Airport Lounges Fall Short as Wetherspoon Pubs Offer Better Value
A damning new investigation from consumer champion Which? suggests that travellers might be better off spending their pre-flight time in a Wetherspoon pub than in an airport lounge. The report, published on Friday 21st November 2025, brands many lounges as "expensive and lacklustre," with standards failing to justify their soaring prices.
The Lounge Report Card: High Prices, Low Scores
Which? conducted anonymous reviews of 28 UK airport lounges between May 2024 and September 2025. The results were underwhelming, with not a single lounge managing to score above three and a half stars out of five. A mere third of the lounges were awarded three stars or more.
London Gatwick South’s Clubrooms lounge emerged as the top performer, scoring three and a half stars. Priced between £44 and £50, it was praised for its "luxurious" feel, "delicious" breakfast and lunch meals, and complimentary prosecco and bottled water.
However, the consumer group was quick to point out the value offered by a Wetherspoon pub in the same terminal. At The Beehive in Gatwick South, a smashed avocado and poached egg muffin costs just £9.90, with a glass of prosecco available for £9.20 elsewhere in the terminal.
The Worst and Most Expensive Offenders
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Heathrow’s T5 Club Aspire lounge received a dismal one-star rating. A researcher for Which? reported encountering "dirty plates" and "congealed scrambled eggs" in the £42 lounge. For comparison, a large breakfast at the terminal's Wetherspoon, The Crown Rivers, costs only £14.50.
Taking the title for the most expensive lounge surveyed was Newcastle Airport’s adults-only Suite by Aspire, priced at a steep £68. It scored just two and a half stars, with complaints of poor table service and closed airfield views during the researcher's visit. Which? contrasted this with Bar 11 in Newcastle airport, which offers a full English breakfast for £16.99 alongside "spectacular" runway views.
The report highlighted a shocking price trend: the average price of an airport lounge in 2025 is £42. This represents a 68 per cent increase since the group first began lounge reviews in 2017, when the average cost was £25. Despite these "slipping standards," prices have rocketed, and showers at all lounges now incur an additional cost of between £20 and £28.
Expert Advice for Savvy Travellers
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, did not mince his words: "There was once a time when an airport lounge was a special treat, but our latest results say quite the opposite. Instead of paying over £40 for a lukewarm buffet breakfast on a dirty plate, you can get a lot more for your money by visiting a bar or restaurant inside the airport."
The consumer group's primary recommendation is for travellers to "consider if their money would be better spent at an airport pub or restaurant." For those still keen on lounge access, Which? advises to avoid booking directly through lounge websites, as this is "never the cheapest place to buy." Instead, they suggest looking for deals online or through your bank or holiday provider to get in for free or at a reduced price.
