit card

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (February 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.

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

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.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

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.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A good package, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full 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:

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

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:

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

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

Comments (10)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Mouse says:

    Reminds me of the ghastly contract lounge used by BA in Marrakech circa 2015

    • daveinitalia says:

      That’s a bit unfair, nothing was as bad as the lounge in RAK!

      • TGLoyalty says:

        Must’ve been really bad as even the food outlets in RAK departures are selling absolute rubbish.

  • DZOO says:

    Is there a way to book EI flights (BA codeshare LHR-DUB) on the BA website? It seems like that functionality was there (as recently as the weekend) but is now gone..

  • Tristan says:

    Aer Lingus operates true Biz Class (J) on EI380/381 SNN-LHR-SNN daily. You just have to dig a little and check that a flight is booked to operate on A321-LR

    However be mindful that BA does not recognise Aer Lingus ticketed (J) Class for Tier Points or Avios. So you would need to join and credit an Aer Lingus account and transfer the Avios to BA if they are important to you. A one way in (J) Class between SNN/LHR awards 50 Tier Points if you are collecting with Aer Lingus.

    I hope for a day that all three flights between SNN and LHR are operated by this aircraft!

  • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

    Thise plug sockets need to be either higher up or upside down!

  • John says:

    They could have improved the food without ruining the seating layout…

  • W says:

    Prime spot for plane spotting is now gone with all extra seating.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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