London Heathrow is the biggest destination outside Ireland for Aer Lingus and they operate a Gold Circle lounge in Terminal 2. Passengers from up to twenty flights daily servicing Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast City can access this sanctuary before flying. The lounge is available to members of the Aer Lingus frequent flyer programme or you can pay £23 or €25 at the door.
British Airways Gold and Silver frequent flyers are eligible for access when flying on an Aer Lingus service featuring a BA flight number as part of the two airlines codeshare agreement.
The Lounge
An attendant greets you when you arrive. Once you pass muster, you enter a bright space featuring an eclectic selection of furniture. There is a lot of green which is to be expected as it is the colour of Aer Lingus and the colour of Ireland.
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- Entrance to the lounge!
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- Green carpet – green for Ireland.
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- Green for Aer Lingus also, naturally.
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- Feature wall, mirroring the one in Dublin.
Business people travelling together can take advantage of a pair of meeting rooms situated in one corner of the lounge. This allows people to have meetings privately and without disturbing other passengers.
Dividing walls of varying heights enable the lounge to be open plan and yet have a definite division of space. Spaces for relaxation are separated from spaces for eating yet you have a line of sight throughout. It’s a modern way of keeping the feel of the lounge very fresh and I like it.
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- Meeting rooms feature four seats.
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- What passes for a dining room.
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- Looking back to the entrance.
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- A place to really chill – is that grass?
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- Another relaxing space.
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- Visual relaxation wall.
Scenes from Ireland play on the large screen such as images of flowing water and country scenes. This soothing concept is unusual to me. I prefer the view from the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the apron of course!
Showers and Bathrooms
Shower facilities are available within the lounge. There is a single shower room which is beside the toilets just inside the entrance which would be handy for passengers connecting off a long haul flight.
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- A modern gentleman’s facility.
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- Voya products.
Bathrooms are clean, modern and chic, featuring the same Voya branded products as the lounges in Dublin.
Food and Drink
Drinks are self-service and there are two coffee machines offering different types of coffee. There is orange juice, water and apple juice along with an average selection of alcoholic beverages.
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- Dual coffee machines so no waiting.
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- How about some juice?
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- The fridge of many mixers.
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- Guinness, Beer, Red Wine, White Wine.
In my opinion, the breakfast food selection is barely adequate for a supposedly 4 star airline.
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- A trio of breakfast cereal for your pleasure!
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- Danish, jam and biscuits. And tongs!
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- My, that’s one large banana!
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- Fantastic fruit salad cups.
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- Essentials – yoghurt, cheese and butter.
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- Ever so delicious Twinings tea,
Later in the day there is a hot soup offered along with sandwiches and other items. It’s all very cheap and cheerful rather an deluxe but it probably fits in well with Aer Lingus’ brand positioning as a value carrier.
Overall Thoughts
London Heathrow’s Gold Circle lounge is a relaxing space to spend time between flights. The facilities provided are completely fine and the design is reminiscent of the Dublin lounge. Lacking is a better selection of food and drink which has always been a bug bear with Aer Lingus lounges for me. Food selection comes across as an afterthought compared to other airlines and I think this needs to be addressed.
Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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