The ultimate guide to the quietest BA Business Class lounge at Heathrow
T5B, the satellite terminal that usually caters for long-haul flights, is home to one of the quieter BA lounges. That’s not to say it always offers serenity. The lounge can get pretty busy at peak times, but it’s far more palatable than the two business class lounges in the main terminal
Where is the BA lounge in T5B
The lounge sits in the middle of Terminal 5B at Heathrow, which itself is in between T5a and T5c. You access the terminal via a transit train or the transit walkway that’s beneath the train. It typically takes 5 to 15 minutes to get there from T5a. Getting to, or from, T5b and T5c takes 5 to 15 minutes, again by either train or by the underground walkway. You can read more about the walkway under Heathrow T5 in my guide.
When you enter T5b, turn left at the top of the escalators. The escalator to the lounge is approximately a two-minute walk straight ahead, on the left-hand side. Two elevators to the lounge are on the right-hand side.
Who can access the BA lounge at T5B?
If you’re flying in Business Class (either Club Europe or Club World) or First Class with BA then you’ll be able to access it. The primary ways to gain entry are:
- Flying with BA in Business Class (Club World or Club Europe) or First Class
- BA The Club Silver status or higher
- oneworld Emerald status or above
If you have travelled to Terminal 5 on a first- or business-class flight and are connecting in economy, you can still access this lounge or other lounges in T5.
You cannot buy access to this lounge, or any of the BA lounges at Heathrow.
What time did we visit, and how busy was it?
When we arrived at 7:45 a.m., it was quiet. The main lounge area, at the back of the lounge next to the food stations, was starting to fill up. The satellite seating to the left and right of the reception had plenty of free seats. When we left at 8:30 a.m., it was getting busy, but there were still some seats available.
I’ve used this lounge in the evenings, and it can get quite busy. Even at peak times, we have always managed to find a seat.
One of the challenges is that tables for two or four people are taken up by lone travellers. That’s not their fault; it just means capacity is limited despite there being plenty of chairs left. I do think lounges should do a better job of catering to lone travellers beyond just bar seating.
What facilities does this lounge have?
This is a deceptively large lounge, with a huge main seating area at the back, with views across the apron and back to T5a. Surrounding the entranceway are two more seating areas. One features the attractive Whispering Angel bar, and the other has more dining-style seating, plus an area suited more for working and beyond that, more seating.
The lounge has a luggage storage area, which is to the right of the entranceway. At the far right-hand side of the lounge, there are showers. If you do want to take a shower, then it’s worth heading here straight away in case there’s a wait.
This is not a typical arrivals lounge, and it will have a lower volume of traffic than the actual arrivals lounge or the two departure lounges in T5A. Most passengers who land from a long-haul flight will either leave the terminal completely or end up in T5A for a short-haul flight.
The Kids Room
At the far left of the lounge is a kids’ area, which appears to have been upgraded. It seems like a decent place to park a child or two. It even has a couple of seats so you can relax while your child plays with the toys, or for the bigger kids, there’s a console. The children’s room is separated from the main lounge by a glass wall and door with the thickness of bulletproof glass.
On the left-hand side of the lounge, after the sit-down dining area, there’s a space to work with bar-style seating and lots of power points. What was interesting about this space was that it had advertising across all of the desk space. This seems similar to pitch-side advertising in football stadiums, and feels out of place.
Bathrooms at the BA lounge
If you’ve ever flown through Heathrow and graced a BA lounge then you’ll know that the bathrooms are quite unique. They’ve been likened to hospital toilets. They are scarily similar. However, they’re clean, and reasonably spacious, they just don’t scream luxury.
There are two banks of bathrooms next to each other. This isn’t obvious, so if you head into one and all the cubicles are taken, just exit, turn left or right, and you’ll find another bank.
What’s the decor like in this lounge?
I happen to like how this lounge looks. It’s not ultra-premium, but it’s certainly not an office-block-style lounge like you get in the US. It had a light refresh back in October 2023, and the Whispering Angel bar was added in the Summer of that year.
I think most people who use it will think its an attractive lounge – aside from the bathrooms. It also benefits from a lot of natural light, and it has high ceilings mean it’s not claustrophobic. Seating is well-spaced, meaning that you don’t feel like you’re being crammed in.
What’s the food like?
I think BA gets unnecessarily criticised for it’s food offering. The quality and variety seems to improve upon every visit, albeit marginally. The main part of the lounge has three areas for food and drink. The first is focused on coffee, teas and biscuits, the second is a self-service bar area which doubles as a juice zone during breakfast. The third has all the food options.
