Review: Saudia’s new lounge in Heathrow Terminal 4

Back in April, Saudia, the Jeddah-based airline, opened a new lounge in Heathrow Terminal 4.

The airline has worked with Plaza Premium on the design, fit out and operation.

Plaza Premium had leased the former two level SkyTeam lounge at Heathrow T4, opening up a new, larger Plaza Premium on the ground floor. Saudia has now taken over what was the upper floor of the SkyTeam lounge as its own space.

On Wednesday, I went down for a tour.

Our visit was hosted by senior members of the Saudia team from Jeddah, which gave us an opportunity to talk in broader detail about what is happening with the airline.

Saudia is on the move ….

If I’m honest, Saudia – in my mind – was not an airline I saw as a top tier carrier. My view started to change when I saw a mock-up of their impressive A321XLR seat at World Travel Market last November, and there is a lot more going on:

• since 2016, Saudia has jumped from 82nd to 17th in the Skytrax ‘Best Airline Staff & Service’ table

• for June 2025, Cirium ranked it Number 1 globally for on-time departure and arrival performance – a crazy 91.3% on-time arrival rate and a 90.7% on-time departure rate, across almost 17,000 flights

• some aircraft have full suites in business class, including ‘double bed’ suites

• it has 118 aircraft on order, plus another 73 for its low cost offshoot flyadeal

• as well as London, it is opening dedicated lounges in Paris, Istanbul and Dubai

• having just announced flights to Dammam from November 2025, it now flies from Heathrow to three cities (the other two are Riyadh and Jeddah)

• other UK routes include Gatwick to Neom, Gatwick to Jeddah, Birmingham to Jeddah and Manchester to Jeddah

Inside the new Heathrow Terminal 4 lounge

Let’s cover a key point first. This is NOT a SkyTeam lounge. You cannot get in if you are flying from Terminal 4 on Air France, KLM, Vietnam Airlines or China Eastern.

I asked why this is the case and did not receive a satisfactory answer. It is not uncommon for flagship lounges at home airports to get a carve out (eg Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse in Terminal 3) but this is just a – primarily – business class lounge at an outstation.

That said, it is a very good lounge. Of course, the lack of SkyTeam passengers – meaning that it was never busy when we were there – is part of its appeal.

The lounge is 850 square metres, with capacity for 174 guests. You can enter if you are flying Saudia in First or Business Class, or are in Economy with Alfursan Gold or Silver frequent flyer status. The list posted on the front desk does NOT say that SkyTeam elites with other airlines, flying Saudia, can use it.

The two images above are PR shots, but are accurate. The one immediately above is just after you enter and is the tea bar, where you can enjoy ‘a bespoke London Tea Exchange experience’.

This is, of course, a dry lounge. However, I was impressed by what Saudia has done to offset this.

The ‘tea experience’ is novel. You have different options laid out:

There appeared to be a dedicated member of staff overseeing this and able to advise. There are also 10 premium teas available in hand stitched bags by the buffet.

If you usually have champagne, you can have a glass of dealcoholized sparkling chardonnay instead:

There is also Kronenbourg 1664, Lyre’s Italian Spritz, Warner’s Pink Berry gin, Tanqueray gin, Lyre’s coffee liqueur, white wine and rose wine – all 0%.

There is also a wide range of smoothies, wellness shots, milkshakes, fresh juices and mocktails on the drinks menu. There was some really good stuff there, especially at the tea bar, and unless you are a hardened alcoholic I think you’ll enjoy working through it as I did.

At the back of the lounge is a large buffet:

Anyone who has had a Middle Eastern hotel buffet will recognise the mix on offer.

You’ve got scrambled egg with chive, roasted tomatoes, chicken sausage, lots of fresh fruit, breakfast cereals, pastries, cheese etc, but also shakhouka egg tahini dressing, olive, zucchini and sundried tomato frittata, foul jarrah goulabah etc. Even the butter selection gives you a choice of parsley butter, sun-dried tomato butter or truffle butter.

To the side of the buffet is a (possibly pop-up) stall with ice cream and Lindt chocolates:

First Class and VIP passengers

First Class passengers have a dedicated seating area to the left of the entrance – everyone else will turn to the right:

Apart from getting a yellow chair, it wasn’t clear what else may be special about this corner!

In the same area is a VIP room – this is a PR photo as it was being set up for the presentation we received when I went in:

Whilst I didn’t see them, the lounge also has showers (Urban Apothecary amenities) and prayer rooms.

Conclusion

I was pleasantly surprised by the new Saudia lounge in Heathrow Terminal 4.

The quality of everything – from the design to the fit-out to the food to the expansive range of non-alcoholic drink options – was better than I anticipated.

If you are flying Saudia in the near future, you are in for a treat. It’s just a shame that the space isn’t open to passengers on other SkyTeam carriers.

Saudia’s Heathrow lounge is open from 7:00am to 10:00pm, covering Saudia’s first and last flights of the day.

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

Here are the five options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

Lounge access via American Express cards:

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 in-depth review of The Platinum Card from American Express is here.

You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th October 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This would convert to 80,000 Avios! The spend target is changed to £10,000 within SIX months of approval. T&C apply. Click here to apply.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card 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 Credit Card review here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th October 2025, the sign-up bonus on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card is doubled to 40,000 Membership Rewards points. This would convert to 40,000 Avios! The spend target is changed to £5,000 within SIX months of approval. T&C apply. Click here to apply.

Lounge access via HSBC Premier credit cards (Premier account holders only):

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 The American Express Business Platinum Card which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th October 2025, the sign-up bonus on The American Express Business Platinum Card is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points. This would convert to 120,000 Avios! The spend target is changed to £12,000 within three months of approval. T&C apply. 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.