Review of the British Airways Arrivals Lounge, Heathrow Terminal 5

The arrivals lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5 is a lounge I hadn’t had the opportunity to visit before.

I live very close to Heathrow so I normally head straight home.

But this time I decided to check it out after my flight from Singapore. It is a good lounge that has some good food and a nice place to refresh after a long haul flight into London.

Whilst I don’t need to use it again, I would recommend it to others although there are some areas that could use a refresh.

Where is it?

The Arrivals Lounge is located in Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport.

You will have to collect your bags, go through customs and into the arrivals hall of Terminal 5. From there, you can go up any of the lifts to Level 1.

There are signs that will then direct you towards the lounge which isn’t difficult to find.

Entry Requirements

To enter the arrivals lounge you need to have a business class (marketed as Club World) or first class ticket on a British Airways long haul flight arriving into London Heathrow.

You can also gain access if you have a Gold card or a Gold Guest List level of status with British Airways arriving in economy.

The oneworld equivalents do not gain access to this lounge and it is not open to any other schemes or paid entrance.

Facilities in the British Airways Arrivals Lounge

On the left of the entrance is a luggage storage area which is very welcome as most passengers will have their luggage with them.

As you walk into the lounge, you will see the buffet breakfast area in front of you. To the left is more seating and some booth areas with large curtains around them for privacy.

To the far left hand side of the lounge is a work area with high stools and a good desk area. These are located close to the toilets. As I love working in airports (but normally just in departures) I sat here for a good while and got some work done.

If you were to turn right as you walk in, there is more seating with windows overlooking the arrivals hall. Past that are the showers where a shower attendant will tell you which shower to use as they are in coloured zones. I feel these could have been named or numbered better, especially for foreign tourists who may not have English as a first language. Toothbrushes and shaving kits are also available from the attendant.

The showers were good. I had heard they were a bit dated and felt like you were in a hospital, and I have to agree. Other lounges have showers that wouldn’t be out of place in a 5 star hotel, but these were more campsite style. They do seem a bit clinical and could do with a refresh.

The showers were large enough to store your bags and the showers were hot and had good pressure. The shower gel and shampoo in the showers were from Elemis.

There is also a Concorde dining area if you have a First Class ticket. This is with a la carte dining and better service from my understanding (as I couldn’t go in!).

Seating in the British Airways Arrivals Lounge

There is plenty of seating in the arrivals lounge and even though I was there over a peak time, it never seemed to get that busy. Unfortunately, there were always some people in each seating area so I couldn’t get many good pictures.

In front of the buffet there was a large selection of dining style seating which is perfectly comfortable for eating. Closer to the showers are individual seats and a few small sofas which won’t surprise you if you’ve been in any other British Airways lounge.

There are also a few seats near the showers if you are waiting for a companion to finish.

There are some lazy boy sleeper style seats, comfortable armchairs and some high top seating to the left side of the lounge as you walk in.

The lounge is large enough to not feel busy (as most passengers would go home or to their hotels) and for the few hours I was there, I never had a problem to find somewhere to sit.

Food and drink in the British Airways Arrivals Lounge

I would rate the food and drinks in the arrivals lounge as better than in the other British Airways Galleries lounges at Heathrow T5. As you would expect at that time of day there was a standard selection for an English breakfast, with sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, beans and toast available.

For those looking for a healthier option there were also cereals, yogurts, muesli, and fruit. There are croissants and pastries available if you’re after a more continental style breakfast.

There are two coffee machines at the back of the lounge and the flat white I had was pretty good, but not quite barista standard. They also serve fruit juices and a fruit smoothie of kiwi, spinach, cucumber and lime which was surprisingly tasty. A white and rose prosecco was also on offer but it was too early in the morning for me!

I have to say that overall I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and drinks on offer in the arrivals lounge. It was better than what is normally available in the Galleries lounges for departing passengers.

Overall thoughts

Overall I was very happy with my first visit to the British Airways Arrivals Lounge at Heathrow Airport terminal 5. It is a pleasant space to spend a few hours working or just refreshing before heading into central London.

The seating is plentiful, the food is good and the drinks exceeded my expectations.

There are enough areas to work, nap or freshen up without you wanting too much more. I understand that First Class passengers get better food and service, but even as a business class passenger, I had a great experience.

The showers were good but did feel a little bit clinical and could be modernised and made more premium, however it was a minor point with all things considered.

Dan

Dan is an avid traveller from London. His first big adventure was in 2010 living in Malaysia for 3 months. He has been on the road almost constantly since 2015 travelling to destinations that aren’t on the mainstream tourist trail and working full time and travelling since 2021.