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I visited the British Airways Concorde Room Lounge on a recent trip from London to New York, JFK. The Concorde Room represents British Airways’ flagship first class lounge. This lounge is only open to first class passengers flying out of London on an international flight.
Details
- Location: London Heathrow Airport, Terminal 5, south side of the terminal near gate A18, one level above.
- Hours: 5am to 10:30pm
- Access: first class flyers on an international British Airways flight.
- How I Accessed: First class flight from London to New York.
Finding the Lounge
London’s terminal 5 actually has two separate areas with British Airways lounges. The Concorde Room lounge is located on the south end of the terminal. Look for signs to the British Airways lounge and follow the escalator up one level to the lounges.
After stepping off the escalator, you’ll see two different British Airways lounges on your left and right sides. The Concorde Room is on the right side and the British Airways First Class lounge is on the left side.
As you walk to the Concorde Room, you’ll see the Artemis Travel Spa on your left side. Everyone that has access to the Concorde Room receives 1 free treatment from the Artemis Spa. The Artemis Spa is very popular. I suggest you book an appointment at least a day in advance if you would like to use the service.
Elemis Spa
When I walked to the Elemis front desk, the attendant informed me that all slots were filled for the next 4 hours. The spa does allow you to request placement on a waiting list in case someone doesn’t show up for their appointment. I was lucky and was able to use a slot when someone didn’t show up for their appointment.
The free spa treatment was a nice touch and added to the exclusive feel of the Concorde Room. I chose a massage. The service was excellent. It was a very relaxing start before a long international flight.
Inside the Concorde Room
The Concorde Room looks and feels like the lobby of a high end hotel. The design includes wood paneling with a rectangular layout. Some of the notable amenities inside include a full service restaurant, concierge, full sized bar with premium drink menu, outdoor patio overlooking the airport concourse and runway, free wifi, large variety of seating options, and conference room space.
My next stop in the lounge was the dining area. I arrived right in between breakfast and lunch so I had the option choose from either menu. I selected the breakfast menu. My order included the English breakfast and seasonal fruit dish.
The food and service inside the restaurant were excellent. I really enjoy eating in a full service restaurant rather than the buffet service found in most airport lounges.
Other Full Service Restaurants
Other lounges I’ve visited with a full service restaurant included the Etihad First Class Lounge and Spa in Abu Dhabi, Emirates First Class lounge in Dubai, the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, and the Thai Airways first class lounge in Bangkok.
The Concorde Room was large, but it wasn’t as big as I expected it to be. When I visited in the morning, the lounge was busy, but it didn’t feel too crowded. The only real compliant I could make was the Wifi connection was relatively slow at approx. 3 Mbps.
Overall the Concorde Room offers an exceptionally high quality lounge experience. The full service restaurant and the free spa service were my favorite aspects of the lounge. If your flying in first class on an international flight with British Airways, you should really go out of your way to visit the Concorde Room. It ranks up there with some of the best airport lounges in the world.
Pros
- High end luxury lounge with exceptional customer service.
- Free spa treatment at Artemis lounge.
- Full service restaurant with excellent food.
- Full service bar with separate food menu.
Cons
- Wifi connection was on the slow side at about 3 Mbps.
- Open slots at the spa fill up quickly so you may want to book a day in advance.
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