An inside look at our Heathrow T5 lounges

Our First Lounge is a paragon of peace and serenity – but there are exciting things to see if you know where to look. To tell us more, it’s over to the colleague who spends more time in the lounge than most, Global Lounge Manager Adrian Cole

Horsing around

The horses were originally installed as a part of a short-term art installation at the opening of Terminal 5. However, they quickly gained cult status and so remain to this day. The lounge staff regard them as a good luck symbol and you will occasionally see them get an affectionate pat. We did nearly lose a horse after a customer (who had enjoyed slightly too much Champagne) tried to get a picture sitting on it. Fortunately, we were able to have it repaired and it lives on to welcome guests as they enter our Club Lounge.

Extra Avios

We partner with some great brands – right now we’re running a fantastic partnership display wall with Barclays Avios Rewards in our main lobby. As guests pass the wall, they are followed along by their personal Avios icon. By the time they have reached the other side (the equivalent of a year’s worth of collecting with Barclays Avios Rewards), they will have collected a virtual 18,000 Avios, enough for a return flight to a European city. Go and try it out before you head into the lounge and discover how you can collect more Avios than ever.

Collect Avios with Barclays Avios Rewards

Pre-flight shut eye

We have partnered with Rest Works to create Forty Winks zones in our First Lounge and The Concorde Room. Providing guests with a fabulous pre-flight sleep cycle, these pods have quickly won a lot of fans, especially with connecting customers who have time to kill and time zones to adapt to.

Table service

The Your Menu app has revolutionised the dining experience within the lounges. Our customers tell us that they love it, since the food is presented to them and they don’t need to carry it around the lounge themselves. Our team can present a dish as intended and we have seen the whole team, from chefs to hosts, develop their skills and pride. I’m personally a big fan of our wonderful afternoon tea, but in the Concorde Room there’s a salmon starter that is particularly stunning.

Light reading

We’re delighted to have reintroduced High Life magazine into our lounges, with copies distributed at the entrance of the lounge and in various places within. Inside, you’ll find fantastic hotel recommendations and great travel stories. Since 2020, there’s also an online High Life platform stacked full of destination inspiration that can be accessed via Your Menu or on board. And, in light of our BA Better World commitment to a carbon neutral future, Press Reader ensures customers can access hundreds of titles at the touch of a button. Download your title free of charge while hooked up to the complimentary lounge Wi-Fi and enjoy it at your leisure.

Smelling sweet

We work with luxury fragrance brand Charabanc, which is known for its exceptional in-car scents. They keep the lounges smelling sublime through several scent atomisers dotted throughout our First Lounge and The Concorde Room. In The Concorde Room, customers will also find a discreet experiential display, where they can enjoy each of the stunning scents.

Mixing it up

Mr Lyan is the most incredible London-based mixologist. We’re proud to be partnered with him in both The Concorde Room bar and all our Club Lounges, where you can experience specially curated cocktails: The Barton (Tanqueray gin, elderflower cordial, dandelion and burdock bitters, soda and rosemary) is named after the first female British Airways pilot, Lynn Barton, while The Lawford (Seedlip Garden, elderflower cordial, tonic water and mint) is in honour of Bill Lawford, the first ever British Airways pilot, who flew the world’s first scheduled international service in 1919.