Review: the No1 Lounge at London Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal

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This is our review of the No1 Lounge at London Gatwick South.

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

This is the lounge you will be using if you are flying on British Airways from Gatwick but do not have access to the brand new official British Airways lounge complex, which I reviewed here.

Anika wrote a review of the new No1 Lounge at Gatwick South just after it opened last year. I was in Gatwick South two weeks ago on the way to Amsterdam, however, and I thought I would take a look for myself. The last time I was in this lounge was literally when it was a building site and No1 let me have a sneak peak.

Overall, I was impressed.

The first thing to remember is that, when you pass through Gatwick security, do NOT head down the escalators. There is a doorway to your left which is for anyone who is heading to the British Airways or No1 Lounge, or indeed any of the shops or restaurants on the mezzanine level. If you go down the escalator, you have to come straight back up again ….

I gained entry using the Priority Pass card which comes with my American Express Platinum card. Amex Platinum comes with 2 Priority Pass cards, each of which also admits a guest for free, so in theory one Platinum card covers a family of four for unlimited visits.

No1 Lounges often refuse access to Priority Pass guests at peak times because the lounge gets overcrowded. This situation will only get worse as Norwegian adds more and more services, because No1 has to assume that all Norwegian Premium customers will turn up and reduce capacity accordingly.

I arrived around 9.30am and got in immediately, although the staff said that they had been turning people away not long before. I was offered an upgrade to the Clubrooms, which I reviewed here, but turned it down. I would have headed to the main lounge even if I had been offered Clubrooms for free – whilst impressive, for a solo traveller it is a bit like sitting in a quiet pub on your own.

(Note that you can pay a £5 reservation fee for No 1 to guarantee that you get in with your Priority Pass or similar lounge access card. This is the page of the No1 website you need. Until 31st August, paying the £5 fee will also let you use the Premium security channel at Gatwick.)

This lounge seemed more open plan than other No1 Lounge facilities that I have visited. This is not necessarily a good thing because it had fewer of the ‘cosy corners’ where you might want to hide out.

This is the main dining area which is the first thing you come to on entering:

…. and

To your left are a couple of computers and a surprisingly decent selection of magazines. They actually appeared to have been chosen on the grounds of quality rather than who was willing to pay the most to get in:

Food is mainly ‘to order’ but there were a good selection of high quality pastries out:

Beyond the dining area is the bar, where you also place your food order:

The lounge has fantastic natural light, with two full length glass walls giving views over the stands and runway:

I ordered a bacon sandwich (free) which arrived promptly and was of higher quality than the chewy version offered by British Airways, although I admit that I have a soft spot for those too. In fact, I walked out of Galleries First in Terminal 5 a couple of weeks ago because they only do bacon sandwiches to order and I was pressed for time, so down the corridor I went.

Whilst not pictured, the lounge also has a small sports TV area and a library / quiet area which open onto the main area. The lounge has its own toilets – I can’t remember if they have showers.

All in all, the No1 Lounge at Gatwick South is an impressive lounge with high quality food options. My only disappointment is that it is a bit too open plan for my tastes, but that is just a personal view.

If you want to find out more, or pre-book entry for cash, you can do so on the No1 Lounges website here.

Getting airport lounge access for free from a credit card

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.

Category

Airport Lounge Reviews (UK), British Airways and Avios

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Emma says:

15 Jul15 July 07:12

We’re flying BA Friday 11th August and looking to use the free passes from our gold reward card for access at 8am, should we prebook? It’s for 2 adults and 1 child, so will be using the two free passes and paying £15 for the child aged 8.

Would we need to pay per person? And is it worth £30 altogether?

Planning on using my husbands free passes on the way out and mine at the Orlando lounge on the way back then we’ll be cancelling his card ready to churn so would like to get use out of the passes.
- Rob says:
  
  15 Jul15 July 08:11
  
  You would not have got in at 8am on the Wed I was there but there is less business travel on a Friday morning.
  
