Review of the No1 Lounge at Birmingham Airport

This is our review of No1 Lounge at Birmingham Airport.

This is part of our series of reviews of airport lounges across the UK.  You see all of the reviews here.

Reader Rob kindly sent in some photographs and a brief review of the No1 Lounge at Birmingham Airport:

“The No1 Lounge is located in the main departures terminal in Birmingham airport, directly opposite the exit from the security area. It’s well signposted and tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the main restaurant area.

Check in is within the lounge itself and they welcome customers flying in Business or Premium Classes with Aer Lingus, AA, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, IcelandAir, Monarch, Qatar Airways, Thomson Premium Club, Turkish Airlines, Turkmenistan Airlines and United.

If you’re a Caxton FX, Diners Club, Dragonpass, Hi-Life Diners Club, or Priority Pass customer, you’re also welcome, subject to space being available.  It is also part of Lounge Club, which means that you can use your two free Amex Gold lounge passes here.

You can buy lounge access at reception or via their website in advance for £26, subject to availability. Due to their affiliation with package holiday airlines, the No1 Lounge can get quite busy during peak seasons but there is good seating availability at most times.

If you want to guarantee your entry and hold membership with the schemes above, you can prebook your stay on the No1 website for £5. The dress code is smart casual and there is a 3 hour, rarely enforced, time limit.

The lounge itself is chic in design, with a large dining area with ample room for couples and larger groups to sit and relax whilst enjoying the pleasant food offering of salads, fruit, cakes and tray bakes.

The staffed bar is well stocked with a number of premium spirits and wines, although if you’re after the fizzy stuff then you’ll have to purchase it yourself! There are also bean to cup tea and coffee machines, as well as post mix soft drinks machines.

As you progress inside the lounge the room opens up to host a large mezzanine floor for group seating, as well as plush seating with coffee tables. There is a business centre with PCs and various televisions with BBC News showing; as well as a small nook serving as a meeting area.

Conclusion

The lounge is extremely well staffed, with regular table clearances taking place and you never really have to wait too long to get served (usually less than a minute).

There is a “Complimentary Menu” on offer as can be seen in the picture. The food is of reasonable quality (I chose the Mac & Cheese and it was pretty tasty) and rotates on a quarterly basis. It’s one dish per person but if you’re still peckish you can purchase further dishes at the bar.

At breakfast time, the salad table is replaced by a selection of continental breakfast items such as fruit salad, cereals and croissants.

The only issue with this lounge is that the bathrooms are located outside the lounge and are a short stroll from the lounge. Further to this, it was almost uncomfortably hot in the lounge on my last visit which may have been due to the large window facing the boarding gates.”

Thanks Rob.  If you want to pre-book your visit to the No1 Lounge at Birmingham Airport, you can book on their website here.

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, here are the three options to get FREE airport lounge access via a credit or charge card:

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here. 

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta and Eurostar lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with two free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here. 

Additional lounge visits are charged at £20.  You get two more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free LoungeKey card, allowing you access to the LoungeKey network.  Guests are charged at £20 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.