Here are five new UK airport lounges due to open in 2020

Edinburgh Airport – No 1 Clubrooms

• Opening date: 2020
• Quality estimate: 8
• Customer benefit: 5

A brand new No 1 Lounge opened earlier last year at Edinburgh Airport – we reviewed it here.  We also saw the second Aspire Lounge opening virtually next door. There is more to come, however, as the same area will also soon house a Clubrooms lounge.  The company has yet to announce this on its website but the signage is already up!

Clubrooms is No 1’s premium brand with table service.  No 1 does an excellent job at designing attractive and welcoming spaces so I think we can look forward to a quality product.  You cannot get in for free with a lounge club card, however, unless you pay a surcharge on the door.

Edinburgh is not short of lounges. Apart from No 1 – which is good, and which will satisfy most people – and the two Aspire lounges, there is also a dedicated BA lounge (review).  BA has put Edinburgh on the list of lounges to be ‘refreshed’ in 2020.  The original Aspire lounge is also being refurbished.

Manchester Airport – Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse

• Opening date: Spring 2020
• Quality estimate: 8
• Customer benefit: 10 (if you are flying Virgin in Upper Class)

Manchester Airport is dire, apart from PremiAir.  You can pick your favourite bit of dire-ness, but for me I think it is hard to top the Escape Plus lounge.  This unbelievably average, and too small, airport-run lounge is where Virgin Atlantic and Qatar Airways send their premium passengers.  And premium, frankly, it isn’t.

With the new pier at Manchester getting ready to open (image above) we can expect a dedicated Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse.  I doubt this will be on a par with the London Heathrow lounge, given that even the New York JFK Clubhouse isn’t life-changing, but it will be a million times better than Escape Plus.

It is also possible that we see a new independent lounge in the new pier.  Manchester Airport is not keen on allowing third party lounge operators into the airport – it would rather run its own – so don’t hold out much hope for a No 1 or an additional Aspire lounge.

Bournemouth Airport – Premium Lounge

• Opening date: 2020
• Quality estimate: 5
• Customer benefit: 9

Bournemouth Airport was due to open its first lounge in June 2019.  We wrote about this back in February 2019 and an image is above.

It never happened, however.  There were ‘construction delays’.  It is still happening, I believe, and will be in the area above the duty free shop.

I’m not expecting a huge amount from this lounge, given that the airport is apparently going to operate it directly.  On the other hand, as the airport has no lounge at all today, it is a major improvement for everyone who passes through it.

Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 – American Express Centurion Lounge

• Opening date:  Spring 2020
• Quality estimate: 9
• Customer benefit: 3

This lounge was due to open last Autumn.  I never saw this as realistic, to be honest, given that the project was only announced in the Spring.  Building airside in airports is very difficult, due to the difficulty in getting goods and people airside, and when you need cooking outlets is even harder.  Spring 2020 sounds more reasonable.

The American Express Centurion Lounge network has an excellent reputation.  Over the last few years Amex has opened a number of these spaces across the US and Hong Kong and feedback has been great.  The only problem has been overcrowding.

They are open to all Platinum and Centurion charge card holders, plus guests.

It is fantastic news that Amex is opening in London.  It is less fantastic that they are opening in Terminal 3.  It is a HUGE waste.  Terminal 3 probably has the best collection of airport lounges in the world.  OK, the BA and AA spaces are poor but you’ve got two great Cathay Pacific lounges (review), the Qantas lounge, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse (review) and, for Priority Pass cardholders, two well regarded options in the No 1 Lounge (review) and Club Aspire lounge (review).

The Centurion Lounge should be better than the two existing Priority Pass lounges but it won’t add much.

All in all, there is a lot to look forward to in 2020 and we’ll keep you up to speed.