Some may disagree but I feel that the British Airways Concorde Room remains one of the world’s great lounges. Where else can you sip top vintage champagne with a special glass made for the wine? Not many lounges for sure. The famed Concorde Room can be found at Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow Airport. It is probably best known for its high level hospitality and service which remains excellent following my summer 2025 journey here.
Again, I am never saying that this lounge is equivalent with the Emirates First Lounge in Dubai. But it does serve better champagne than the Emirates First Lounge. There is serious attention to detail with regards to service and making their guests happy. The Concorde Room also crushes any guest experience that you will find in the United States, other than the equivalent Chelsea Lounge at JFK.
ACCESS
There is very limited access to this lounge.You can only visit the lounge if flying First Class or have a British Airways Concorde Room card which grants you access to Concorde Room regardless of your ticket class. Walking past First Check-In in Terminal 5 you will walk through the BA First Lounge and eventually make your way into the Concorde Room.
SURROUNDINGS AND AMBIENCE
The lounge was refreshed in the past year. I like what they have done with the color scheme and the many chargers that are now available. The lounge needed a refresh and they did so with style. I immediately went to the bar and ordered one of their amazing 2006 Pommary ‘Cuvee Louise’ Champagnes. This is one of the great champagnes from this challenging vintage. The bar has relaxing surroundings and you can enjoy lunch and breakfast here, ordering anything off their expansive menus.
The 2006 ‘Cuvee Louise’ by Pommery is served in an exclusive stem that is designed for this older, very Burgundian champagne. Bartenders here are also serving up great espresso martinis in case you are looking for a cocktail.
WINES AND SPIRITS
Other than the top Champagne, the wine list has seen several improvements in the past year. They now have a 2014 Chateau Olivier which is a great Bordeaux to enjoy right now. In case you would like a world-class California wine, they have the 2017 Tablas Creek ‘Espirit de Tablas’ which is one of the greats from Paso Robles. For whites and Rose wines they also serve the 2021 ‘Rock Angel’ which is a beautifully-aged Provence Rose. Again, their bar staff has loads of experience and they do make some really good cocktails. I recommend that you take advantage of the extensive liquor collection which includes Don Julio 1942 Tequila (USD $200) or the Johnny Walker Blue Label Scotch which retails for 250 USD.
I was feeling hungry so I ordered a large breakfast which included Eggs Royale and traditional English breakfast. It was a lot of food but fun to taste. The hollandaise sauce was amazing and everything was perfectly cooked.
The Concorde Room is also a great spot for coffee lovers. They have some amazing Union coffee and I always order an espresso after my meal. They make a wide range of coffee drinks that you can enjoy.
BATHROOMS
You can see that not much has changed regarding the Concorde Room bathrooms. They are constantly cleaning these bathrooms but they are very outdated. I like how they continue to carry the Elemins products soap and lotion. I find the showering area to be sterile. I think there are other lounges that have better bathrooms, but I am not using a lounge based on how a bathroom looks. That one is very low on the totem pole for me.
THE TERRACE:
This is a big advantage of the lounge for me. The Terrace is a spacious area that is rarely busy. It has amazing lighting and you can see the planes take off and come in. I have long enjoyed sitting in the Terrace which has comfortable couches and a range of seating options with charging stations. The furniture was updated roughly a year ago and is a lovely improvement. I like what they have done with this area, boasting even the nose of a Concorde jet! You are always going to find a comfy seat here and in the afternoon they serve a killer tea service.
CONCORDE DINING
One of my favorite parts of the Concorde Room is the Concorde Dining, located in the heart of the Concorde Room. This is a very elegant setting which serves both breakfast and lunch. It is particularly fun if you have many friends with you. We dined at breakfast with friends and unfortunately did not have time to eat our lunch due to time constraints. They do have a great lunch menu and we ordered many of the food items for breakfast. Service is on-point here.
BOTTOM LINE
Everyone seems to want to complain about the British Airways Concorde Room. But I think they should consider visiting an airport lounge in the United States before they continuing ranting about how poor the Concorde Room is. It is quite simply a great lounge with great champagne, great food and service and a fun and relaxing way to chill before a flight. Tell me another lounge in the world that has a vintage Champagne glass designed for it? Having visited this lounge now tens of times, it remains one of the world’s great airport lounges in summer 2025.