It was my first time in a Plaza Premium lounge. This is a different brand from the Priority Pass network. The Hong-Kong-based company offers a Premium Lounge experience across 160 lounges and 37 airports which I was eager to try.

Location of the Plaza Premium Lounge

The Plaza Lounge is located next to British Airways gate 7 in London Heathrow Terminal 5A. That’s in the North side. After security checks, go left then take the escalators down and u-turn to the left toward gates 5-7. It’s at the end of the hallway you can’t miss it.

The Plaza Premium lounge is open daily from 5:00am until 10:00pm. There are different ways to access the lounge.

You can pay at the reception. The C$60 fee will get you in for 2 hours. It’s worth paying that amount if you’re hungry, thirsty and want to relax. You will spend the same amount of money in a T5 restaurant, without the relaxing part.

Or you can be an American Express Platinum card holder. Access to the lounge is part of the Platinum card travel benefits. My wife and I showed our Amex Platinum cards and boarding passes. Kids under the age 21 get in for free.

Small is beautiful

The lounge is smaller than its British Airways counterparts in T5. However, the design is sleek and the setting is open. It’s also the best lounge for avgeek spotters both for runway and gates action 🙂

The L-shaped lounge features a living room area surrounded by private individual sitting capsules.

As you turn towards the longer part of the lounge you come across the buffet. Small yet it features a big selection of cold and warm food. I was not disappointed with the Thai red curry chicken, the meat ball sauce or the chicken wings.

Then you reach the bar after passing by the tea and coffee station. It is quiet where ever you are in the lounge. I definitely appreciated that.It was a bit busy, passengers come and out, however it was not the noisy and nervous comings and goings I had witnessed in the BA lounges.

Verdict

It is without a doubt the best premium airport lounge in Heathrow T5. It’s a far cry from BA’s constantly crowded lounges and mediocre food offering. If you are an AmericanExpress Platinum card holder than go for it. It is part of the benefits that you’ve already paid for in your yearly fees.

You can read about my other favorite lounge: the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Class lounge in Doha.