  Plan B is to get £30 of credit at The Grain Store restaurant which would mean not paying anything for the little ‘un.
  - Emma says:
    
    15 Jul15 July 08:15
    
    Thanks, I did have that as my plan B so think we’ll stick with that and hope that we get into the lounge without having to pay.
  - Klaus-Peter Dudas says:
    
    15 Jul15 July 08:42
    
    Does anyone know if my with and I go to the Grain Store together, both with the Amex Platinum Priority Pass, would they let us charge two people on each card for £60 credit?
    - the real harry1 says:
      
      15 Jul15 July 09:53
      
      someone’s got to take one for the team 🙂
    - Polly says:
      
      15 Jul15 July 10:22
      
      One of our folks on here recently didnthatbwithntheir son, and got around £27 worth of f and b with their one PP card. So yes it seems they treat it the same as if two guests go intomthenlounge on one PP. but always worth checking with them before deciding. Quite nice in there too, we were there in May.
    - Nate1309 says:
      
      16 Jul16 July 07:54
      
      Yes, 100% possible. Last time I was there charged 2 people to my card and 1 on my wife’s. £45 credit for the two of us.
  - Lady London says:
    
    15 Jul15 July 09:49
    
    Not sure what,’s going on with PP they are showing quite a few airports which offer specific amount credit at restaurants/bars within the terminal. Great for now, but wondering this might lead to some kind of capping regarding regular lounges.
- Klaus-Peter Dudas says:
  
  15 Jul15 July 08:39
  
  I thought with the gold card you always had to pay for guests, even if you still have both of your passes left. My understanding was that you’d need to use one pass each at Gatwick and then another one each in Orlando. Otherwise you’ll end up paying £30 (two guests) both in Gatwick and in Orlando and end up with one pass left each. May be wrong though.
  - Polly says:
    
    15 Jul15 July 10:19
    
    Think Emma says they both have a gold card, so they have two passes each, but would have to pay for the kid to enter the lounges as a guest. But the grain store suggestion is much better for them in LGW as f and b credit of £30.
    - Klaus-Peter Dudas says:
      
      15 Jul15 July 21:41
      
      What I mean is that with the Gold card guests are never free.
      
      “Planning on using my husbands free passes on the way out and mine at the Orlando lounge…”
      
      This would lead to each visit costing 1 free use and two £15 guest charges.
      
      If instead they use both of the passes in London and both passes in Orlando then they get what they want, i.e.
      
      Emma uses her card in London, Mr Emma uses his card and takes the child as a guest. Total cost £15, one visit used each.
      
      Mr Emma uses his card in London, Emma uses her card and takes the child as a guest. Total cost £15, one visit used each.
      
      That way all four free visits are used up and £30 is charged for the child.
      - Alan says:
        
        15 Jul15 July 21:45
        
        No, the way Emma proposes is fine too:
        Mr Emma uses one of his passes for himself, one for Emma, pays for child
        Way back, Emma uses one for herself, one for Mr Emma, pays for child
        
        You can either use the vouchers for two visits for one person or one visit for two people.
        
        Either way I’d imagine Grainstore use on the way out still better value!
      - the real harry1 says:
        
        15 Jul15 July 22:16
        
        yep Lounge Pass = 2 can get in on 1 card
Leo says:

15 Jul15 July 07:29

I agree this place is a bit of a barn. Last time I was there PP holders were being turned away. I’m going to have to use the North No 1 lounge soon as am not flying BA – I’ll suck up the £5 reservation fee. Seems that the glass of champagne for £7 “trick” is no longer available on the site?
- Genghis says:
  
  15 Jul15 July 07:55
  
  As a datapoint I’ve never been turned away from No1 north, flying at all different days and times
  - Klaus-Peter Dudas says:
    
    15 Jul15 July 08:41
    
    It used to be packed when BA was using and I saw people get turned away or queue for ages but with BA gone it should be a lot better.
    - Lady London says:
      
      15 Jul15 July 09:52
      
      It’s still packed at peak times. To the point of being borderline unpleasant, food orders normally very quick get forgotten, having to jostle to get to the bar, etc.
  - ECR says:
    
    15 Jul15 July 09:47
    
    Unfortunately No1 have a monopoly at LGW South since the Servisair/Aspire Lounge closed, and seem quite keen to charge an extra £5 to access a ‘full’ lounge. If the lounge really is full then it would be quite an unpleasant xperience and not worth paying even £5 for. At LGW North they have competition from Aspire, so if they were to routinely turn customers away there they will just go to Aspire.
    - Leo says:
      
      15 Jul15 July 14:12
      
      True. The day I saw them turning PP holders away at South the lounge was not full. It was busy but no way full.
      - Rob says:
        
        15 Jul15 July 16:02
        
        ….. but if they are assuming 50 Norwegian passengers will arrive in the next hour then they can’t let you in.
Colin JE says:

15 Jul15 July 09:03

Rob, what’s the story behind pre-booking at Gatwick No1 no longer having Fast Track access after 31 August? Is this the same at other airports? Gatwick South’s Fast Track is pretty poor. It’s been closed twice when I’ve booked to use it.
I must admit I often book a lounge space to get Fast Track, even if I might not use the lounge, so if it was withdrawn elsewhere this would be sadly missed.
- Rob says:
  
  15 Jul15 July 10:34
  
  Now BA is in South I doubt Fast Track would ever be shut.
  
