British Airways has formally unveiled plans to overhaul all of its lounges at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), and even open a new one, which is an exciting development. As you’d expect, given the number of lounges the airline has at its Heathrow hub, this will be quite the undertaking. This follows British Airways unveiling a new global lounge design concept last year, which debuted at Miami Airport (MIA).
British Airways’ hub lounges undergoing major improvements
British Airways has announced plans to redesign all of its Heathrow lounges over the coming years, which will be one of the carrier’s largest lounge investments in history. This even includes opening a new lounge. Initially, this project will center around three things:
- An all-new lounge at the Heathrow Terminal 5C gates (there’s currently not a lounge in this concourse)
- A complete redevelopment of the Heathrow Terminal 5 arrivals lounge
- A new first class check-in experience at Heathrow Terminal 3, in partnership with American Airlines
The catch is that we’ll have to be patient. To start, let’s talk about the new British Airways Galleries Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5C, due to open in late 2028. This is the furthest pier in Terminal 5, and it doesn’t currently have a lounge. The lounge is described as being inspired by flight and British design, with materials and finishes sourced from across the UK.
The lounge will have a light and open feel, and feature architectural elements inspired by the skies, alongside dedicated areas for dining, relaxation, work, and pre-flight shower facilities. The lounge will also have a 17-meter bar, expected to be among the longest airport lounge bars, as well as views of the apron.
Next, the airline is opening a new arrivals lounge, with refurbishment expected to start in early 2027, with an opening later that year. The lounge will boast a coffee bar and deli, larger dining areas, quiet relaxation zones, and dedicated work booths. It will also offer 59 shower suites, and shared dressing and preparation areas.
First class customers will also have access to a new Concorde arrivals experience, with private cabanas, a la carte dining areas, and elevated design.
Lastly, British Airways and American Airlines will introduce a new first class check-in experience at Heathrow Terminal 3, set to debut this winter. The dedicated facility will provide customers with a more private and stylish facility, with plenty of seating, and updated design.
Here’s how British Airways CEO Sean Doyle describes these updates:
“This investment is a major milestone in the evolution of our lounges and reflects our ambition to create a more connected and consistent customer journey. These spaces will take our lounge design concept to the next step, building on Miami and creating a distinctive British Airways look and feel across key customer touchpoints, from First Wing and our lounges to the onboard experience.”
“By showcasing the best of British design, craftsmanship and hospitality, we will deliver a more premium, seamless experience for our customers. This is the first of many developments in the pipeline, and we look forward to sharing more as we transform the customer experience in the years ahead.”
This is a huge project, and there are still lots of questions
British Airways has a big lounge footprint at London Heathrow, given that it operates out of two terminals, and has lounges with multiple sets of entry requirements. As it currently stands, British Airways has eight lounges at the airport.
At London Heathrow Terminal 5, you have the Concorde Room (primarily for British Airways first class passengers), the Galleries First Lounge (primarily for oneworld Emerald members), and three Galleries Club Lounges (for business class passengers and oneworld Sapphire members), with a north lounge, a south lounge, and one in Terminal 5B. There’s also the Arrivals Lounge. Then in Terminal 3, you have the Galleries First Lounge and Galleries Club Lounge.
To state the obvious, renovations are typically a double edged sword, in the sense that they require closing down existing lounges, which can be unpleasant.
The good news here is that the second lounge to open at Heathrow with the new design will be an all-new facility, so this could potentially minimize disruptions for existing customers. The idea is that once a new lounge opens, additional existing ones can be closed to be renovated. That brings up two points, though.
First of all, it sounds like this will be a very long term project. The first new lounge will open in late 2027, and the second new lounge will open in late 2028… and that leaves seven more lounges to be renovated! I imagine we’ll be well into the mid-2030s before this project is complete, just based on how long things take.
Next, there are rumors that the overall organization of existing lounges will be updated, and that could include things like the Concorde Room being moved to a new location. However, details about that haven’t yet been revealed, so we’ll have to be patient, and all we can do is speculate.
I can’t help but wonder if we could finally see British Airways materially improve the first class ground experience, to make it a little more competitive with what’s offered by Air France, Lufthansa, and SWISS. Admittedly British Airways has a much larger first class footprint, but still, it would be nice to see some more improvements.
Bottom line
British Airways has formally announced plans to overhaul its lounges at London Heathrow Airport. While all lounges will eventually get a refresh, in addition to a new lounge opening, expect this to take a very long time.
The British Airways Arrivals Lounge will be the first to be updated, and we can expect that to open in late 2027. Then an all-new British Airways Galleries Lounge in Terminal 5C will open in late 2028. It remains to be seen what happens with the other seven existing lounges. They’re all expected to be updated, though the concepts could be changed materially.
What do you make of British Airways’ Heathrow lounge plans?
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.