New Priority Pass lounge coming to British Airways and Gatwick’s South terminal

As many HfP readers know, the independent airport lounge in Gatwick’s South terminal, No 1 Lounge, is a victim of its own success.

Whilst the lounge is part of Priority Pass and Lounge Club, it is often difficult to get in due to overcrowding.  No 1 has taken to asking people to pay £5 online via this page to guarantee admission.

Priority Pass got around this by doing a tie-up with The Grain Store restaurant.  You can go there, spend £15 on food and drink, and ask them to send the bill to Priority Pass.

The good news is that – according to a well placed source – Aspire is currently building a lounge in Gatwick South to open this Autumn.  My guess is that this will be in the old Virgin Atlantic space, which is also the lounge that British Airways used on a temporary basis after the switch to the South Terminal (reviewed here).

This is good news for non-status British Airways passengers who like No 1 – because they will have more chance of getting in – and indeed people who don’t like No 1, because they will now have an alternative.

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.