There’s also a small juice station in the middle of the main seating area, which features different options to the bar. There’s a second coffee, tea and water station to the far right of the lounge, which is hidden and underused.
I found the breakfast options to be above average, both in terms of choice and quality. The main food zone is split into four serving spaces. On the left-hand side are healthier options, including fruit and cereal, plus meats
On the right, there are three areas. In the centre, you order hot food options to be (partly) made while you wait by a member of staff. I ordered the American pancakes, which were pre-cooked and in a serving pot. They were neither outstanding nor terrible. Other options include a cherry tomato bagel, sausage brioche, filled croissants, and scrambled egg on toast.
On either side of this serving station, you have more options. Pastries (Croissants, Pain Au Chocolat’s and Pain Au Raisins), English Muffins and toast (both brown and white) are on one side, along with preserves. On the other side, you have hot self-service options, including sausages, bacon, mushrooms, scrambled eggs, beans, tomatoes and hash browns.
Let’s talk sausages
Let’s talk about the sausages. The size and the quality have been on the decline since the pandemic, and it’s become so obvious that BA were “downsizing” their pork cylinders that it’s spawned a conversation on Flyertalk.
As someone who looks forward to a lounge breakfast at Heathrow, I’ve had a ringside seat for the fight between the finance team and the sausage suppliers. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the sausages had been upgraded. They’re now infinitely larger, and they taste great. They’re so big they barely fit into the tiny BA plates. Bravo to BA for bringing back the oversized banger.
Coffee in the BA lounge
Away from pork, the coffee stations in all the BA lounges at Heathrow are powered by Union Coffee. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t familiar with this brand until BA partnered with them. That partnership began back in 2018.
The machines that deliver their drinks are at the upper end of airport coffee machines – what they deliver is good, but not quite good as one you’d buy from a typical coffee shop that are created by a barista. Still very passable coffee.
If you’re watching what you eat then BA do a great job of highlighting the calories for every food option, including the self service ones. At the back of each food station is a list of items on offer, and the total calories for a typical serving.
One thing I dislike about the BA lounges at Heathrow is the size of the plates. They are small, oval shaped plates with raised edges, which can hold one sausage at best, especially now they’ve upgraded them. It does mean you either need to fill up two plates before you wander back to your seat, or make multiple trips, and either way you end up looking greedy.
Should you use this lounge if you’re travelling from T5A or T5C?
You might be tempted to make your way to T5B if you’re travelling from T5A in order to avoid the really busy lounges in that terminal. If you’re travelling from T5C, then you’ll find there are no lounges in there – although there is occasional chatter about BA opening up underused space.
If your next flight is from T5A then you really need at least an hour to divert to this lounge. Don’t underestimate the time it will take to get down to the train, or walkway, over to T5B and then back up again. Personally, I wouldn’t bother unless you have ninety minutes until boarding is due to start.
If you’re travelling from T5C, then it makes sense to stop off at the B terminal to access the lounge, just keep an eye on the clock. I’d give yourself at least 20 mins to get from B to C, but given that you’d be passing the terminal anyway on the train
Walking to T5B
You might be surprised to hear that you can walk between the A, B and C terminals at T5. I say that because when I use this method I barely see anyone doing the same trip, in most cases not a single soul. Travellers are signposted towards the train that runs between the terminals, and that mode of transport is perfectly find although it can get busy.
Air travel is stressful, and the hidden walkways that are a level beneath the trains are quiet and calm. Getting to them isn’t particularly complex, and I wrote a guide on how to walk between the terminals at Heathrow T5 LINKY LINKY. I’d highly recommend it, although we tend to use it on outbound flights rather than inbound as it’s not as much fun when you’re tired after a 13-hour plane journey from Asia.
The final say: Is the BA lounge at T5B worth a visit?
I could take or leave the main business class lounges in T5A. They’re packed to the rafters, noisy, and no more relaxing than any of the restaurants in the terminal. This lounge is different. It can get busy during peak times, but even then, it doesn’t feel half as triggering as the T5A lounges.
This lounge feels more relaxing, even when it’s full up. I think this is partly down to them spreading out the tables, and also the different zones within the lounge. If you’re looking to sit down and have some peace and quiet, then avoid the main part of the lounge. Instead turn right when you enter, and keep walking till you get to the end, past the coffee station. Most people don’t make it this far, and the final seating zone will often be empty.
The food and drink offerings are decent and better than most lounges in Europe, except the flagships and those run by truly premium airlines. It’s not five-star, but it’s more than good enough.
Ratings for the BA lounge at Heathrow T5
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