The 10 worst airport lounges in the UK and Ireland: 2026

Britain and Ireland don't really have lounges that are disasters. What they have is a lot of small pay-in rooms at regional airports, sold through Priority Pass and DragonPass and booked solid in summer. Only two lounges are clearly worse than the rest, and one of them is the only lounge at its airport.

How I built the list: I took every lounge we rate in the UK and Ireland, kept only open lounges whose overall score rests on at least eight rated metrics, and left out nap suites, spas and restaurants. Scores are our own ratings, explained in our methodology.

Nowhere else to go#

At four of these airports the lounge on this list is the only one, or the whole lounge complex scores about the same. A low score here mostly reflects a small airport, and if you have a pass, it can still be worth an hour.

1. The Spitfire Lounge, Southampton: 2.1. This is the lowest-rated lounge in either country, and not by a small margin. Exclusivity (5) is the only metric it does well on. It is the only lounge at Southampton, so if you hold Priority Pass, DragonPass or LoungeKey, or you are a SkyTeam elite flying KLM, this is where you will end up.

3. The Suite by Aspire, Newcastle: 2.6. This is the adults-only, table-service top tier of Newcastle's three-tier Aspire complex, which opened in 2024. The basic Aspire Lounge and Luxe by Aspire both rate 2.9, which is level with Bristol's Essence, the last lounge on this list. My advice at Newcastle is to stay in the cheapest tier your card covers and not pay for an upgrade.

5. Escape Lounge, East Midlands: 2.7. The lounge reopened after a refurbishment in 2025, and the parts you can see show it: cleanliness, quiet, power and Wi-Fi all score 4. It is the only lounge at the airport.

6. Aspire Lounge, Belfast City: 2.8. Food, drinks, restrooms and Wi-Fi score 4, which beats most of this list. Coffee, crowding, seating, service and views score 2, and exclusivity scores 1, because the lounge doubles as the British Airways lounge and also takes Priority Pass, DragonPass, LoungeKey and paid entry.

A better room at the same airport#

2. Saudia Lounge, Heathrow T4: 2.3. Saudia opened this lounge in April 2025 on the upper floor of the old SkyTeam lounge. It is only for Saudia First and Business passengers and Alfursan Gold members, and it is dry. The Plaza Premium Lounge (T4) on the lower floor opposite gates 10A and 10B rates 4.9 and takes Priority Pass, LoungeKey, DragonPass and walk-up payment.

4. The Liffey Lounge, Dublin: 2.6. Dublin Airport opened this pay-in lounge in 2025, in the corridor between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 near the 400 gates. Priority Pass warns that access may be restricted from 11:00 to 15:00, and alcohol is limited to two drinks. In Terminal 1, the airport's newer Phoenix Lounge rates 3.5, but it takes DragonPass or paid entry, not Priority Pass. If you are flying to the US, the 51st & Green Lounge after preclearance also rates 3.5, and it is the only lounge you can use once you are through.

7. Plaza Express (North), Gatwick: 2.8. This is Plaza Premium's cheaper "express" format: pizza, burgers, beer and house wine, a two-hour limit, and paid entry only. In the same North Terminal, the No1 Lounge (North) rates 4.5 and takes Priority Pass, LoungeKey, DragonPass and paid bookings, so I see no reason to pay for this one.

8. Aspire Lounge (C Gates), Manchester T2: 2.8. This is a small lounge down a level on the C pier. In September Aspire opened its 300-seat Aspire Lounge (D Gates) in the same terminal. The T2 Escape Lounge also rates 4.1 on the same cards. Manchester's three new T2 lounges explains the rest of the terminal.

9. No1 Lounge, Birmingham: 2.8. Its scores are identical, metric for metric, to Manchester's C Gates lounge, so the order between these two is arbitrary. In the same departure area, Luxe by Aspire opened in 2026 and rates 4.4. If you are flying from gates 1 to 20, the refurbished Aspire Lounge South rates 4.1 with no upgrade fee.

10. Essence by Escape Lounges, Bristol: 2.9. When the new Escape Lounge opened in 2025, Bristol's old lounge was rebranded as Essence and given a simpler food offer, and it is now the room for Priority Pass, DragonPass and LoungeKey holders. The new Escape Lounge on the same mezzanine rates 4.3, but it is paid entry only, from £39.99 pre-booked or £59 at the door.

Close calls and absences#

Tenth place was a three-way tie. Luxe by Aspire, Liverpool and Manchester's Terminal 3 Aspire Lounge are just behind at 2.9.

I left out two records. The British Airways lounge at Aberdeen (2.9) is closed for refurbishment until late October, and the old Plaza Premium arrivals lounge in Heathrow Terminal 2 closed in 2020.

For the stronger end of the same market, see the best UK airport lounges and the best lounges at Heathrow. The Europe-wide list includes these airports, and the United States piece does the same thing on the other side of the Atlantic. Every score above comes from our ratings; see how we rate lounges.