After a short trip to the city, we tried out the Erste Premier Lounge Prague Terminal 2. I didn’t have high expectations, but was looking forward to being able to try it out.

Erste Premier Lounge Prague Location and Access

Prague Airport is straightforward to navigate and is divided across two terminals. For this flight, we were travelling on Iberia, which departs from Terminal 2. After I’d checked-in, the Erste Premier Lounge Prague was easy to find and it’s well signposted after security. To access the lounge, you’ll need to go up one floor above departures.

The Erste Premier Lounge Prague accepts Priority Pass. It’s also the lounge used by Iberia for customers flying in Business Class, or oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members. While I wasn’t aware of this before visiting, there are actually two Erste lounges. One appears to cater primarily to Priorty Pass visitors, while the other seems to be used for passengers obtaining access due to airline cabin or frequent flyer status.

We were directed to the Erste Business Lounge instead of the Priority Pass lounge, however, from a brief glance, there appeared to be very little difference between the spaces.

Erste Premier Lounge Prague Space & Interior

The Erste Premier Lounge Prague is divided into two main spaces, which are separated by a self-service food and drinks area. Upon arrival at around 2pm, the lounge was fairly busy and it was difficult to find somewhere comfortable to sit. Although an hour or so later, it became somewhat more quiet.

The decoration is basic and functional, rather than attempting to be anything more special. Indeed, the space felt more like a cafeteria than an airport lounge. Cleanliness was also an issue, with many tables and chairs sitting empty but dirty.

Most problematic, however, was the temperature. We were visiting during the middle of August, and there appeared to be virtually no cool air circulating. As a result, it was a pretty uncomfortable lounge to spend time in, and I was glad we weren’t planning to stay long.

Bathrooms are available inside the lounge. There were shower facilities too, although I didn’t test them out.

Food and Drinks at the Erste Premier Lounge Prague

The food and drinks available were poor. As this was a lunchtime visit, I was hoping to be able to grab something to eat before the flight. Sadly, food was limited to a mostly unappetising selection of cold food.  The choice available largely consisted of cereal (!), cold meats, cheeses and bread. The only hot option was a soup, although it looked distinctively unappetising.

Hygiene was also questionable. Bread rolls were available, although no tongs were provided. Crisps were on offer, although they were in a large bowl with a scoop. Twice I saw people using their hands instead to put these on their plate, as well as one person who was eating directly from the bowl while the crumbs fell everywhere. There were also multiple flies in the lounge, which had free access to a variety of uncovered food. While I understand this is the nature of buffets, it rather put me off eating anything.

Unfortunately, the selection of drinks wasn’t much better. While there were some mid-range spirits, such as Bombay Sapphire, there was no tonic! Instead, there was a drinks fountain with various options such as Sprite, Coke and Fanta. Likewise, there were no bottles of water, with dispensers instead. Unfortunately, both water dispensers had been ‘infused’ with citrus fruit. I understand infused water as an option, but surely it should be possible to get a plain glass of water too?

The wines available were among the worst I have tried in a long time. While there was a choice of two white wines and two red wines, I’d struggle to recommend any of them.

Conclusions

The Erste Premier Lounge Prague has the potential to be a decent space to wait for a flight. The reality, however, is somewhat different. Unclean facilities, uncomfortable seating, and poor quality drinks all detracted from the experience. Indeed, I got the impression the operator has decided to go for a strategy of providing the bare minimum, rather than trying to facilitate a premium space.

Overall, I’d recommend skipping the Erste Premier Lounge Prague and sticking to the main terminal instead.

Don’t forget to check out our other airport lounge reviews.