British Airways’ Club Lounge North in Heathrow Terminal 5 has at least one thing going for it: it’s certainly better than the gate area. But expect crowds and queues in an era of larger business class cabins, but an unchanged lounge footprint at LHR T5.
British Airways Club Lounge North Review (LHR – T5)
I still find myself calling this lounge the “Galleries” lounge, but British Airways has dropped that branding and now simply refers to its business class lounges as club lounges.
Access + Hours + Location
The Club Lounge is the “base” lounge reserved for oneworld business class passengers or oneworld Sapphire members. Oneworld Emerald members can use the First lounge on the south side of T5. British Airways Executive Club Silver Members also have access.
After clearing security in T5, turn left and you’ll find the lounge entrance near the bank of escalators on the upper level. The lounge is open from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm daily.
Seating
As you enter the lounge, you will find the food area in the center of the lounge, with seating further back and on either side. Seating includes a large “terrace” (not outdoors, but with high ceilings) and a mix of couches and chairs clustered together. At one point during my mid-afternoon stay, every seat was taken and there were people wandering around looking for a place to sit.
Thankfully, I found a seat against the wall with a power outlet…many seats do not have power outlets within reach.
Food + Drink
I give BA credit for a respectable selection of food and beverages, which included various salads, hot dishes including schnitzel, macaroni, and two curries, afternoon tea with scones and finger sandwiches, and meat pies.
Jude’s ice cream, a popular UK brand, was also available in small containers.
All drinks were self-serve and included soft drinks, water, Union coffee, tea, and a selection of bottom-shelf beer, wine, and spirits.
Restrooms + Showers
Restrooms (too crowded for me to photograph) and showers (all occupied) are available in this lounge. A shower attendant at the entrance to the shower area can add your name to the waitling list.
Luggage Storage
If you do not wish to lug your luggage around the lounge, you can drop it off at a luggage storage facility at the lounge entrance.
CONCUSION
T5 is my least favorite terminal at Heathrow, as it is chronically overcrowded, and this lounge stay was no different…the entire terminal always seemed packed. Even so, I’d rather wait here than in the terminal or one of the even more crowded Priority Pass lounges.
I was in that very lounge en route to Inverness (Scotland) a couple of weeks ago. Echo your assessment – packed to the hilt as was the terminal, but once I found a seat I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and selection of food (I was there for breakfast). Not the worst place to spend an hour pre-boarding…
I don’t think I’ve been in there in years since I’m emerald, but that drink selection didn’t look bottom shelf. If it is, then what do we get at lounges in the US?
No clue what Terminal I was in a couple years ago but it was a “First” lounge. It was similar in appearance except for the option to order off a menu and had a nice breakfast selection. The drink area was very similar along with almost everything from your pictures.
However it was empty though, with us and maybe 10 others if that. What a pleasant experience compared to what you described and Admirals Clubs here in the US.
The North and Soutb Club Lounges lounges are always jam packed (no matter the time of day, excepting after 9pm), and we try to avoid entering them.
15 years ago, these lounges and the Concorde Lounge used to be enjoyable, but as elite ranks have swelled, it is no longer an enjoyable experience, Food continues to be tasty, and has improved over the past couple of years,
The satellite BA Club Lounge in the Terminal 5 “B” Gates is a much more pleasant and calm experience, with good service – most flights to NA, Asia and Africa depart from the B or C gates.
I like this lounge, though I also like the South lounge (usually even more packed) and the T5B lounge (usually less crowded and best if you are flying one of the TATL A380s out of T5C). But they have a much broader set of criteria for access than US lounges. Anyone flying Club Europe, for example, which is like domestic first in the US. Imagine the crowding if a domestic F ticket on a US airline got you into that airline’s lounges. I also like that there is an app that lets you know how crowded all the BA lounges in T5 are in real time so you can choose which one to go to.
Everything in T5 (lounges, security, check-in, lavs) is going to be crowded. This is the nexus for transportation via the British Isles and it’s London’s biggest airport, folks. Like complaining a station on the Central Line wasn’t serene.
I’ve always found it perfectly comfortable. I don’t particularly desire exceptional food in lounges unless I’m on red-eye connections. Snacks are more than adequate.
Honestly, though, I’m not sure what people expect from F lounges. I have been to most of them. The seclusion of finding a remote spot in DXB’s extensive EK F lounge and sleeping areas is one thing. But even CX in HKG is basically an upscale restaurant/lounge setting. Don’t tell me the cabanas are all that; they are not. Have some good food and sit in a good chair and sip a drink. Doesn’t get too varied from that.
Used it this morning and it was ridiculously crowded. Food was decent and a good selection of drinks but sadly the ambiance was that of an overcrowded transport cafe. BA needs to improve. Staff are trying hard but this needs significant investment.
I’m not sure what they can do when they keep expanding the size of business class.
I think with the changes to Executive Club, they will lose some elites, but business class is now cheap enough that many (myself included) often just buy up.
A splendid, impressive lounge (but busy all the time)… Fantastic food options and lots of drink choices… It deserves regular visits.
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