Nothing beats escaping the hustle and bustle of a busy airport terminal and relaxing in one of the VIP airport lounges. By becoming a Priority Pass member, for relatively little expense you can enjoy excellent food and a range of drinks, sit in comfortable seats, make use of the free WiFi, read a complimentary newspaper of magazine, use bathrooms without the long line and in some cases take a refreshing shower whilst in transit.
Gone are the days when you had to book a business class or first class ticket to enjoy the use of an airport lounge (although this is still a business and first class perk with most airlines). By joining a programme such as Priority Pass you can relax in an aiport lounge at a lower cost than the daily walk-in rate and bring a guest along too.
Priority Pass offers access to airport lounges throughout the world but here we will list some of the best ones to visit in Europe.
Alicante – Elche Airport Lounge
Alicante, on the Costa Blanca in southern Spain is the gateway to some of the country’s most popular holiday destinations. With frequent flights to countries across Europe this busy airport sees thousands of passengers passing through each day. Although the terminal itself has a great range of shops, bars and restaurants, it can get very busy so to be able to escape to an airport lounge is ideal.
Alicante – Elche Airport used to have two airport lounges, the Sala Ifach and the Sala Costa Blanca. Unfortunately, the better of the two – Sala Ifach – closed around the time of the pandemic and has never reopened. The Sala Costa Blanca is now the only option and in my opinion is the least enjoyable of the two. It is located on the lower level below the gate area, along a dull passageway and although it is quiet and comfortable it is not as luxurious as the Sala Costa Blanca and the range of food and beverages is somewhat lacking.
Still, a lounge is a lounge and you can enjoy a drink and a snack, comfortable seat, power outlets for your devices and clean quiet bathrooms.
Liverpool – John Lennon Airport Lounge
Located on the UK’s northwest coast Liverpool – home of the Beatles – has a small airport serving mostly European holiday destinations, for many it is a preferable alternative to the much larger and busier Manchester airport an hour or so away.
The departure area at Liverpool has a handful of eateries but they can get quite busy especially at peak times. The Aspire Lounge is located in the main departure area and is easy to find. It is not a huge lounge but it is bright and comfortable with a good range of hot and cold food, good drinks menu (Champagne and Prosecco have an additional charge), free WiFi and power outlets. The Aspire airport lounge does not have its own bathroom facility. A funny thing to look out for in the lounge is the robot cleaner that wheels around the lounge collecting your trays, very novel.
London Gatwick Airport Lounges
London Gatwick is actually not in London but in West Sussex some 28 miles from central London. One of the two main airports for the south of England and with airlines flying to destinations around the world. The airport has two terminals and a number of airport lounges available.
North Terminal
Major airlines including Jet Blue, Qatar, WestJet, Royal Air Maroc, TUI and Rwandair have a hub at the north terminal. Priority Pass offers access to four airport lounges.
The Plaza Premium Lounge is one of the larger airport lounges and has excellent runway views. Food is buffet style and there is an additional fee for premium alcoholic beverages.
The No1 Lounge offers food prepared on ordering, a range of beverages, runway views, free WiFi, newspapers and very comfortable seating.
The Gateway is a family-friendly airport lounge and is therefore often one of the busiest. It also enjoys runway views. A range of refreshements and drink are available buffet style.
The Clubrooms is one of my favourite airport lounges in the UK. This quiet, smaller lounge is sumptuously styled with calming decor and comfortable club-style seating. The waiter service is excellent as is the made-to-order food and the beverages on offer. In my opinion it is well worth the extra supplement fee to use this lounge. Children under 12 are not allowed in this lounge.
South Terminal
Airlines including Emirates, Easy Jet, Ryanair, Vueling, British Airways, TAP Air Portugal and Turkish Airlines use Gatwick’s south terminal. Priority Pass offers access to four airport lounges in the terminal.
The Club Aspire Lounge and No1 Lounge are top choice for families, with a relaxed atmosphere, buffet style food and beverage offerings. Both enjoy runway views.
