I recently flew to Ibiza with British Airways, departing from Heathrow Terminal 5. The flight was at 12:05, so it was perfectly timed to relax in a lounge without having to wake up too early. We had stayed at a Heathrow hotel the night before, so the journey to the airport was very short.
Overall, we had a good experience in the lounge, although it was small and very crowded. This was different from Michele’s experience in 2018.
The lounge opened in late 2017 and has excellent views!
In this post:
Plaza Premium Lounges
Plaza Premium has a huge network of lounges at over 80 airports, including the following UK airports:
- Edinburgh
- Gatwick North Terminal
Heathrow Locations:
- Terminal 2 – Read my review here
- Arrivals, Terminal 3 – Review here
- Terminal 4
- Blush Lounge by Plaza Premium Group, Terminal 4
- Terminal 5
Booking
I accessed this lounge using one of my six complimentary passes from the Barclays Travel Plus Pack. I used three lounge passes to cover entry for myself, my mum, and my daughter, while my 10-month-old was admitted for free. I booked a few months in advance through the DragonPass app, and the lounge reservation didn’t cost anything extra.
Using DragonPass for lounge access gives three options at T5:
- Plaza Premium
- Club Aspire (pre-book only)
- £18 off Giraffe.
When I booked, Plaza Premium was the only available lounge option.
If you hold British Airways Silver status or higher, or you’re flying in Business or First Class with BA or a Oneworld partner (read more about airline alliances here), you can access the BA lounges in Terminal 5. Lounge access policies vary massively. View requirements here. Lounges include the Galleries Club Lounges (North, South, and T5B), the First Lounge, and the Concorde Room.
Worth noting: If you’re booking on DragonPass, availability changes often, especially around school holidays or weekends. It’s wise to reserve as early as possible, particularly if you’re travelling in a group or want to guarantee entry. I tried to book the Aspire Lounge T5 for a previous trip a week before, but it was unavailable.
Location
The lounge is airside after security in the international departures area (underneath the BA North Lounge). After security, you turn left, and the lounge is well signed and easy to find. It’s very close to Gate A7 and open from 4:45 AM – 9:30 PM daily.
My Experience
Checking In
We arrived at the check-in desk to find an extremely short queue. I promptly showed the reservation on the DragonPass app, and we were taken off the reservations list. We were then shown into the lounge. I’ve never been shown into a lounge before, but I soon knew why…
The lounge was extremely busy (it was the second day of the school half term, after all), and we had a reserved table near the windows in a sectioned-off part of the lounge. This may have been because I reserved in advance, or maybe because we were a group of four.
Many people entering the lounge were not shown to a table, and I doubt they were accepting walk-ins on that day!
Seating
Our reserved area was set up for eating, but once we had finished breakfast, it would have been preferable to move to a more comfortable seating area. However, this would have been impossible due to the lounge being so busy.
The staff were very friendly despite being extremely busy. A staff member found me a highchair on request.
There was a noticeable lack of plug sockets in some areas. If it had been quiet, these would have been easy to find, but I saw people seated in areas even though they wished to be seated somewhere with a socket.
Layout-wise, the lounge is in an L-shape with distinct zones, though due to the crowds, these didn’t function especially well. The bar dominated one area, while the dining section was up front near the windows. A few armchairs and work-friendly spots were tucked into corners, but these filled up quickly.
Food
We visited during breakfast service. The hot items featured a full English spread, while the cold selection included yoghurt, olives, cheese, pastries, and bread. Overall, it was a good mix, though nothing out of the ordinary.
Drinks
There was a station for orange juice and water in one corner of the room. This was near to the reserved section and handy for topping up.
At the side of the bar, there was also a bottle refill station and two fridges with cans of soft drinks such as Coke and Fanta.
The bar was very busy, with many people seated around.
There were plenty of complimentary drinks available, but unlike some lounges, some drinks come at an extra cost. Here are the drinks menus:
All cocktails are payable (something I would have enjoyed if they were free)! The complimentary wine list was also minimal.
Toilets and Showers
Frankly, this was disappointing. Facilities were minimal, queues were constant, and the overall standard didn’t match the rest of the lounge. In fact, the public toilets in the terminal were more pleasant and better maintained.
The shower door was locked, but it looked like just one shower was available. Use was available to purchase at a rate of 30 minutes for £20. This includes complimentary amenity items such as shower gel, shampoo, body lotion, a towel, a hair dryer, and on-request items such as a shaver and dental kit. It’s excellent that showers are available for those who need to use them, but I’m sure they would be better used if they were free.
Other Aspects of the Lounge
There was a departure board well-positioned near the entrance.
The clientele was a mix of business and leisure travellers. The noise level was not too high, considering there were lots of children in the lounge. Newspapers and magazines were available for browsing, although options felt a little limited.
The lounge also offers unlimited high-speed WIFI, which was very fast.
Leaving the Lounge
Our gate (A10d) was very easy to find. We headed there as soon as the gate was announced and were let through straight away, along with Group 1, despite being Group 5 (due to travelling with children under 5).
