Is there a second contender for ‘Smallest Priority Pass Airport Lounge in the World’?

Back in July, we brought you some pictures of the Priority Pass lounge at Iguazú Falls airport in Argentina.  Reader Graeme had been passing through – see his report here – and believed it was a strong contender for the title of ‘Smallest Priority Pass Lounge in the World’.

Here are a couple of shots of the Aeropuertos VIP Club.  You can see Graeme’s point:

and

Let’s be honest.  Many of us have more seating at home.  Sadly the lounge has now left Priority Pass so your chance of trying it out has gone.

However, it turns out that there is a new contender for the ‘Smallest Priority Pass Lounge’ prize, and it is a lot nearer than Argentina.

Welcome to the Ireland West Executive Lounge in Knock.

Click on any picture to enlarge – not that there is much else to see.

Nominated by reader Paul, he reckons that capacity is around eight.

Cunningly, you can only get in by inputting a code on the door which is only available from the airport information desk landside – so if you have already cleared security, you’re stuck.  It is one way of keeping down capacity I suppose.

From the outside, it looks substantially more impressive:

Of course, with only a handful of departures per day on average from Knock, you’re unlikely to hit rush hour anyway.

But is any good?

“Sadly the coffee was all instant, the food selection a bit dull, and the room somewhat hot.  Given how relatively empty and relaxed Knock departures was, it didn’t add much for me than a quiet place to get on a couple of calls.”

If you can find somewhere smaller, let us know.

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.