No1 Lounge re-opens at London Gatwick Airport today

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There is some good for anyone flying out of London Gatwick today, as the No1 Lounge and Clubrooms in the North Terminal (the only functioning terminal) reopen.

These are the first No1 Lounges to reopen after the latest lockdown.

No1 is not the business it was, unfortunately, having undergone a CVA. The lounges in Edinburgh and Luton are closed for good. The two My Lounge sites in Gatwick North and Gatwick South will not re-open in their current form, although I believe the sites are being retained.

Going forward, the business will only operate at Gatwick, Heathrow Terminal 3 and Birmingham.

The good news is that, with the company now in the same family as Priority Pass following its recent sale, Priority Pass holders will – from the Autumn – be able to access No1 Lounges sites again.

For now, the only way to get entry to the Gatwick North lounge is by booking a slot here for cash or by using a DragonPass card.

There is some confusion over opening hours. A company post on LinkedIn yesterday said that opening hours were restricted to 4am to noon, Monday to Friday. The website shows a 7-day operation from 4am with mid-afternoon closing times.

Our last review of the No1 Lounge at Gatwick North is here. A lot has changed since then, of course – it is now table service only and the overcrowding has presumably gone.

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

General

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

Brian says:

23 Jul23 July 06:27

Ireland is certainly not the only European country to let in fully vaccinated UK citizens without testing. Germany and Poland for example do the same. I suspect that the claim is based on the fact that the UK won’t require tests to return, which it does from elsewhere.
David says:

23 Jul23 July 06:48

Greece also allow double vaxxed to enter from the UK with no testing.
- YC says:
  
  23 Jul23 July 07:08
  
  I think Rob meant no testing on either side. Ireland UK
  - Mark says:
    
    23 Jul23 July 07:13
    
    Sure he did but many might mis-interpret and not realise the welcoming data driven approach of EU countries.
  - Pete M says:
    
    23 Jul23 July 07:14
    
    So does Germany, and it won’t quarantine the whole plane if one person tests positive on arrival! 😜
Roger W says:

23 Jul23 July 06:56

Great news and good on Eire for refusing unvaccinated from visiting their country although I have sympathy for those waiting for the second jab.
- Daniel says:
  
  23 Jul23 July 09:02
  
  Can someone please explain why PCR tests are no good when travelling whilst vaccinated travellers can still transmit the disease to each other? In my understanding, if everyone had negative PCR upon boarding, there would be minimal chance of contracting covid, however now there is a way greater chance to get ill if there are no tests required whether you are vaxxed or not…
  - ADS says:
    
    23 Jul23 July 11:43
    
    But the 72 hours between negative testing and travel gives ample opportunity for the 180 passengers on a B737 or A320 to contract the virus, and pass it on during the flight.
    
    I suspect this is how I caught it last month … on a flight to Dublin !
- Sukes says:
  
  23 Jul23 July 09:36
  
  Ireland is not refusing entry to unvaccinated travellers. Such persons can enter on basis of neg test + quarantine.
  - Daniel says:
    
    23 Jul23 July 11:24
    
    So why there is no quarantine for vaccinated if they can still spread the disease? Trying to understand the logic…
    - Rob says:
      
      23 Jul23 July 11:55
      
      It’s remarkably simple. They have loads of infected people, so getting a handful of infected-but-vaccinated people makes naff all difference, whilst the money you will spend makes a huge difference.
Mark says:

23 Jul23 July 07:12

Irish Republic is only country that UK Double vaccinated can go to AND return to Great Britain without tests or quarantine in BOTH directions.

Other Eutopean countries such as România permit hassle free entry with full vaccination.

The UK [which is more likely to export Covid than import it from most of EU] now still insists on multiple tests regardless regardless of data and .. ignoring low risk from fully vaccinated Europeans requires almost all of them to quarantine. Ideology maybe rather than data?
- Lady London says:
  
  23 Jul23 July 11:23
  
  no, money grab for all the tests for government cronies must be the reason as no science.
  
  UK residents are more dangerous to other countries than residents of anywhere else in Europe but the UK just doesn’t get it.
  
  Everywhere a cluster of UK residents goes (Dubai last Christmas and favourite UK tourist destinations now) has a big uptick in infections follow. If the UK required 10 days quarantine before *leaving* the UK it would make more sense.
Anna says:

23 Jul23 July 07:21

So no pre-departure and day 2 tests returning to the UK? This would make Ireland the only destination currently worth going to for a mini break in that case.
- stevenhp1987 says:
  
  23 Jul23 July 07:38
  
  With flights so cheap atm… Most cities are worth a weekend break even with the testing requirements.
  
  Been on several already and off to Malaga this weekend.
  
  Nothing open in Ireland atm too…
Dave1985 says:

23 Jul23 July 07:22

Remember when people said vaccine passports wouldn’t be a thing? (Even though they’ve already been a thing in some countries for years)
- AndyGWP says:
  
  23 Jul23 July 12:52
  
  Yeah – I remember number 10 saying vaccine passports had been ruled out as discriminatory because penalised people who were unable to receive the vaccine
Anna says:

23 Jul23 July 07:26

What’s the current US position on travel to ROI? The recent announcement re Americans being advised not to travel to the UK becomes even more unjustifiable if UK citizens can now travel freely within the CTA again.
- IanM says:
  
  23 Jul23 July 09:09
  
  Ireland was part of EU last time I looked so no access to USA. Hopefully Biden will adopt this approach + tests
  - Rhys says:
    
    23 Jul23 July 09:18
    
    To, not from. Americans already travelling to lots of European countries.
JC says:

23 Jul23 July 07:58

France also does not require any pre arrival tests for double-vax
- stevenhp1987 says:
  
  23 Jul23 July 08:45
  
  Rob means any tests. No tests required to enter UK from Ireland.