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The new Aspire lounge in Manchester Airport Terminal 2 is finally opening

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The new Aspire lounge in the new pier at Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2 is gearing up for opening.

The Aspire website shows that you can book in from Tuesday 1st February, and this date has also been promoted on social media. It was meant to open in late October but got pushed back due to the drop off in travel.

The new Aspire lounge should be accessible via Priority Pass. We are hoping to review it during March.

Date set for the new Aspire lounge at Manchester Airport

There are two other new airport-run lounges at Terminal 2 which we have already covered. You can read our review of the Escape lounge at Manchester Airport Terminal 2 here and our review of the premium 1903 Lounge at Manchester Airport Terminal 2 here.

There will also be a Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in due course, although the opening has been delayed until later this year when flights and premium passenger numbers have ramped up.

According to the airport website, the following airlines are currently operating from the new Terminal 2:

  • Aegean Airlines
  • Aer Lingus (transatlantic only)
  • Air France
  • airBaltic
  • Brussels Airlines
  • Cathay Pacific
  • Ethiopian Airlines
  • Etihad
  • Eurowings
  • Jet2
  • KLM
  • Norwegian
  • Pakistan International Airlines
  • Pegasus
  • Qatar Airways
  • Singapore Airlines
  • Tui
  • Virgin Atlantic

All other flights are operating from Terminal 1.

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Getting airport lounge access for free from a credit card

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.

Category

General

Comments (146)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • The Streets says:
    30 Jan30 January 08:52

    It’s happened to me. I received the email yesterday saying that I will receive a refund. I don’t need to do anything and BA will automatically credit the Avios and refund the money. They expect this to take approximately 4 weeks… let’s see what happens with the 241.

    It was for a flight booked using a 241 in Feb 2020 to be taken in August 2020 but the FTV was requested in June 2020.

    • NorthernLass says:
      30 Jan30 January 08:54

      Just seen this – so it looks like they might be working through them chronologically.

  • NorthernLass says:
    30 Jan30 January 08:53

    All our vouchers are still showing as used. This would be a massive step though, if they are just getting through them all, as long as the 241s are suitably extended. However much people think it was “gaming” the system to get them extended, it was perfectly within BA’s rules and they should honour this.

    • BJ says:
      30 Jan30 January 09:13

      Aren’t all of our ‘games’ within the rules, isn’t it the rules that facilitate them?

      (It’s OK Julian, fire away if you’re reading 🙂 )

      • NorthernLass says:
        30 Jan30 January 10:06

        Exactly …

      • Jeff77 says:
        30 Jan30 January 14:15

        Equally you could argue that if the rules allow BA to stop then gaming, then people can’t complain either (of course, we know there’ll be people making out like it’s the end of the world and turning it into a sob story)

  • Rob B says:
    30 Jan30 January 08:54

    This would be helpful if true. I spent 2.5 hours on the phone yesterday trying (and failing) to get through to BA to rebook my FTV that contains a 2-4-1

  • Ian says:
    30 Jan30 January 08:57

    I cancelled a cash and Avios flight this week and was issued an FTV. I don’t really understand why they did this if they’re already in the process of refunding FTVs that were previously issued. I suppose I shouldn’t really be looking for logic in anything BA does!

  • Alan says:
    30 Jan30 January 09:12

    Well I’ll be mightily annoyed if they refund my FTV that has a 241 in it and don’t reissue the voucher with an extended date! I had a trip to the USA booked in Jan 2020 for travel Oct 2020, which clearly couldn’t be taken. Happy to rebook and thought I had ages still to use it but it was a genuine use of a 241 well within date.

  • Barry cutters says:
    30 Jan30 January 09:21

    Currently I’ve got a 241 club trip to Capetown booked for late feb but won’t be going . Was holding on as I hoped they would cancel when Africa went in to red a couple months ago.
    No such luck for my flights tho .

    If I cancel and get the FTV will I still lose the £35 fee pp?

    • Sean Mc says:
      30 Jan30 January 09:48

      not if you take the FTV.

    • Rob says:
      30 Jan30 January 09:53

      No fee on FTV.

      • Barry cutters says:
        30 Jan30 January 10:24

        Would this be the wisest move now they’re refunding ?

        • Rob says:
          30 Jan30 January 11:41

          Well, indeed, if you’re not in a hurry you might want to gamble on saving £35 by taking an FTV …..

          • Elt says:
            30 Jan30 January 11:48

            We have similar sit. Have to cancel 241 to ctown in feb.
            But I think expiry date of 241 is close.
            Now it has been used I cannot tell expiry date from MMB.
            What to do? Would need longer than Aug 23 to use it and I think that.s when ftvs expire
            Help please!

  • Sussex Bantam says:
    30 Jan30 January 09:22

    Might have dodged a bullet here then – just used mine from a flight cancelled in June 2020.

    Actually wasn’t as painful – 30 minutes in hold then another 30 to make the booking calling via gold line at 9am

  • xcalx says:
    30 Jan30 January 09:28

    I have a FTV with 75k Avios and ~£600 from a BGI-LHR-MAN flight I had to cancel due to being quarantined to our cabin for 10 days on a recent cruise. I tried twice to cancel the booking for a refund via the cabin phone at $7.95 per min cut off both times around the hour mark. Reluctantly I then used the online option. I think it’s shameful the way BA removed the online refund option for Avios bookings. Thankfully Royal Caribbean covered the call costs.

    • Rob says:
      30 Jan30 January 09:52

      If/when you get though to BA, they can reverse the FTV into a normal cancellation.

      • xcalx says:
        30 Jan30 January 10:04

        Thanks Rob. That’s good to know, I thought that was it once I accepted the FTV. On a side note, I used another 2 for 1 for the flights out to BGI, got to Manchester airport early and asked to go on the earlier MAN=LHR flight and received 180 tier points.

        • sayling says:
          30 Jan30 January 11:06

          BA IT is great when it’s crap but works in your favour, eh?

          • xcalx says:
            30 Jan30 January 12:21

            True, but means nothing to me as my total tier point balance is now 190 over he last 14 years.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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