A brand new BA lounge is coming to LHR
We knew that the airline was refurbishing every one of its eight Heathrow lounges, but what we didn’t expect was a brand new one in T5. The somewhat empty T5C is now going to have its own lounge, and it’s an impressive one. In fact, it’s not only building one new lounge, but there’ll also be a second, smaller lounge within it.
A new lounge for T5C
If you’ve flown long-haul from Heathrow with British Airways, then you may have ended up departing from T5C. It’s the satellite terminal that’s the furthest from T5A, and you reach it via train or the excellent underground walkway.
Despite being a similar size to T5B, the trick was to not bother heading here until just before your flight started boarding. The building has little to offer: a Starbucks, WH Smiths and a Duty Free shop. It has never, until now, had its own lounge.
Instead travellers would head to the business class lounge in T5B. This space was typically much quieter than the lounges in the main Terminal 5 building, but at peak times it could still get quite busy.
British Airways has announced that a new lounge will be opening in T5C. It will also contain a Concorde lounge, complementing the full Concorde Room in T5.
The space may offer some visual cues as to what the other T5 lounges will look like post-refurb. It has a light colour scheme, and the lounge also promises external views. The T5B lounge, located on the upper floor, has full-height windows on one side of the main space
The new lounge is expected to open up by the end of 2028, so around two years from now (or less if they pick up the pace).
What’s also promised is the longest airline lounge bar in the world. I’m not sure how BA have worked this out, but it gives you an idea of the scale of the lounge. On top of that, you also have a lounge within a lounge, with the Concorde Dining.
Another T5 Concorde lounge
If you’ve ever flown BA First from Heathrow, then you will likely have used the Concorde Lounge. It’s still a reasonably attractive space, although it should look even better after the refurb. Within that lounge there’s a dedicated sit-down dining area.
I’ve had some great experiences in here, but I have never found it particularly busy. I’m not sure why BA are launching another First space, especially when the number of First Class seats has been steadily reducing over time.
(The Concorde Room in the main terminal also features a small number of “cabanas”. They were somehow both incredibly popular and much maligned. These windowless rooms had a bed and shower, and gave you some private space for an hour or two. There has been no word on whether these will remain and be revamped)
There are Concorde Dining Rooms in BA lounges; indeed, there is one in T3. This is not billed as a dining space but as “a dedicated Concorde lounge”, within dining, but also with seating and a concierge service. I read the latter to be a manned desk, which is always useful if you happen to need the airline’s help.
What does this mean for the rest of the BA lounges at Heathrow?
There is an ambitious project to revamp all the BA lounges at LHR. This is a huge project spanning multiple years. The latest from BA is that this will be completed in “the coming years”.
Aside from the new T5C lounge, the much-loved arrivals lounge at T5 is expected to be one of the first spaces to be updated. It’s a giant space, with a staggering number of showers within it.
What’s more interesting is the CGIs for the new arrivals lounge. They follow a similar colour scheme to the T5C lounge above, suggesting what the rest of the spaces are going to look like. They’re lighter and brighter, with splashes of what appears to be bronze.
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