The British Airways Club lounge is one of two lounges offered by the airline at Gatwick. We’ve previously reviewed the First Lounge, and will focus this post on the Club Lounge. This lounge is essentially BA’s Business Class Lounge at Gatwick, and is also open to oneworld Sapphire members travelling on a oneworld airline.

Watch our video tour of this lounge

Location

If you have access to the British Airways Club lounge, youโ€™ll also be able to use priority security. This is one thing Gatwick does particularly well. The process tends to be fast and you can expect to get through security fairly quickly. The Business and First Lounge are located next to each other. Once through security itโ€™s around a 6 minute walk. When you arrive in the lounge youโ€™ll be directed left for the First Lounge, and right for the Club Lounge.

The Space

The Club Lounge is far bigger than the First Lounge next door, and feels much more spacious. There are a number of different seating areas to choose from as well as a mezzanine floor. In the middle of the lounge there is a food and drinks area. If you want a view of the airport, the lounge features floor length windows with plenty of adjacent seating.

The mezzanine floor feels particularly private if you’re looking for a more relaxed place to sit. This said, if the lounge isn’t busy, it’s usually closed. In terms of feel and design, I’d argue that there is very little difference between this lounge and the supposedly superior First Lounge. Indeed, I’d argue that the Club  Lounge actually offers a better range of seating options, and feels far more open.

Connectivity is good. There are plenty of charging points located throughout the lounge, as well as a business centre with PCs and printing facilities. In addition, wifi speeds are good.

Food and Drinks

While I prefer the general environment of the Club Lounge, the food is definitely a downgrade compared to the First offering. There is a hot buffet but the food in general is pretty uninspiring. There are also sandwiches and a basic salad bar. BA should improve the catering in their lounges because the current offering is pretty poor and resembles a school canteen more than a lounge. The risotto was particularly vile.

Drinks are self serve, with a range of wines and spirits. Unlike at Heathrow, there was also the option of self pour champagne which was a nice touch. BA have downgraded the spirits offered over the last few years, but it’s still just about acceptable.

Conclusions

The Club Lounge is very nicely designed and offers a good place to spend an hour or so before your flight. The overall feel and environment is, in my opinion, better than that of the First Lounge next door. This said, the food is particularly poor and really lets the whole space down. While the drinks provision has become quite basic, there are still plenty of options available. If BA took the time to increase the food and drinks provision though they could vastly improve the experience.