Review: the Amelia Earhart lounge at City of Derry Airport

This is our review of the Amelia Earhart lounge at the City of Derry Airport.

It is part of our series on UK airport lounges. You can see the full list here, which is almost complete.

Since none of us are based in Northern Ireland reader Derek very kindly offered to review the Derry lounge for us.  Another reader, Keith, supplied some of the photographs below and we also took some images from the airport and Priority Pass websites. 

Over to Derek:

“City of Derry Airport is a small publicly owned and funded airport in Northern Ireland, in the north west corner.  In the early noughties the airport used to be a haven for tier point seekers with Loganair fares. In those days the executive lounge was in a conference room beside the control tower and only had a coffee machine.

Everything changed with the arrival of Ryanair. The main departure lounge was expanded and an extension added to provide new toilets, shops and a proper executive lounge, the Amelia Earhart Lounge. At present Ryanair is in retreat and Loganair has returned.

The Amelia Earhart Lounge at Derry

This lounge is a small rectangular room which can seat about twenty five people and faces out onto the airport apron. Anyone familiar with the now extinct old style of British Airways executive lounges at small regional airports such as Southampton will feel very much at home in it.

The entrance is located behind the checkout for the gift shop and the shop staff also act as the reception/lounge staff. It is best to check at the Customer Service desk before Security that the lounge is available so that they can get it ready for you.

Seating

On entering you are faced with two rows of seats. The row closest to the window consist of two small tables each with two small lounge chairs against the window and on the other side of the aisle two sofas.

The other row consist of two small tables each with two small lounge chairs backing onto the sofas and two tables with two chairs against the back wall. There are a few standard three pins UK sockets in the walls.

Food and drink

In the far corner from the entrance are the food and drink offerings. These are very limited. There are two fridges. The unlocked one contains soft drinks and water. The locked one contains beers, white wine (in quarter bottles) etc.  There is a locked press beside the fridge that contains other alcoholic offerings.

There is a strict two free alcoholic drink limit in the lounge. On the window side is a kettle and Nespresso machine.  Beside these are the only snacks: biscuits and crisps.

Access

Access to the lounge is given to anyone travelling on Loganairs’ FlyFlex+ fares and holders of Priority Pass (free with American Express Platinum, or buy one here) or DragonPass lounge cards.

You can book for cash via the Lounge Pass website here.

Conclusion

City of Derry airport is a small airport and the main waiting area is pleasant enough. The lounge is a more comfortable place to wait for your flight, is beside the departure gates and the staff are always very pleasant. Only once have I seen the lounge busy and that was when a Ryanair flight was delayed by four hours and people bought access to fill their time.  For most flights there are no more than ten people using the lounge.”

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (April 2025)

Here are the five options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here.

You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A good package, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.