Today it’s time for another instalment in my Heathrow Airport lounge review series! I’ve flown out a few more times recently and managed to tick off two Plaza Premium Lounges that I hadn’t visited before, so I thought I’d give them a quick write-up.
Let’s start with Heathrow Terminal 3 — it’s something of a little lounge paradise. Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific both have excellent lounges here, while American Airlines’ First Class lounge and Qantas are also pretty decent. And of course, you can’t forget the Amex Centurion Lounge, although sadly that one has long since descended into something resembling a food market.
The Plaza Premium Lounge I’m talking about today is a little unusual, though, because it’s located landside. In fact, it’s actually outside the terminal building, right next to the drop-off area.
Heathrow used to be somewhat a Plaza Premium stronghold. It once had lounges in every terminal, and there were even arrival lounges in T2, T3 and T4. Over the years, though, they gradually disappeared, leaving this T3 lounge as the only one remaining — and it only reopened fairly recently.
You can basically see the whole lounge at a glance:
There’s not much to get excited about when it comes to food either — just some basic snacks and drinks. Given that this is an arrival lounge, apart from being quiet, there really isn’t much of a reason to go out of your way to visit.
Now let’s move over to T2. This time I was flying SAS to Oslo. Thanks to my SkyTeam Elite Plus card, I had lounge access, and due to some historical arrangements, SAS still has a partnership with the Lufthansa Business Lounge. I even specifically asked whether my prestigious Lufthansa Senator Card would get me into the Senator Lounge. Sadly, I was cruelly rejected.
The Lufthansa lounge is perfectly decent from a hardware perspective, although I wouldn’t exactly call it outstanding. Since I hadn’t visited the T2 Plaza Premium Lounge before either, I decided to give it a try and see what it was like.
It’s downstairs and slightly tucked away. The quiet entrance is quite a contrast to the long queues you often see outside the Plaza Premium Lounge in T5. Inside, you’re greeted by a bar.
There’s also a small room next to it:
Walk further inside and you reach the main lounge:
There were quite a few people around, but the lounge is large enough that finding a seat wasn’t remotely a concern. The décor is a little old-fashioned, and it’s a shame that there isn’t any natural light. There are some nicer-looking areas too, although unfortunately they had all been reserved.
Let’s have a look at the buffet:
The hot food selection was:
- Traditional thick cut chips
- Steamed broccoli florets
- Beef chilli corn carne
- Chicken lentil and veg casserole
- Chickpea lentil and coconut casserole
- Steamed rice
- Red pepper soup
Overall, everything is pretty average. But at least there’s somewhere to sit and something to eat, and with T2 offering very few options beyond the Star Alliance lounges, it’s worth remembering this Plaza Premium Lounge as an alternative.
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