European ultra low cost carrier EasyJet has just opened its first lounge… and now I think I’ve seen it all?
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Details: The Gateway by EasyJet & No1 Lounges
EasyJet has teamed up with No1 Lounges to open an airport lounge at London Gatwick as of Thursday, October 21, 2021. The new lounge will be known as “The Gateway by EasyJet & No1 Lounges,” and it will be located in the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport.
The new lounge is bookable in advance through EasyJet’s partnership with Holiday Extras, or alternatively access can be purchased on the day of travel. Packages of one, two, or three hours are available, and prices start at £18.50. Furthermore, Priority Pass members will have access to the lounge up to three hours before departure.
EasyJet’s new lounge will offer the following amenities:
- Free Wi-Fi and areas to work with convenient charging points
- Areas for families, including a TV den and a game room
- Complimentary hot and cold menus with dishes delivered directly to your table; dishes will be “destination-inspired,” and will change every quarter
- Complimentary drinks, including a signature cocktail list
EasyJet’s logic for opening a lounge
EasyJet is London Gatwick’s largest airline, as the carrier has 71 aircraft based there, and operates 120 routes from the airport, across Europe, and to North Africa and the Middle East. It’s stated that EasyJet is opening this lounge as it sees a recovery in business travel demand.
One certainly has to wonder how involved EasyJet even is with this lounge, or if this is just a white label ancillary revenue opportunity. This lounge is a collaboration with existing lounge operator No1 Lounges, so my guess is that EasyJet isn’t too involved in the day-to-day of operating the lounge.
The lounge does seem specifically intended for EasyJet passengers. I’m curious if EasyJet is just getting a cut for marketing this lounge, or if the involvement goes beyond that. I wonder if lounge access might be included with certain premium fare types in the future, as that could be an interesting play for the airline.
The reality is that the gap in quality in Europe has been shrinking significantly in recent years. There’s not that much of a difference between the experience offered on an airline like British Airways or Lufthansa, and the experience offered on an airline like EasyJet. I suppose this development further helps narrow the gap.
Rachael Smith, EasyJet’s Commercial Proposition & Innovation Director, had the following to say about this new concept:
“We are delighted to be launching our very first airport lounge in partnership with No1 Lounges to serve passengers at London Gatwick, where we’re proud to be the largest airline. We’re always looking for opportunities to offer travellers more choice and great value, so we’re proud that The Gateway will be able to offer something for everyone whether it’s all the essentials for a workspace, somewhere comfortable to relax before jetting off or to entertain the family.
The launch is timely as we are seeing the recovery begin in the UK, not only for leisure travel where winter sun destinations are proving popular once again, but for business travellers too, who are returning in their biggest numbers since before the pandemic. Whatever the reason for travel, we are confident that the lounge will provide the perfect destination for customers wanting to get their trip off to a perfect start.”
Bottom line
EasyJet is opening a lounge at London Gatwick Airport, in partnership with No1 Lounges. It’s cool to see an ultra low cost carrier open a lounge at its biggest hub, and for that matter I think this could prove to be popular. There’s not that much of a difference in terms of quality between flying British Airways and EasyJet, so offering a lounge could be something that many passengers appreciate.
I’m curious to see how this lounge concept evolves over time.
What do you make of EasyJet opening an airport lounge?
This lounge has a garbage £6 ‘prebooking’ fee for Priority Pass members. They say it’s only during busy times but that is a lie.
easyJet isn't ultra low cost, it is low-cost model. ULC carriers in Europe are more the likes of Wizz Air or Ryanair.
Describing EZY as "ultra low cost" is misleading. Its CASK/M is significantly above that of Wizzair and Ryanair.
Lucky you are so right to state that there is not much difference between Easyjet, and BA/LH in Y, not to mention Iberia, Finnair and a few others.
What you could have added is that Easyjet is easily (no pun intended) on top of those.
EasyJet Lounge Policy:
Free entry to all.
£18.50 per seat
£10.50 per item of luggage
£5.50 per non-alcoholic beverage
£15.50 per alcoholic beverage
£4.50 per snack item
£1.50 per visit to the loo
The whole idea of going into a lounge is to escape the noise from the general lounge at terminals, be it from children running around, adults who have had to much to drink or just general noise of loads of people.
As long as the lounge can manage the influx of people and the extra noise it will bring then OK but I do have my reservations that this will be possible.
A quick look at the Priority Pass website would have answered your question :-)
This brings up an interesting thoughts as to why we don't see this happening more, particularly in North America. I'm an AA FF w/ lounge access. I could choose Southwest, but I prefer to spend time in an Admirals Club before my flight. You would think in major business markets like Dallas and Chicago, Southwest would provide an option.
jetBlue on the other hand now has access to Admiral's Clubs. Right?
If easy jet can, jet blue should
I’m curious how they will enforce the hourly passes ? Will someone constantly go around checking passes ?
I would rather fly EastJet than British Airways in economy on intra-Europe routes. The reality is this lounge probably costs EasyJet nothing since No 1 will get all the revenue with EastJet getting a slight percentage due to brand licensing.
easyJet should be a low-cost carrier but not an ultra low-cost carrier. ULCC should be Ryanair or Wizz. Some notable differences include easyJet allows you to take large carry-on luggage with you for free (e.g. 20-inch suitcase with wheels), but not when you are flying Ryanair's cheapest fare (w/o priority). Also, only Ryanair flies to some really weird remote airports (e.g. Brussell Charleroi, Warsaw Modlin, Oslo Sandefjord).
Didn't BA announce a while ago that they'll end all shorthaul flights from LGW? So it's logical that EasyJet steps in to fill the gap, trying to prevent business pax from moving to LHR.