In late 2023, British Airways revealed plans to open its own lounge in Miami. In mid-2024, the airline revealed that this facility would open in 2025. Is that still likely to happen? I decided to do a little research during a recent visit to my home airport, and would like to report back…
In this post:
British Airways Lounge coming to Miami Concourse E
To cover the basics, a British Airways Lounge is expected to open at Miami International Airport (MIA) at some point in 2025. The lounge will be located in Concourse E, on the fourth floor of the satellite terminal (covering gates E20-E33). The lounge will measure 12,973 square feet, so it’ll be quite a large space, at least for an outstation lounge.
For what it’s worth, Miami Airport commissioners approved a lease agreement for this space in October 2023. The airline will pay annual rent of $1,747,463.10 for this space.
British Airways offers two daily year-round flights to Miami, with many frequencies being operated by the Airbus A380, so this lounge will get some good use. Currently, British Airways primarily sends its passengers to American Airlines’ lounges in Concourse D, including the Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge.
British Airways’ history with lounges at Miami Airport is interesting. From 1999 until 2007, British Airways had its own roughly 6,000 square foot lounge in Concourse D, though that lease ended up being canceled due to the North Terminal Development Consolidation project, which resulted in British Airways’ operations being moved.
In 2014, British Airways was supposed to open a lounge in Concourse D near gate D21, coinciding with the airline planning on flying the Airbus A380 to Miami. However, construction plans ended up being canceled because British Airways’ operations got moved to the Concourse E satellite to accommodate American Airlines’ growth in Concourse D. Funny enough, that space is now expected to become an American Flagship Lounge.
How is the British Airways Lounge Miami progressing?
During a recent visit to Miami Airport, I decided to head over to the Concourse E satellite terminal. Once you clear security in Concourse E, you just follow the signage in the direction of gates E20-E33, and then take the train.
If I’m not mistaken, when you take the train to the satellite terminal, the lounge space is immediately above where the train arrives. In the below picture, see how there are the two “bays” for the train tracks? I think that floor above it is where the new lounge will be located.
That’s because once you exit the train, you’ll see the area in the center blocked off, as it’s under construction.
When I checked in on the space, they were working on the escalators, though it sure looked to me like the area one level up was nowhere close to complete. Then again, that could be deceiving — it’s possible the interior is largely finished, but just not the entry area.
I was curious to check this out, because I wondered if I’d walk up and basically find a nearly finished lounge, but that wasn’t the case. So it’s anyone’s guess if the lounge still opens in 2025, or if that slips into 2026.
How sad to build a brand new lounge in what’s otherwise such an underwhelming terminal.
This lounge will be a great addition for passengers
A British Airways Lounge Miami is exciting for passengers on several levels:
- Some British Airways lounges in the United States belong to Priority Pass during non-peak hours, so hopefully (maybe?) this will result in a new Priority Pass option in the terminal over quieter hours
- While American’s Flagship Lounge is a nice facility for premium passengers, it’s quite out of the way for those departing on British Airways
- British Airways having its own lounge will alleviate crowding in other lounges in the terminal, including the Flagship Lounge
This seems like a win-win-win, so I’m looking forward to this lounge opening. Now, I would manage my expectations in terms of quality of the lounge, even prior to British Airways departures.
While some British Airways lounges in the United States have pre-flight dining facilities, this tends to be at airports in the Northeast, where the overnight flights are very short. I wouldn’t count on this lounge getting one of those, but who knows, it might.
On the plus side, the lounge is expected to feature a new design concept, which British Airways will use for its lounges going forward. I believe the recently refreshed British Airways Lounge Seattle gives us a general sense of what we can expect, though it’s my understanding that there will be even more design evolution.
Bottom line
British Airways will be opening its own lounge at Miami Airport in the not-too-distant future. The roughly 13,000 square foot lounge will be located in the Concourse E satellite, so it’ll be conveniently located for British Airways’ departure gates. Hopefully the lounge is also open to Priority Pass members throughout the day, when not serving British Airways passengers.
Based on my recent visit to the area of the lounge, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be opening imminently, but who knows…
What do you make of the British Airways Lounge Miami?
BA lounge at MIA is not necessary because it is an AA hub. There are several PP lounges, credit card lounges, and AA lounges there, so what's the point. While there are lounges for other airlines and alliances those are few.
As someone previously based in South Fla, I can tell you that Mayor Daniella's airport trains to the E Satellite are constantly out of service. On a good day there is one working. Such a disaster.
Just go to the downstairs gates in the E Satellite - makes a 3rd world airport look great.
Good luck BA!
Mayor Daniella's airport trains? The trains to the E Satellite have been there for decades.
"British Airways offers two daily year-round flights to Miami"
That's been the case for the past few years, but for the summer 2025 season they've been at 1x daily (plus the 2x AA under the JV). It's possible they'll maintain 1x summer/2x winter going forward.
Still one of America’s worst airports. The logistics, amenities, and food options are just terrible. That lounge in the Siberia terminal won’t change much.
If only BA would cease operating the junker A380 with dreadful hi-density old ClubWorld cabin and step-over-your neighbor, no doors configuration on the MIA-LHR run.
New A380 interiors are coming…..
It will be years and years before that happens, though. They’ve only just got half way through the rollout of a business product that was launched in early 2019!
It's a predominantly leisure destination. They're not going to send their best product to destinations where the bulk of the traffic is buying discount fares.
Don’t forget the revenue from 2X day Qatar flights and 2X a day Iberia flights and , which take off from that satellite terminal, in addition to the seasonal 1X a day Finnair flight
Problem is that BA routinely denies access to such pax. AY has made a separate deal with BA at SEA so AY pax can use the BA lounge there. But try your luck at any other US outstation as a Oneworld pax...
Daniel from Finland, that's odd...reciprocal airport lounge access is a Oneworld benefit; what excuses have BA given you to deny access?
Hopefully it’s just a case of things are a lot more further foward beyond the boards.
Another lounge is about to reopen (or not) in LHR T4, the old Plaza Premium Arrivals which has been closed for over a year is all boarded up when I asked a construction worker he said it’s an airline lounge and they are fitting it out so watch this space.
Links to any articles with renderings of how the lounge is going to look with the new style?
What, 1.7 million dollars a year? That's $4,788/day. As we all know, in North America, BA consistently breaks Oneworld rules and denies access to Oneworld Elites, so that 4,788 will be divided by perhaps 200 daily visitors, counting 100 F+J pax and OW elites on each BA MIA flight.
That would be $24 per visitor for the rent only. Adding staff and F&B probably doubles the figure.
Does it really make sense to operate a...
What, 1.7 million dollars a year? That's $4,788/day. As we all know, in North America, BA consistently breaks Oneworld rules and denies access to Oneworld Elites, so that 4,788 will be divided by perhaps 200 daily visitors, counting 100 F+J pax and OW elites on each BA MIA flight.
That would be $24 per visitor for the rent only. Adding staff and F&B probably doubles the figure.
Does it really make sense to operate a BA lounge? Is BA currently paying over $50 to AA for each lounge visit?
$4000 for a round trip in J. Maybe that $50 is a good deal for BA.
Might target QR and IB passengers? Probably 4-5 flights/ day?