Airport Lounges Reviews

Review: British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3

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Review: British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3

There are 3 One World lounges available in Terminal 3: British Airways Galleries Lounge, American Airlines Admiral’s Club, and a Cathay Pacific lounge. The BA and AA lounges are located very near one another however each one offers vastly different quality. I reviewed the Admiral’s Club and recommended skipping it if you had access to this lounge. I didn’t have the time to make it to the Cathay Pacific lounge, but next time I’m in T3 I’m definitely going to check it out.

British Airways Galleries lounge is near gates 13-22

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You’ll see a sign for it that looks like:

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Who can enter?

  • One World Business and First Class ticketed passengers
  • One World Sapphire or Emerald
  • BA Silver or Gold

I would note that Spa treaments are limited to those passengers who are ticketed with British Airways. I was on an American Airlines flight in business class and was refused a free spa treatment. I did use the showers tho and they were fine – nothing luxurious but perfectly fine. Maybe they just don’t like Monkeys?

The Entrance/check in

The First Class lounge is to the left of the spa – which is situated between the First Class lounge and the Galleries lounge. While I did use the shower facilities I wasn’t permitted to use the Spa for any of their treatments. I found this to be odd as I used the Japan Airlines First Class facilities in Tokyo when flying American, but obviously BA has a more stringent policy. Or….this particular lounge attendant did.

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While the check in wasn’t too much an ordeal I did have specific questions about transiting terminals. I asked several different people about the rules regarding going from T3 to T5. T5 is a home to IAG group – parent company of BA and Iberia – and serves their aircraft exclusively. T5 has a ton of shops, restaurants, etc compared to T3. I didn’t have that much time, but I was interested because I’ll be in LHR later in the year and wanted the knowledge ahead of time. After many different opinions what I finally figured out is that it is possible, but when coming back from T5 you should leave considerable time.

Entering the lounge

You’ll walk down a corridor before entering the main area of the lounge. There is a guest services counter to the right. This is where I spoke to a girl who referred me to the proper employee regarding the T3/T5 transit. I tell ya…just figuring out a little transit question was quite the PALAVA!

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The dining/work area

There are several areas to grab some food, but this is the first you will encounter and has the main food presentation. I’d say that this isn’t the most ideal space to work because of the noise and traffic, but if you grab your food here and sit towards the back you’d save yourself some wandering time.

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Main food presentation.

The options were definitely not vast, but they were fine. It was mid-morning so there were some leftover breakfast items as well as some lunch snacks being presented.

British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3
initial beverage selections
British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3
soup
British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3
verrrrry basic continental breakfast leftovers
British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3
more breakfast

Heading further back…more seating and alcohol selections

British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3
2nd seating area
British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3
quite a few wine options

There was another long cooler at the end of the wine island. It housed soft drinks, water, juices, and beer. Hard liquor was on top.

British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3
cool wine bar
British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3
wine selections

There is also a large computer area with printers/copiers/etc

There is a lot of work stations here. I didn’t count but I’d guess over a dozen computers and every single one of them power outlets, usb, etc. If you need to get some work done – whether on your own device, or their computer – this provides a lot of space to accomplishment it.

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There is also a kid zone.

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The Spa/showers

The services looked quite refreshing. I was eager to try them. However, I wasn’t allowed because of my boarding pass. Given that I’m writing this around Independence day, it’s encounters like these with the British that I’m sure led to us, Americans, declaring our independence. I have to say being discriminated against cause I held an AMERICAN boarding pass did not feel good. SOooooooo much for this “special” American/British relationship, huh?

British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3
elemis check in
British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR Terminal 3
Elemis products I didn’t get to enjoy

ANNNNND on the to the shower. Quite ironic that they would allow me to clean my American filth, but not indulge me with any treatments – but so is life.

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Overall

This is a very solid business class lounge. It’s showing its age a bit, primarily in the hallways and bathrooms, but looking beyond those minor issues I was quite happy with what it had to offer. It’d be interesting to see if they provide real meal replacements during dining hours as my experience was lacking when it came to food. Everything was clean, well kept, and the staff were all very courteous…aside from barring me from the spa – which I felt was ticket stock discrimination 😉 , everything was great.


Italy/England 2016 Trip Report

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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