What’s it like flying BA Club Europe out of Glasgow with no lounge?

British Airways operate business class on domestic routes such as the one from Glasgow to London Heathrow. This is called Club Europe and includes lounge access as standard. As Glasgow is one of the few remaining domestic cities with a BA lounge, imagine my surprise when there was no lounge.

For this flight I redeemed some British Airways Club Avios points, which is good value compared to the walk up price. As I have dropped to Bronze on BA, I have no need to actually pay for flights to keep status. These days I have switched my loyalty elsewhere, as a result of the changes to their frequent flyer programme.

Hot Footing Around Glasgow

I checked in online and when I arrived at the airport, I passed through security and headed to the lounge. When I got there, I was greeted by the following notice that the lounge was closed. Club Europe passengers were directed to the Lomond Lounge, while members with status were sent to the Upperdeck Lounge.

Mildly miffed, for the Glasgow lounge is quite nice, I retraced my steps almost all the way back to security. Up some stairs and I entered the Lomond Lounge. An attendant greeted me and informed me apologetically that the lounge was full. Instead I was directed to the Upperdeck Lounge. Naturally that lounge is at the opposite end of airport, so off I went gaining more steps for the day. When I got there, a BA staff member told me the lounge was completely rammed and I could either go in or I could take a £30.00 voucher to redeem in the airport. Not expecting that question, I vacillated for a couple of minutes and took the voucher.

No Lounge? No Worries!

Helpfully, the agent advised me that the Caledonian Bar let you use the voucher for both food and alcoholic drinks. A little more walking and I got to the bar and was ushered to a table. Perusing the menu meant adding things up, so I decided on two glasses of Champagne and a baked goats cheese dish.

That all came to £28.00 and I was quite happy really, as I wasn’t crammed into a busy lounge. Come time to pay, the server took my voucher, then came back and said they sold crisps for £2 per packet, and if I bought one of those it would use the full value of the voucher. Done deal and so that was that.

Flight Time

Once I left the bar, I headed down to the gate and lined up and waited to board. Boarding soon commenced and in no time at all I was on board my flight.

BA1487 – Glasgow to London Heathrow (GLA-LHR)
17 August 2025
Airbus A320 – G-EUYD
Seat: Club Europe 3F
Departure: 14:40 Arrival: 16:05

Afternoon tea is always a favourite of mine in Club Europe, and I selected the flight for that reason. Menus were handed out, so I could choose what I wanted.

Once everyone boarded the flight, we had the usual manual safety demonstration. In short order we headed for the runway and headed off into the summer sky, setting course for London.

Afternoon Tea

For the afternoon tea, I went with the meat option. That meant roast beef with horseradish on rye, cucumber and mint trio, and a prawn Marie Rose on brioche. Naturally I had Champagne with it and the lovely warm scones.

Devouring everything happily, eventually it was time to land. As I still had Champagne on the go, the crew got me a plastic tumbler and filled it so I was able to sip through to arrival. This is always a favourite thing of mine on short-haul BA services!

Overall Thoughts

There is no lounge at Glasgow because according to gossip and rumour there was a “waste water flood” and they’re taking the opportunity to do a full re-fit. Well, no complaints for it being closed then as that sounds pretty grim.

Unfortunately the alternative situation wasn’t great, but honestly taking the voucher turned out to be the best option all round. I was not in the mood to be crammed into a lounge, so a nice quiet table in the bar was perfect.

What do you think of British Airways Club Europe? Are you also a victim of the Glasgow lounge closure? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image by Alf van Beem via Wikimedia Commons