The third and last stop on my layover at London Heathrow during my trip to Africa after some plane spotting and a lunch at the Priority Pass restaurant Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen was Terminal 2’s Plaza Premium Lounge.
Continue reading to see what the lounge was like and whether it’s worth a visit on your next trip.
Location & Opening Hours
There are three Plaza Premium Lounges at London Heathrow Airport, one each at terminals 2, 4, and 5.
Like the other two, the one at Terminal 2 is located airside, i.e., after security (there is no departure immigration check in the United Kingdom). The lounge is on the terminal’s fourth floor, near the terminal’s transfer area. It can be found easily by following signs pointing to “Lounge A3.”
It is open daily from 5 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. That covers essentially all departures from Terminal 2, which is used by all Star Alliance members and a number of other airlines.
Entry Requirements
While Plaza Premium lounges were removed from the Priority Pass network at one point, now they are back in. As such, if you have a membership, that is by far the easiest way to get in and it is also how I accessed the lounge free of charge.
Additionally, business class passengers traveling on select airlines including Icelandair are invited into the lounge.
If neither of the above applies to you, you can also pay to use the lounge (either at the reception if there is space or you can pre-book online). The fees are as follows:
- Shower-only (30 minutes): 25 GBP
- Lounge access (2 hours): 47.52 GBP
- Lounge access (6 hours): 75 GBP
- Private resting area (single, 3 hours): 66 GBP
- Private resting area (single, 6 hours): 109.92 GBP
- Private resting area (double, 6 hours): 165 GBP
It’s worth noting that officially, Priority Pass members are limited to a stay of up to two hours. I am not sure to what extent that is or is not enforced, though.
Children under the age of two can use the lounge for free.
Layout, Seating & Other Facilities
Entering the lounge past the reception, there was a staffed bar (with paid drinks but more about that later).
In addition to the bar counter, there were a square sofa in the middle and a couple of coffee tables around the edges of the room.
Passing through the bar area, there was one of the lounge’s lounging areas.
In addition to rows of sofa chairs (some enclosed with large privacy partitions), there was also a pair of counters.
There was plenty of power outlets throughout this area, as well as another lounging area on the other side of the lounge.
Next to the area above was the lounge’s dining area equipped with tables for two. At the time of my visit in the early afternoon, more or less all of the seats were taken (and the lounge was very crowded overall).
The buffet was spread across an island counter and a counter along the wall.
In the very back of the lounge was one more lounging area with sofa chairs. Some of the furniture in this area, as well as in other parts of the lounge, was quite worn.
There were also some relatively private workspaces.
In addition to the above, there were also some roped off seating areas. While it was not clear who it was for, presumably it was reserved for passengers accessing the lounge when flying in business class on an airline that uses the lounge as its designated lounge.
One last thing worth mentioning here is that while there were portable air conditioners in multiple places across the lounge, it was still extremely hot in there for most of my stay, only getting cooler later in the day when a part of the crowd left.
Drinks
Free cold drinks in the lounge included canned soda (Coke, Diet Pepsi, Fanta, and Sprite), dispensers with peach juice, infused water, and water.
Then, there was a pair of espresso machines and a selection of Twinings tea bags. There was also decaf coffee.
Selected alcoholic drinks could be had at the bar for free too. Those included a selection of two red, two white, and one rose wines; gin, vodka, whisky, rum, and Aperol; and draft beer.
Lastly, a wider selection of wines, liquor, and beers, as well as cocktails and premium soft drinks (Red Bull and kombucha) could be had at extra cost.
Food
The Plaza Premium Lounge in Heathrow’s Terminal 2 offered a good selection of dishes.
Starting with cold items, there were a salad bar, bread rolls, and whole fruits.
Hot dishes included pasta, chicken tikka masala, dal tadka, rice, and potatoes. There was also a “summer garden” soup.
While all of the dishes looked appetizing, I did not have a chance to try them as I was still full from eating tacos at the Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen.
Lastly, snacks and desserts included dried apricots, roasted almonds, caramel biscuits, breadsticks, crackers, and chocolate fudge brownies.
While, as mentioned above, I was full, I could not resist having the last of those.
Plaza Premium London Heathrow Terminal 2 Summary
Overall, the Plaza Premium Lounge in Heathrow’s Terminal 2 was an average contract lounge.
The biggest downsides were the insufficient air conditioning and the crowdedness. On the other hand, the buffet selection was respectable and the food quality looked good. …and the brownie was excellent too!
All in all, while the lounge is not worth paying for outright, if you can visit it free of charge, it can be worth a visit for a quick bite or drink. Depending on what you prefer to eat, however, you might want to head to the Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen instead, though.