Today I visited British Airways’ lounge at Gatwick Airport. While I’ve flown out of Gatwick Airport countless times, I’ve never done it on British Airways, whether that be in Club Europe or economy. So for the first leg of my trip flying Air Europa, China Eastern, and Finnair, I made a point to fly British Airways Club Europe from London Gatwick to Alicante, so I could sample the airline’s lounge at Gatwick.
From research, I knew coming in that British Airways’ Gatwick lounge was quieter, with a good amount of seating. However, the facilities were all-round much better than I was expecting. The British Airways Club Lounge at Gatwick is exponentially better than any of their Heathrow equivalents, and I’d say it would be an above average hub lounge for a European airline.
British Airways’ comfortable lounge at Gatwick
British Airways’ lounge at Gatwick is a good size – it consists of a few partitioned areas in one long room. The lounge itself is obviously smaller in size than the airline’s Heathrow Terminal 5 lounges, though I just find the seating to be so much more thoughtful. There’s a mix of couches, armchairs, workstations, loungers, and tarmac-side seating, which is great.
British Airways Club Lounge Gatwick Seating
There’s even an upstairs mezzanine area, which despite being open, was deserted throughout the entire stay. I really liked how this area was laid out, including sofas and comfortable benches (for those that know about my obsession for square tables for working, there was a separate business centre area).
British Airways Club Lounge Gatwick Mezzanine Area
I will point out one major flaw – the WiFi was extremely slow, almost slower than you get with British Airways’ onboard WiFi. That’s inexcusable for a London lounge and I’ll dock points during the full lounge review, though in this case I still enjoyed having a comfortable place to sit and eat/work.
A manned bar in a British Airways business class lounge!
British Airways’ Heathrow lounges have self-serve bars – there are pre-mixed cocktails that you can pour out in self-portioning bottles. The Gatwick bar does better, as there is a fully serviced bar with a cocktail list. The bar itself only opened earlier this year, and it’s an exciting new addition to the lounge.
British Airways Club Lounge Gatwick Bar
There aren’t any especially exciting drinks – this isn’t one of those bars where they partner up with a mixologist. However, they do have a spritz menu with seven options (including one non-alcoholic one), and these are freshly made – they aren’t pre-mixed.
British Airways Club Lounge Gatwick Bar Menu
I had an Aperol Spritz, which I enjoyed, despite the serving probably being a bit smaller than what I’d be used to.
British Airways Club Lounge Gatwick Bar – Aperol Spritz
A fun BrewDog collaboration space
While not groundbreaking, I love that British Airways’ Gatwick club lounge has a self-serve BrewDog area on the mezzanine floor. We keep talking about lounges having a “sense of place”, and I guess a BrewDog bar is as UK as it gets (I know that Camden Hells would technically be more London, though I also know how hard it is to close a brand partnership deal).
British Airways Club Lounge Gatwick BrewDog Bar
Shower suites that don’t feel like you’re at a hospital
The Gatwick lounge also has shower suites that feel properly designed. There are four shower suites that are shared between the Club and First lounges, and three of them were available when I visited prior to my Sunday afternoon flight. Granted that I only asked for a photo and was shown the biggest out of the shower suites, though the rest of them are similarly well-appointed.
British Airways Club Lounge Gatwick Shower Suite
Compare that with the Heathrow lounge – how much less inspiring is this decor!?
British Airways Club Lounge Heathrow Shower Suite (or Hospital Shower)
Conclusion
While I still probably wouldn’t come early to visit this lounge, British Airways does get things right if they really try, in my opinion. If the Heathrow lounges were like this, I wouldn’t think so lowly of British Airways’ ground experience.
I’d still rather fly out of Heathrow Terminal 3 if I had the choice (with the Qantas and Cathay Pacific lounges), though the ground experience here is exponentially better than what it’s like at Heathrow’s Terminal 5.
Have you been to the British Airways Club Lounge at Gatwick before?