  That end date keeps getting moved back. I feel that one side is not willing to commit to a longer deal.
  - Simon Schus says:
    
    15 Jul15 July 18:28
    
    The last extension was end of May, and was extended to the end of August. The extension was made mid-May, and it has been extended in this way multiple times before. I know this having bought lounge access for a few friends when travelling to see us.
    
    After the £7 champagne option was removed from the website, one used to be able to order champagne by calling them up directly. However, I have no idea if that option still exists.
    - Colin JE says:
      
      18 Jul18 July 12:30
      
      Thanks guys. Fingers crossed that No1 will keep extending FastTrack, or better still that it remains permanent.
Luke says:

15 Jul15 July 10:33

“This is also the lounge you will be using if you are flying on British Airways from Gatwick but do not have access to the brand new official British Airways lounge complex”

Sorry, can someone explain this to me? Thanks.
- Luke says:
  
  15 Jul15 July 10:52
  
  I see – it’s about paying. I’ve got Silver status, and couldn’t understand why I might not be able to get in, which is how I read the sentence.
Mark Priest says:

15 Jul15 July 13:36

Travelling Virgin from LHR to JFK in a couple of weeks and then back from MIA.

Only Premium so no club access. Have various lounge access so what are my best options?
- gumshoe says:
  
  15 Jul15 July 13:48
  
  First, try the VS Clubhouse. They sometimes let PE passengers pay to enter (about £65 IIRC). But it’s not guaranteed and if they’re expecting a busy day they’ll say no.
  
  Failing that LHR T3 has an Aspire lounge and a No.1 lounge, both of which are pay-to-enter.
  
  At MIA the contract lounge VS uses is awful. I would recommend arriving as late as you possibly dare and not bothering with a lounge at all.
  - Leo says:
    
    15 Jul15 July 14:23
    
    I agree with all of that. You are missing nothing with the lounge VA use at MIA. Dire. ASPIRE IN T3 Was much better than anticipated.
  - the real harry1 says:
    
    15 Jul15 July 16:02
    
    Aspire & No1 @ T3 are both good – both reviewed here on HfP – I’d say No1 is better for space & light & areas to chill out – though Aspire has some useful pods & better choice of free food if you are hungry – neither has self pour, though F&B is good in both
    
    you can’t really go wrong whichever you choose
Mark Priest says:

15 Jul15 July 14:21

Thanks Gumshoe

Have Priority Pass so will try the Aspire and Amercan F
Simon Schus says:

15 Jul15 July 18:36

Also, one thing I only found out yesterday – but I’m sure others may know.

The American (Airlines) flagship lounge in JFK has been refurbished, and is now letting OneWorld Sapphire customers enter irrespective of their class of service, and destination; e.g. BA Silver should be able to enter the AA Flagship Lounge in Terminal 8 even on an AA domestic flight such as JFK-BOS. Previously, the AA Flagship Lounge was treated as a First class lounge and only let OneWorld Emerald members enter. I think that they might be trying to differentiate their Admirals Club and their Flagship Lounges somewhat, as the only restriction to the above seems to be when OneWorld Sapphire membership is achieved in the AAdvantage program and that passenger is flying on a domestic itinerary. I know that the AAdvantage restriction has been around for years prior, but the addition of OneWorld Sapphire to the Flagship lounge is new – this could be positive in the short-term, though I wonder if there are changes afoot to Admirals Club access rules by no longer considering them to be ‘lounges’ under the OneWorld program. Perhaps, perhaps not. The main thing for the short-term is that the Flagship lounge in JFK available, and this will expand as more of the US Flagship reopen after renovation.

Details here: https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/clubs/flagship-lounge.jsp (and a few blogs too)
- Simon Schus says:
  
  15 Jul15 July 18:38
  
  (I have a ORY-JFK-BOS trip coming up with BA OpenSkies and AA that this will be fun for).
- Alan says:
  
  15 Jul15 July 18:39
  
  Yes, a lot of coverage on OMAAT about this – good for Sapphires although a bit of a deval for BA Gold/Emerald given the marked increase in busyness compared to before. Still a big step up from the usual AAdmirals Club lounges though!
AlexT says:

18 Jul18 July 10:56

No showers… I’ve asked.