Review: Aspire Lounge at Belfast City Airport

June 11, 2024

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Aspire Lounge Belfast City
Food And Drink
Views And Toilets
Overall Thoughts

Belfast City Airport is the most convenient airport to fly out of when visiting Northern Ireland’s capital. As it is not a large facility, there is now just one lounge, the Aspire Lounge.

In the past, British Airways operated their own lounge at BHD, but this ended up being closed. Aspire took advantage of this and expanded their lounge into that space.

Aspire Lounge Belfast City

This was my first visit to this lounge and I had no idea what to expect. When I entered, I found the lounge to be large and spacious, with various different types of seating to suit your whim. I found a seat by the window down the back and camped out there for the duration.

a room with tables and chairs — The doors in the wall lead to Gate 4.

a room with chairs and tables — Booths and tables at the back.

a room with a large ceiling and a large staircase — Looking towards the entrance.

A feature of the former British Airways lounge was the ability to board from the lounge. Happily this remains the same! When it was time to board, the doors were opened and we were first onto the aerobridge. I quite like this!

Food And Drink

The Aspire Lounge is also no slouch when it comes to the food offering. I had planned to eat in London in the British Airways First Class lounge, but I ended up stuffing my face here as the options were quite tasty. You could choose between a Penang Curry (vegetarian) or a Beef Stroganoff. Rice and a potato dish were available to accompany it. Naturally I tried it all, and would recommend either, but the curry has the edge for me. Delish!

a bar with shelves and shelves of wine glasses — Lots of drinks including fruit juice on tap.

a coffee machine and coffee cups in a coffee shop — Coffee and tea, including various milks.

a group of food in containers — Penang curry, potato and Beef Stroganoff.

a buffet table with food on it — Cheese, salads, biscuits, fruit.

a table with food on it — I had some cheese, yum!

a machine with a pancake maker on it — Anyone for pancakes?

There is a pancake machine, just like the one in the Alaska Airlines North Satellite lounge in Seattle, which brought back fond memories of that lounge. Drinks wise, I had the juice on tap, which was nice. Champagne and Prosecco can be ordered for an addition cost (hence I had none). Plenty of types of beer and what not were available too.

Views And Toilets

Happily the lounge overlooks the airport action. This meant I could see the various aircraft arriving and departing. It’s not an overly busy airport, so it wasn’t anything like Heathrow but still fun to help pass the time.

a bathroom with sinks and mirrors — Basins in the men’s room.

a row of urinals in a bathroom — A trio of urinals.

a plane on the tarmac — Aer Lingus Regional.

Bathroom facilities were spotless and modern, as you’d expect from a lounge that only relatively recently opened. Not that I spent any great amount of time in there, but clean and fresh is always better than the alternative!

Overall Thoughts

The Aspire Lounge at Belfast City Airport is a perfectly comfortable place to relax before your flight. With delicious food, comfortable seating and an array of drinks, it would be worth it even if you paid the relatively steep €50.00 entry fee.

What do you think of this lounge at BHD? How does it compare to the old BA lounge? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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