Lounge news: No1 at Luton, Clubrooms at Gatwick South, Spitfire at Southampton

Three bits of UK airport lounge news:

The No1 Lounge at Luton Airport is ready to go

If all goes to plan, the new No1 Lounge at Luton Airport opens tomorrow. The website is here.

Rhys got a sneak peak yesterday. A lot has changed since the Clubrooms days, with the space fully ripped out and redone.

It MAY be open today as a soft launch. If you are flying from Luton today it is worth having a look, especially later in the day. Walk through the shopping area to the end (the Aspire lounge will be on the left) and there is a corridor to your left. The lounge is there.

The photo below is how the Clubrooms lounge looked, pre pandemic.

The existing Aspire lounge was due to close at the end of business today. It will reopen as a My Lounge in July.

The new No1 Lounge is substantially smaller than Aspire. Until both lounges are running in tandem in July, I strongly suggest paying £6 to reserve a slot if you have a Priority Pass – the link is here.

You can book a visit for cash here. It will be open from 4.30am to 8.30pm.

The Clubrooms lounge at London Gatwick South is back

I’m not sure what took them so long, but No1 Lounges reopened its Clubrooms premium lounge in London Gatwick’s South Terminal (the BA terminal) this week.

It is in the same spot as the No1 Lounge, on the upper level. Once you have cleared security – and this goes for all of the Gatwick South lounges – do NOT head down the escalator. Take the doorway to the left and you are fed directly onto the mezzanine.

We have never reviewed this lounge in detail (I was only there once, in 2015, on a pre-opening tour) so we need to get down there.

If you have a Priority Pass there is a £15 upgrade fee for Clubrooms. You can reserve a spot in advance here.

You can find out more, and book for cash, on the lounge website here. It is open from 7am to 8pm.

The lounge at Southampton Airport is reopening

Another airport which has not been in a rush to fully reopen its lounge is Southampton.

When it first reopened post-pandemic it was only open around the handful of British Airways flights per week.

The Spitfire Lounge has been fully closed for a while but reopens on 16th December. I’m not sure what work has been done in the interim.

The good news is that it will now be open seven days per week. It will be open from 5am to 5pm.

Our last review of The Spitfire Lounge is here but we have been invited down to have a fresh look. Keep an eye on HfP in January.

Southampton Airport has big growth plans. The new runway extension allows the short-haul aircraft used by easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair to land. Until earlier this year it was restricted to propeller and smaller (BA Cityflyer-style) jet aircraft only.

You can find out more, and book for cash, on the airport website here.

PS. Our 2024 review of The Spitfire Lounge at Southampton Airport is here.

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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.

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.

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.

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:

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:

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