I’m going to keep this one brief: stay away.
In a terminal in which your oneworld business class ticket can get you into the American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas lounges (all superior choices), there is little need to use this lounge unless you enjoy the process of nomadically roaming, ready to pounce for a seat like a lion eying a zebra in the brush.
Perhaps I exaggerate, but the lounge was packed when I arrived in the middle of the afternoon prior to my flight to Bilbao. To be honest, I didn’t even know that BA operated out of Terminal 3…I even showed up at Terminal 5 only to be re-directed (via the Heathrow Express) to T3.
I like the blue mood lighting as you enter the lounge…perhaps the Kettle Chips inside. But that’s about it. There was no soup left and the sandwiches looked…well, British.
Here are some pictures:
I finally found a seat in the very back of the lounge.
Newspapers and magazines were available:
The infamous sandwiches:
Tongue and cheek aside, this lounge has the same cruise ships bathrooms as over in T5, does have a first class spa and lounge for “fist clause” passengers, but could not seem to muster functioning internet for me.
I didn’t have much time before my connection (oh boy, afternoon tea with the same sandwiches) and perhaps that was a good thing, though the herds seemed to be clearing as I left the lounge:
The lounge is open every day from 5am to 10:30pm. But I’d say go right to the Qantas lounge.
My home airport is LHR and while I’m mostly a *A flyer from T2 necessity makes me use other terminals at times.
The BA lounge in T3 if you can call it that is probably the worst airline lounge at LHR without exception. Fortunately most BA passengers don’t know they can go to any OW lounge and it’s probably better it’s kept that way. The BA lounges in T5 are a bit better but not much but then BA is not really a premium carrier these days in any class and you will always find better and probably cheaper.
My favourites in order are Cathay, Qantas, Emirates if you are on a QF flight and want a change of scene, then AA. I wouldn’t go to the BA lounge ever given the far better choices
Why would you recommend going to the Quantas lounge when there’s the CX lounge there right next to it?
Because I prefer the Qantas Lounge.
Interesting, as i think there will be few who would not rather take the CX lounge. Hope you will be following this up with reviews of the two lounges.
To be fair, the Cathay lounge is wonderful and I’d taken in a heartbeat over the BA lounge. For whatever reason, I just like Qantas better.
I visiting the LHR T3 BA Galleries First Lounge on July 3rd (access with my OneWorld Emerald status). I arrived around 9;30am to a nearly empty lounge. My flight to PHX didn’t depart until 12:15pm, so I had over 2 hours in the club, and it was never full. Breakfast was great. My wife loved the Champagne. My kids loved the internet speeds. I thought about heading over to the American lounge to check it out, but was too comfortable in the BA lounge. I guess timing makes or breaks the experience.
That’s a valuable data point. Thanks for sharing.
LHR is also my home airport and this lounge is a disgrace. Used the BA ‘First’ lounge in T3 and was really shocked how little effort has been put in – dark, dim, low ceilings, cheap scuffed walls and a sad buffet (much worse than anything I have seen in the T5 first lounge although I am not sure why that would be the case).
Given that 20% of BA’s Heathrow passengers are apparently flying out of T3 due to T5 capacity constraints you’d think they would fix this place. In truth, I expect they are simply assuming their most experienced elites will head to the other, much better OW lounges in that terminal, and as usual they calculate that casual flyers won’t know enough or care enough to complain about their subpar lounge. But given all the effort they have put in at LGW for example to bring their lounge up to standard (the business class lounge there is far better than the First Class section in T3) it’s shocking they let this embarrassment continue at Heathrow.
Please can you tell me the name of the travel magazine that you give away complimentary. My husband really enjoyed it and I would like to buy him the subscription. We loved the lounge, a perfect way to start our holiday.