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• Selecting between the British & Irish Visa
• Review: JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar
• Review: AI 131 Mumbai to London Heathrow, Business Class, Boeing 787-8
• Review: Plaza Premium Lounge, Arrivals Area, London Heathrow Terminal 2
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• Review: Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, View Room
• Restaurant Review: Dishoom London
• Review: InterContinental Dublin, Junior Suite
• Review: Airbnb in Dublin
• Review: Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport
• 10 experiences to put on your list when visiting Dublin
• Restaurant Review: The Pig’s Ear, Dublin
• Review: DAA Executive Lounge, Dublin Airport Terminal 1
• British Airways Buy on Board Meals
• Review: Holiday Inn London Heathrow T5

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After arriving at London Heathrow with that crummy piece of paper that was Air India’s Fast Track Immigration Card, we spent some time waiting for our bags and finally got out of the customs area. I really needed some coffee, and also a place to finally catch some cellphone network and order a car to take us to our hotel.

Luckily, there was the Plaza Premium Arrival Lounge at Terminal 2, which is right outside. The Lounge opened in early 2015 and is accessible only via credit cards and the Priority Pass, not via any airline status. Terminal 2 being the Star Alliance Terminal, does host a lot of traffic from all Star Alliance carriers, so there is a clear business case for this lounge, sitting close to the United Arrival Lounge in Terminal 2 as well.

If you are arriving from another terminal, you just take the underground tunnel to Terminal 2, and it is right about there outside the secure holding area with a lot of markers towards it.

We were able to access the lounge using our Diners Club memberships but there were a variety of other means to access the lounge, which were clearly presented right outside the lounge. All the usual lounge access memberships, apart from Citi and HSBC cards.

The lounge is about 3,400 square feet and has one long couch for being seated as twos, and one long work desk with bar stools on the side. There are also a few small dinner tables crammed in there.

 

The Lounge was not very busy today, there was us, and a couple of pilots sitting on the side catching some grub and doing some paperwork. On another table right at the back, there was a job interview going on for hiring at the same location.

At the bar/diner station, you could get coffee, soft beverages and also some alcohol if required. The soft beverages and some beers and wine are complimentary, however, others are priced, such as if you wanted a glass of champagne to celebrate your arrival in London.

In the morning they put out a small breakfast buffet (continental options only) I believe. Other times of the day, you could just order food off the menu.

Of course, there is Salt and Pepper to go with all your orders, in case you ever miss them out on your own.

We were not very hungry at this time, so we just got ourselves the coffee we needed. I checked out the showers as well. They have 8 shower areas, and you can just get a shower as well for 15 GBP if you are not holding a membership for any of the programs mentioned above. The showers were clean and everything you may need was provided for inside the shower cubicle area.

The Lounge also had some sleeping pods, however, they were locked up, so couldn’t get a look inside one.

Overall, it was a great option to arrive into London Heathrow Terminal 2. We were able to then order ourselves an Uber from there and the chauffeur was just 5 minutes away, so we proceeded to the Uber area in the parking at Terminal 2.

Bottomline

London is a very competitive airline market, and it is great to see a non-aligned product there which is good. If you are arriving at Terminal 2 or Terminal 3 for instance, and ever need a shower or a quick bite at the airport, this is the perfect spot to head up to. I’d assume it would be slightly busy in the morning, albeit it does its job well.

The Pros

+ Accessible through a wide variety of credit cards and other instruments
+ Located in Terminal 2, where tonnes of Star Alliance Airlines are located
+ Also accessible from Terminal 3, LHR
+ You can buy access for GBP 25, or just shower access for GBP 15

The Cons

- Could get busy in the mornings when the entire Transatlantic pool lands up in one go.

Rating