This was not quite the lounge we were looking for, but we’ll take it.
Never has a lounge opening at MAN been more anticipated than this one. The hope was for a lounge that served only business class passengers and airline status holders. MAN used to have one of those in Terminal 3, but that’s not what’s being delivered. What is positive is what’s inside this new lounge.
What is The Executive by Escape Lounge
This is a lounge concept run by CAVU, a division of Manchester Airport’s parent company. It is going to be their premium lounge brand, although it’s unlikely to be the best one at MAN when the Emirates Lounge opens in Terminal 2.
You can pay to access this lounge. That is the biggest let-down, because what we expected was a purely invitation-only lounge for premium passengers.
The idea was that most airlines would push their premium passengers to this new space, freeing up the dreadful Aspire, and the Escape lounge. The 1903 lounge is open at the time of writing, but the airport has said it will retire that brand.
(You cannot book access to the 1903 Lounge after the 30th June 2026, suggesting it will close at that point).
This new lounge should have provided business-class passengers and status holders with their own premium space, separate from leisure passengers.
The reasons why this isn’t the case are unknown. It’s possible that some airlines will not want to make the move to the new lounge, preferring their current arrangements, or the new lounge has a pricing structure that doesn’t work for them.
When will The Executive By Escape open?
The lounge will open in July 2026, with bookings being accepted from the 1st July. It will operate seven days a week, from 3am to 8:45pm. That covers most premium flights – an Emirates flight takes off at 9:20pm, but they will have their own lounge soon.
There’s a late Qatar flight that takes off at 9:45pm, meaning if that airline uses this lounge (and they should, given that their current lounge, the 1903, will be closing), passengers will be turfed out half an hour before boarding.
At the moment, you cannot book access to The Executive By Escape beyond the 24th October 2026.
Where is The Executive By Escape located?
It’s on the second floor of the departures area, next to the Escape lounge and the 1903 Lounge. There’s a map of the location, but it’s just past the public bathrooms on the corridor to the current lounges. You will not need to exit the lounge to use the toilet; there are ones within the lounge for guests’ use.
You’ll notice in the map above that the 1903 lounge does not exist. This suggests that the Escape will absorb that lounge and become significantly larger.
Food and drink at The Executive
The lounge operates three different food spaces, and one (coming soon) sit-down restaurant.
- Leaf and Loaf offer bakery and “grazing” options
- The Humm has saald and lighter options.
- The Loom serves hot food and has “live cooking”.
- The Boll will not be launching in July. From “Autumn” 2026, it will offer a sit-down dining service, restaurant style.
There’s also a promise of bar service and barista coffee. That does give the impression of a manned bar that serves coffee rather than a machine.
It does feel like overkill to brand three different buffet stations with their own names. I get that one has “live cooking”, but still, you wouldn’t get this in any other lounge. The Boll is the most interesting food addition, and it’ll be great to try it out later this year when it opens.
The menus
A sample menu has been released, and it shows that the offering is far above that of the other MAG lounges. Not only are the options elevated, but there are a lot more options to choose from.
- Breakfast
- The usual hot options: two types of bacon, Cumberland sausages, black pudding, tater tots and two types of baked beans (regular and Chorizo). There’s also pork and haggis patties, Shakshuka and roasted potatoes and peppers.
- You can also order omelettes, eggs Benedict, frittatas, Turkish eggs, eggs Florentine, avocado & rocket, and wild mushrooms on toast
- There is a promise of a wide selection of breads, bagels, crumpets and waffles, alongside pastries including the standard fare of croissants and granola bars, but also the more exotic blueberry loaf cake, Portuguese custard tart and chocolate banana bread.
- Lunch / Dinner
- The hot options look strong: lentil tagine, goat’s cheese and mushroom sliders, a stir fry option, chicken parmigiana, cottage pie and roasted hake. There are also three curry options (Thai red, Sri Lankan and tikka masala) and five pasta options (calco e pepe, Chicken cacciatore, vodka pesto, pesto basilico, vegan bolegnese and puttanesca)
- There’s also a carvery where a single option will rotate daily from roast pork/beef/chicken/turkey, alongside Yorkshire puddings, gravy and sauces.
- There’s even hot deserts with a distinct school dinner vibe: apple, cherry or blackberry crumble, spotted dick, jam roly poly and rice pudding.
For those with a sweet tooth, there is also an extensive list of cold desserts, featuring cakes (lemon posset sounds outstanding), loaf cake, cinnamon buns, brownies and Eccles cakes.
Lounge entry includes access to all three (soon to be four) dining spaces, and free wine, beer and spirits.
Who can get entry to The Executive lounge in T2?
As well as being able to pay for access, Priority Pass and DragonPass holders can use the lounge for a fee. If you’ve ever tried to use a lounge pass in a MAN lounge, then you’ll know how challenging it is, and it feels unlikely that it will be any different for this space.
You cannot enter the lounge if you are wearing shorts that go above your knees. There’s a smart-casual dress code that also bars anyone with offensive slogans or (just for me) uncovered shoulders.
Entry ranges from £57.99 to £63.99 per person, making it the most expensive lounge in T2. Aether remains the most expensive lounge at the airport. Group bookings of six or more people for The Executive are currently blocked until November 2026.
If you pay for access, then you can arrive 2.5 hours before your flight takes off, whereas premium passengers can arrive 3 hours before.
Will The Executive lounge be any good?
The space certainly looks better than the over MAG lounges, and the inclusion of the sit-down dining space (from Autumn 2026) will elevate this lounge beyond every other, aside from the Emirates lounge.
The Terminal absolutely needed another lounge. It is disappointing that it won’t be just for premium passengers. There are enough of them flying out each day to make a lounge work, but behind the scenes, something has changed, and that means it’s a shared space. The higher entry cost will no doubt put most people off: it’s roughly double the cost of entry to the Escape lounge.
From the renders, it’s an attractive space that seems to have taken design cues from Emirates (gold) and some of the design concepts for the new BA lounges. That’s not a bad thing, and I also like the range of seating options. The colour scheme is fairly light and open, and I believe that one side of the lounge will have views across the airport.
It is highly unlikely the lounge will be worth paying for. £60 is a steep price to pay, even with an elevated menu. However, for passengers who get access for free, this could be the best lounge experience MAN has ever offered.
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