My Lounge is one of Gatwicks newer airport lounges and is a comfortable space with runway views, elegant styling and buffet style food and beverage service.
The Clubrooms again comes out on top for me with premium food and beverages with waiter service, and extremely comfortable seating. Upgrade fee is applicable and children under 12 are not allowed.
Madrid Barajas Adolfo Suarez Airport Lounges
Once you get over the length of the name of Madrid’s only airport you may need to relax in the comfort of an airport lounge. Madrid airport is a vast sprawling building made up of 4.5 terminals (we will get to the .5 later).
Some 83 airlines fly into Spain’s capital, terminals 1, 2 & 3 are loacted in the same building while terminal 4 and the satellite terminal 4S (that’s the previously mentioned .5) are located some distance away. Ground transportation is readily available between the two areas. Terminal 4 can be a little confusing as some flights, including non-Schengen flights and wide bodied jets arrive into and depart from the satellite terminal 4S which is accessed by an underground train.
When flying into, departing from or transiting through Madrid airport it is crucial that you allow yourself enough time to naviagte this large space.
Priority Pass offers access to airport lounges at all five terminals at Madrid airport, all of which are airside.
T1. The Cibeles Lounge is a spacious full service lounge including shower facilities, with views to the runway and a good range of food and beverages available.
T2. Puerta del Alcala Lounge has excellent facilities including children’s playa area, showers and a very good selection of alcoholic beverages and refreshments.
T3. Puerta del Sol Lounge is a large space with comfortable seating most with in-seat power outlets, there are also a number of lounge chairs for enhanced relaxation. Views are of the main airport concourse. A hot and cold buffet with beverages is avaiable.
T4. The Plaza Mayor Lounge can be tricky to locate on the first floor near the AENA conference area but once you are inside you will find comfortable seating, work spaces, a very good buffet, dishes on which vary throughout the day plus an excellent range of beverages. At this point I have to mention that of all airport lounges I’ve visited in different countries, Spain is up there with the best offerings of complimentary self-serve alcoholic beverages.
T4S. The Neptuno Lounge is a similar layout to the other lounges, spacious and bright with plenty of work and relaxation spaces. The lounge overlooks the runway and boasts shower facilities and all the other standard offerings. Again the lounge has an excellent buffet with hot and cold dishes and a good range of beverages.
Rome Fiumicino Airport Lounges
Rome has two airports but most major international flights fly through Fiumicino. The airport has two terminals and Priority Pass offers access to three in each. Due to the size of the terminals some of the lounges serve specific gate areas so it is prudent to check the Priority Pass website to find out which lounge you will be able to use.
Terminal 1 has the Plaza Premium Lounge, Prima Vista Domus Lounge and PrimeClass Lounge. All offer similar facilities although there are no showers in the Prima Vista Lounge. Hot and cold self serve food is available along with beverages.
In Terminal 3 the options are Plaza Premium Lounge, Prima Vista Lounge and Prima Vista Portus Lounge. The only one of these I have used is the Plaza Premium Lounge and the food offering was disappointingly basic.
London Heathrow Airport Lounges
One of the world’s busiest airport and a hub for dozens of international airlines, London Heathrow is spread out over acres of space with four terminals. Priority Pass has pulled out all the stops here and includes numerous airport lounges plus the option of discounted rates at key eateries in three of the terminals for those who don’t want the formality of a lounge.
Establishments included in the discount programme are T2. Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen, T3. The Oceanic Pub & Kitchen and T5. The Globe Pub & Kitchen. In T5 Priority Pass members can also take advantage of discounted spa facilites at the Be Relax Spa. For full information on all these discounts visit the Priority Pass website.
Terminals 2 to 5
T2 has one lounge available to Priority Pass members, the Plaza Premium Lounge. This elegantly styled airport lounge has comfortable furnishings an excellent choice of food with open chef’s kitchen and even has a nap area, showers and day beds which are available to pre-book with a supplement.
