Can you use lounges on short haul Aer Lingus flights with British Airways status?

If you are looking for an example of the unnecessary complexities that airlines and loyalty schemes can impose, you will struggle to beat the lounge access rules for short haul Aer Lingus flights if you have British Airways status.

The fact that the two airlines are owned by the same company makes it even crazier.

I thought we’d run through it for you as we understand it.  And it isn’t simple.

These guidelines are only for short haul flights. Long haul flights are governed by different rules which are outlined here and which are more generous to BA elite members.

In Heathrow:

Aer Lingus has a pleasant lounge in Heathrow Terminal 2.  We reviewed it here after its 2024 refurbishment.

The rule here is that British Airways Silver or Gold cardholders can use the Aer Lingus lounge at Heathrow.

Your ticket does NOT need to be issued by BA and it does NOT need to be a BA codeshare.  If you have BA status, even a super-cheap ticket booked on aerlingus.com will do the job. No guests are allowed.

In Dublin:

British Airways Executive Club Silver or Gold cardholders can use the Aer Lingus lounge in Dublin.  It doesn’t matter if your ticket has an Aer Lingus or British Airways flight number.

But ….

…. this only works if you are flying to Heathrow.  If you fly from Dublin to, say, Manchester you will not get Aer Lingus lounge access in Ireland with a British Airways status card.

In Shannon or Cork:

In November 2023, Aer Lingus removed lounge access for all British Airways Executive Club elite members flying from Shannon or Cork.

British Airways Executive Club elite members were previously allowed to use these lounges when flying on Aer Lingus, but ONLY if flying to London. This is no longer the case. You had never been able to get access if flying elsewhere from Shannon or Cork.

In Belfast:

To confuse matters further …. Aer Lingus has no lounge in Belfast.  However, if you have a British Airways Gold card, you can use the British Airways lounge. In Belfast, this means the Aspire contract lounge used by BA. We reviewed the Aspire lounge in Belfast here.

No guests are allowed.  More importantly, your Aer Lingus ticket must have a British Airways flight number AND have been issued by BA (the ticket number will start 125-).  An Aer Lingus ticket with an EI flight number will not get you in.

British Airways Silver cardholders do not get into the Belfast lounge in any scenario, irrespective of who issued their Aer Lingus ticket.

Glad we got that cleared up ….

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (March 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:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

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.