The Aer Lingus Lounge in London Heathrow was a great place to start my journey home on Aer Lingus, with a nice breakfast spread, barista-made coffee, and plenty of seating.
Aer Lingus Lounge London Review (LHR)
I began my trip to Los Angeles via Dublin in London, with an Aer Lingus flight across the Irish Sea to Dublin. Since I was seated in AerSpace (eventually), I enjoyed access to the Aer Lingus lounge in T2. I’ve been in the five other lounges in T2, but this was the first time I had been in the Aer Lingus lounge.
Hours + Access + Location
This lounge is located in LHR Terminal 2, Zone A (just past the security checkpoint) and is open daily from 5:15 am to 10:00 pm.
Lounge access is available to the following passengers on Aer Lingus-operated flights only:
- Business class passengers
- AerSpace and Advatange passengers
- AerClub members (Silver, Platinum, Concierge)
- Bank of Ireland Mastercard Gold Business cardholders
Paid access is also available online here or at the door, though pricing varies based on your itinerary.
Children over the age of 2 but under the age of 18 are classed as travel companions (the same as adults), therefore counting as a guest.
Seating
As you enter, there is a seating area in the reception area and a wall of “heroes.”
Further in, there’s a mix of seating that includes padded chairs and long tables with chairs on each side.
The lounge has tarmac views, though they are obstructed by a grill (sound barrier?) of some kind:
I spent my time in a cubicle that had two mini-couches and a table.
UK-style power ports and USB-A ports are located throughout the lounge.
Food + Drink
I’m a sucker for an English/Irish breakfast and appreciated the breakfast spread, which included scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon. Delicious! There was also cereal, yogurt, croissants, and fruit.
Best of all, there was a barista coffee station and my flat white was excellent:
There are automatic coffee machines in the buffet, which I would avoid:
Other beverages included a limited selection of alcohol (self-serve), juice, water, wine, beer (Guinness), and soft drinks. I loved that the lounge had Fever Tree club soda, my favorite brand of club soda.
Restrooms + Showers
The lounge has dedicated restroom as well as a shower suite with L’Occitane products. I had already taken a shower at home earlier in the morning, but this is something that the Lufthansa Lounge next door does not have.
Luggage Storage
Near the entrance (opposite the reception desk) is a walk-in closet intended for luggage storage, though there is plenty of room in the lounge to bring your bag with you.
CONCLUSION
I was not expecting much, but this lounge beat expectations and I thought the barista coffee was better than the coffee in the Air Canada Lounge. Access is limited to fly on Aer Lingus, but it’s a nice stop before your Aer Lingus flight.
How does James Joyce belong on a “wall of heroes” ?
Irish poet?
I admit, I didn’t study it closely. At least terrorists like Bobby Sands are not the wall.
Let’s recall that James Joyce (1882 – 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist movement and is regarded among the most influential and important writers of the 20th century. His work still has a profound influence on contemporary culture. The work and life of Joyce is celebrated annually on 16 June, known as Bloomsday, in Dublin and in an increasing number of cities worldwide.
He tends to be considered a literary hero. You will find statues of him in Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Switzerland, etc….
This refurbished EI lounge at LHR T2 is a decent, functional spot with satisfying food & drink options.
I love Fever Tree mixers too. But interestingly I think that club soda is for the US market – it’s not really a term that’s used in the UK (I think the Fever Tree soda water in the UK is normally in a pink can too), and I notice it’s marked with US measurements right at the bottom of the can: 5.07fl oz / 150ml. The UK Fever Tree cans don’t have this (since the native market of course doesn’t need its units of measurement adapting), so the question becomes how a lounge in London has obtained these. I know that Fever Tree is a British company that’s much bigger in the US nowadays than the UK (hard to believe, but it’s true…it’s clearly the Phil Collins of drink mixers in that respect). The other thing to note is that the US Fever Tree has much higher sugar content than the UK ones, but clearly with soda water that’s not going to be an issue. And as for the lounge, I was last there in 2022. I really like it.
The ‘grill’ on the windows of the Aer Lingus lounge and next door on the Lufthansa lounge are actually heat deflecting solar panels. Both lounges are south facing and the panels can be moved to keep the lounge cooler and also to generate power.
There’s no such thing as the “Irish Channel”. You’re conflating the Irish Sea, which you crossed when you flew from London to Dublin, with the English Channel which sits between England and France.
Danke.
Honestly, barista made coffee is all it really takes tk make me happy with a lounge. It’s frustratingly uncommon.
100% agreed. Even a poor barista can make decent coffee with a good machine.