How to Enter the Plaza Premium T5 Lounge
Lounge Passes
Plaza Premium T5 accepts both DragonPass and Priority Pass. Pricing for the passes is as follows:
Priority Pass
Access varies by membership level:
See our full Priority Pass guide here (including a discount off the above prices)
DragonPass
Plaza Premium Lounge Pass
You can purchase a pass for $75 (£55.39) for 2 lounge visits
Read more about lounge access with lounge passes here >>>
Credit Cards, Bank Accounts and Travel Insurance
There are many card options which include either discounted or free lounge access with DragonPass or Priority Pass, where you can gain access to Plaza Premium T5:
| Card/Bank Account | Cost | Provider | Lounge Access (guest access varies!) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barclays Premier + Avios Rewards | £12/month | DragonPass | £20.50 lounge passes |
| Barclays Avios Credit Card | £20/month (£240/year) | DragonPass | Discounted passes at £20.50 each
(If you also have Barclays Avios Rewards, you will receive 4 free lounge passes per year). |
| Barclays Travel Plus Pack | From £22.50/month | DragonPass | 6 complimentary passes per year |
| HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard | £290/year | Priority Pass | Prestige Priority Pass (unlimited access) |
| HSBC Credit Card | Free | Priority Pass | £24 per pass |
| Amex Platinum | £650/year | Priority Pass | Prestige Priority Pass (unlimited access) |
| Amex Gold | £0 first year, then £195/year | Priority Pass | 4 free visits |
| NatWest/RBS Premier Reward Black | £36/month (£432/year) | DragonPass | Prestige (unlimited access) |
| Ulster Bank ufirst Private | £26/month (£312/year) | DragonPass | Prestige (unlimited access) |
| Revolut Ultra | £45/month (£540 per year) | DragonPass | Prestige (unlimited access) |
| Revolut Premium/Metal | From £7.99/month | DragonPass | £22 per visit |
Many of the above cards have income requirements!
Read more about lounge access with credit cards here >>>
Purchasing Access
If you pre-book online, you’ll get 10% off the walk-in rate and be guaranteed entry. On the Plaza Premium website, passes are currently being sold at £42.77 for 2 hours or £67.50 for 6 hours.
Final Words
Having previously visited the Plaza Premium Heathrow Terminal 2, which I found to be much bigger and more enjoyable, Plaza Premium T5 served its purpose, and we had a lovely breakfast away from the even more crowded terminal.
If you’re not flying in Business class and don’t have airline status, the lounge is worth using with a lounge pass, but I personally wouldn’t pay to enter. The cash price of the lounge is expensive for what you get.
As we visited at the start of the school half-term holidays, I suspect the lounge is much less crowded outside of peak times, and there would be more seating options available.
10 comments
After visiting this pigsty of a lounge with furniture in disrepair and a buffet of what can only be described as industrial processed slop. I warn anyone about visiting this ripoff.
Take your money and enjoy a better meal at one of the restaurants.
How this lounge gets a semi-positive review is beyond belief and questions the credibility of this site.
I’m not sure how you can question the credibility of a site just because somebody has a different opinion to you. It’s very unlikely you were there at the same time, so it’s likely you had totally different experiences. I think this says more about you than our credibility.
I tried it in March using my Amex platinum which gives entry without the need for priority pass. It was rammed, the staff said as much when I showed up. I had a quick wonder round and left. One other bug bear about this lounge is the snaking queue to get in that interferes with the boarding at the A gate near it. It’s probably a reflection of the demand at T5 including BA’s offering.
We were very lucky to have just 1 person in front of us in the queue. It was rammed but we were lucky to have a reserved table for 4. Without it, there would have only been seating at the bar.
The is nothing premium about this place, it’s truely a disgrace. The food was disgusting, the drinks I wanted were chargeable and dirty plates were never cleared. Wetherspoons in the terminal would have been a better option.
Although the staff were pleasant, they just didn’t seem to know / had been trained to do the basics – keep the lounge clean, clear plates, keep the buffet topped up, clean the toilets etc.
Oh, and check out all the fake 5* reviews on Google, a desperate attempt to stop their 3.6* rating plummeting any further.
Thanks for sharing your experience, during our visit, there was no problem with the food (although it was less of a ‘Premium experience’ and a buffet). All restaurants in the terminal were packed and the airport was chaos (school holidays). I do agree with you about the toilets – the queue would have been shorter in the terminal! The staff did seem to be standing around but when asked they were keen to help.
Thanks a lot for your comprehensive review and the useful summary at the end of the piece. Given that I have decided not to bother with trying to maintain my status at BA with the drastic change to tier points earnings, I may have to make use of such third party lounges from next year!
Hi Abee, You’re very welcome. Have you thought about crediting your BA flights to another Oneworld carrier (e.g. Finnair/Iberia/Qatar) to maintain Oneworld status? We’ve written some guides to these airlines recently.
Kind of Agree with Marc, for the cost involved and quality/choice of food, you’d just be better going to one of the many restaurants in the terminal. If they want to charge £43 (web price) it kind of has to be a bit better than some beans, hash browns and egg with chargeable fizz.
Fair point – I also wouldn’t have paid full price to visit this lounge. However, with some DragonPass lounge passes that were soon to be renewed for the following year, this visit was free and the passes would have been wasted otherwise. Due to it being the start of the school holidays, every restaurant in the terminal was packed. In the lounge, we had a reserved table out of the way of the chaos in the terminal.