T3 has two airport lounges to choose from, Club Aspire Lounge is modern and bright with a restaurant feel and guests can enjoy views of the runway as they relax. No1 Lounge Heathrow has quirky furnishings a cinema room, bar and buffet and a family area. This lounge can get very busy at peak times.
T4 also has two lounges for Priority Pass members. The Plaza Premium Lounge is laid out in a restaurant style and has buffet food and a sit up bar. The Blush Lounge is a more intimate airport lounge, a smaller space with runway views and offers a Kosher menu.
T5 has the Plaza Premium Lounge which is similar to those in the other terminals, and also the Club Aspire Lounge which is a large modern space with contactless food order and delivery service.
What About Terminal 1?
As this stage you may be wondering why there is no terminal 1 at Heathrow Airport. Prepare to be confused.
Terminal 1 opened in 1969 to great aplomb by Queen Elizabeth II and for some time it was the largest short-haul terminal in Western Europe. Confusingly, terminal 1 was not Heathrow’s first terminal, that was the Europa Building opened in 1955. This building was renamed terminal 2 when terminal 1 opened… with me so far?
Terminal 2 was demolished in 2009 to make way for – you’ve guessed it – the new terminal 2. Terminal 1 was refurbished in 2005 and continued to be in use until it was eventually closed in 2015. In the years following its closure an auction was held to sell off everything from check-in desks to framed airline posters, a dream for aviation geeks like me!
The main bulding of terminal 1 still stands although the piers were demolished to allow space for the huge Airbus 380s to taxi to the other terminals.
Manchester Airport Lounges
Serving much of the north of England,Manchester Airport has dozens of domestic, international short-haul and long-haul flights passing through each day. With all this traffic it is surprising how small the terminal buildings are. Lounge access is a necessity rather than a luxury in my opinion when travelling through Manchester Airport.
I was actually born in Manchester and often fly in and out of the airport when visiting my parents who now live on the coast a couple of hours outside the city. Despite my close ties to the airport I have to say the experience flying in and out of it is far from a good one. Sorry Manchester but it’s a fact, rude and surly security staff and the building continually appearing to be in disrepair does not reflect well on what is a fantastic city with warm and welcoming people. Thanks to the good people of Priority Pass, when you get over being spoken to like a badly behaved child and have retrieved your valuables from the chaos of the security area you can head to one of the two airport lounges on offer and escape to relative tranquility.
FIrst a brief eulogy for what used to be the best member-access airport lounge in the UK, the wonderful and sadly closed 1903 Lounge. This lounge in terminal 3 was small, comfortable, quiet, adult only lounge, it served delicious food to order and had a wonderfully stocked self-serve bar. The lounge closed during the pandemic and has never reopened. Don’t be fooled by its Facebook and Instagram accounts which are still running, it’s closed, forever it seems.
The two lounges currently availabe are the Escape Lounges in terminal 1 and terminal 2. These lounges get very busy during peak times and seating can be limited. The decor is a little tired, the seating isn’t super comfortable and a refurb is much-needed. However I have always found the food, drinks and snacks to be very plentiful and good and the service very friendly. It is still way preferable to the busy main areas of the terminals.
Barcelona El Prat Airport Lounges
Barcelona Airport is a large modern airport serving airlines from across the globe, there are two terminals, the newest being T1 and the older T2 which is still operational and comprised of three interconnected areas. The majority of long-haul international flights arrive and depart from T1 whereas low cost airlines and smaller charter flights arrive and depart from one of the T2 zones. It is important to check which terminal your airline uses.
In terminal 1 Priority Pass offers access to four airport lounges. It is important to note, the lounge you can use depends on your destination, also one of the four lounges is landside. Check the Priority Pass website for full details.
Sala VIP Pau Casals – T1. For Schengen and Domestic flights. Open from 4am until the last flight departs, a comfortable lounge with full food and beverage service, showers, WiFi and seat power outlets.
Sala VIP Colomer – T1. Same facilities as previous lounge and available only for passengers on the Barcelona/Madrid shuttle.
Sala VIP Miro – T1. A spacious an bright full service lounge for passengers on Intercontinental Non-Schengen flights.
Premium VIP Lounge – T1 landside. Located near the arrivals hall this is a luxurious lounge with day beds, bedrooms, luggage storage and showers available for an extra fee.
Sala VIP Canudas – T. A full service lounge available for all T2 passengers with membership. Please note WiFi access is chargable in this lounge.
Venice Marco Polo Airport Lounge
Marco Polo is the busier of Venice’s two airports and serves airlines from Europe and beyond. Here Priority Pass offers access to one airport lounge.
Easy to locate and open from 5am to 10pm, Marco Polo Club is a stylish and spacious lounge with a reasonably good choice of food and beverages. The lounge is separated into numerous zones including a TV area, showers are available and WiFi is available.
Stockholm Arlanda Airport Lounges
Sweden’s capital city has two busy main airports, for the purpose of this article we will cover Arlanda airport. Priority Pass offers access to three airport lounges across three terminals, access to each is dependant on destination.
Pearl Lounge in T2 is for Schengen and non-Schengen departures, the lounge is simple but with a reasonable selection of refreshements. Alcohol is only served after 11am, no Bucks Fizz for breafast here!
Pearl Lounge in T4 is quite basic but comfortable, located by gate 37. Alcohol served all day.
In T5 – you’ve guessed it – Pearl Lounge is open all day, serving refreshements to passengers departing for Schengen countries.
Additional Information
So there is a round up of 10 European airports with Priority Pass airport lounges. Here is some more useful information on this excellent programme.
Priority Pass Pricing
Standard membership costs 89 euros per year plus a visit fee of 30 euros. Guests can accompany a member at 30 euros per visit depending an availability.
With Standard Plus membership the annual fee is 289 euros, this includes 10 free visits, then a 30 euros per visit fee. Same fee applies to guests.
Prestige membership is 459 euros with no per visit fee for members, a 30 euros fee is charged for guests.
Lounge Availability
Some lounges are very busy at peak times and members of all programmes may be turned away. It is possible to pre-book some lounges for an additional fee to ensure access. Pre booking must be done via the lounge operator’s website and not via Priority Pass.
Lounge Access
When you join Priority Pass you will be send a physical card with your membership details on which will be swiped for access at the lounge. You can also download a digital card which can be saved to your mobile device.
Payment
When you arrive at the lounge you will need to produce your Priority pass card – physical or digital along with your boarding card. You card will be swiped and you will be required to sign a payment slip. Payment will be taken directly from your account.
Time Restrictions
Lounges have different rules on the length of time you may spend there and how long prior to your flight you may arrive. Check the Priority Pass website or that of the lounge operator.
The Priority Pass app is a useful tool and lists all available lounges throughout the world.
Other Priority Pass Benefits
As a Priority Pass member you can take advantage of numerous other perks and benefits including:
- Pre-purchase of duty free good at some airports. Purchase your goods via the app and collect at the airport.
- Free membership to the WithU fitness app
- Pre-book airport transfers via the Priority Pass app
- Preferential rates on car rental
Tia
Ive always wanted to stay in those airport lounges. Especially during long layovers! Thanks for all the tips <3
Adele
Thanks Tia, it’s one of my favourite parts of any journey, I even try to arrive at the airport early to take full advantage! 🙂
Maryanne
Great information in relation to the Priority Pass and the European lounges. I’ll keep this info for the future.. Thanks for sharing!
Anja
I have always been curious about airport lounges, enjoyed a few (from meh in Tanzania to stunning in Istanbul) but am always unsure whether it’s worth the extra expenditure/priority pass. I will definitely consider a pass in the future, as it’s utopian for me to fly Business Class but I hate the crowded departure lounges