What I Liked
- Wide variety at breakfast buffet
- Runway views on 2 sides
- Lots of natural light
- Well designed space
- Full bar of complimentary alcohol
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The British Airways Business Lounge North is one of three British Airways Business Lounges in Terminal 5.
It’s the first lounge you see after security. It’s also pretty nice.
They had a wide variety of food for breakfast. There's a full bar, expansive runway views, and lots of natural light — a proper upgrade after security.
Yes — there's more than one British Airways lounge in Terminal 5. Three, in fact: this North Lounge, a South Lounge on the other side of the terminal, and a separate lounge in the satellite Terminal 5B for long-haul flights. I'm covering the North Lounge here, since that's the one I visited.
I visited the lounge on a dreary winter morning. It was pretty busy. I enjoyed my 2 hours at the lounge.
We visited as a family of four and had a light breakfast — some tea and coffee too. I worked out afterwards it would have cost me £50 to buy that outside the British Airways Lounge Heathrow Terminal 5 North lounge.
Getting in isn't just about flying business class with British Airways, either. Club Europe or Club World tickets work. So does business class with any airline in the Oneworld alliance (the group British Airways belongs to). BA silver status, or the equivalent with Oneworld, gets you through the door too.
One thing caught me off guard: a proper kids' play area with a games console. Not exactly standard airport lounge fare, but it's the kind of detail that makes a good lounge into a great one when you're travelling as a family.
If lounge access is your thing, it's worth a browse through my Recommended Resources page — there's a Priority Pass link with 30% off membership, along with the rest of the deals I actually use.
You can enter the British Airways Lounge Heathrow Terminal 5 if you're flying in business class with British Airways — Club Europe or Club World.
You can enter if you fly in business with a Oneworld partner.
You can enter if you have silver status or higher with British Airways. Also, if you have equivalent status with Oneworld.
I visited with a family of 4. We had a light breakfast. Some tea and coffee too. It would have cost £50 for me to buy that food outside.
If your ticket or status doesn't quite get you through the BA door, don't panic — the Plaza Premium Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5 takes Priority Pass instead, and it's in the same terminal.
The Lounge Access with Priority Pass
I have a tie up with Priority Pass. 30% off membership for my readers.
A Standard Priority Pass membership costs £48. Standard Plus is £183 for 10 visits, working out at £18.30 a visit. Unlimited membership is £377 and gets you into more than 1,900 lounges worldwide.
Priority Pass lounges can fill up too. I'd rather pre-book a timeslot for £6 than risk getting turned away.
Signup here and get a 30% discount
The Club Aspire Lounge is the other Priority Pass option in Terminal 5 itself. Flying from a different Heathrow terminal, there are several other Priority Pass lounges dotted around the airport too.
Heathrow Terminal 5 has two security gates. South security and North Security. If you go through the north security, then the lounge is one minute further away. Just walk to your left and you’ll see it.
Of the three British Airways Lounges in Heathrow Terminal 5, the north lounge is easiest to get to.
The South Lounge is a further 10-minute walk away. On the other end of the terminal.
There is a British Airways business lounge in Terminal 5B. It's the satellite terminal — you'll need to take the monorail to reach it.
5B is good if you’re flying long haul. Long-haul flights normally depart from the satellite terminal, 5B.
Flying back into London rather than out? BA also runs a dedicated space after you land — check out my review of the BA Arrivals Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5 for what to expect.
Use an eSIM in London
When I landed in London, I used an eSIM instead of paying roaming charges on my UK plan. I paid £3.99 for 7 days of data — 1GB, which was plenty for maps and messaging. Other packages are available if you need more.
Yesim is rated 4.7? from over 17,000 reviews.
This deal is a no brainer. I'm annoyed it took me this long to start using one!
A walk along the Thames takes you past half of London's postcards in one go — Big Ben, the London Eye, the Globe Theatre — and it won't cost you a penny. Start at Westminster Bridge and just keep going. Best done slowly, ideally with a coffee in hand, not on a schedule.
London in a Day: Tower of London, Westminster & River Cruise
Book your ticket here for $131. Rated 4.79* from over 1,000 reviews. It's the priciest of the three, but you get the Tower of London, Westminster and a river cruise all in one day, with someone else doing the planning.
London Borough Market and London Bridge Food Tour
You can book here for $118. Rated 4.96* from over 740 reviews. A guide walks you through Borough Market and points you at the stalls actually worth queuing for — go hungry.
London Sightseeing Walking Tour with 30+ sights
Buy tickets here for $26. Rated 4.97* from over 840 reviews. You'll cover more than 30 sights on foot with a local guide — the best value of the three, though your legs will feel it by the end.
The North Lounge, part of the British Airways Lounge Heathrow Terminal 5, is large — with four distinct rectangular zones.
The seating is generally one of two types. Restaurant style tables. Lounge style low seats. And variations of each type.
The decor is modern. I liked it. Lots of leather. Lots of hard wood.
The lounge is surrounded by windows on two sides. The corner of the terminal. I arrived at 6:30 a.m. It was still dark at this time. As day broke, some nice light came in.
There were panoramic runway views from both sides.
The lounge was very busy. It’s a constant issue with British Airways Lounges in London. The terminal is rarely quiet.
There was no problem with getting a seat. But most seats were taken.
The lounge has a small kids' play area. There was a computer game console there. So unlike most kids' areas, this one could appeal to kids!
I don’t game, but I’m a geek. I know a lot of other geeks. Who do game!
What's clear from the layout is that splitting the room into four distinct zones — dining, terrace, bar, and the coffee corner — spreads people out even when the lounge is busy. That's likely why there was no problem finding a seat despite the crowd.
I previously visited the North Lounge a year ago. Since then, there’s been an upgrade in the food offering. With a full English breakfast available. They served the food from the buffet. Here's what was on the British Airways Lounge Heathrow Terminal 5 menu that day:
I had hash browns, mushrooms, cooked tomato and a focaccia bread. The food was ok. Not too bad.
The hash browns were hot and oily. They looked to be fried, not oven-reheated. The mushrooms and tomatoes were perfectly fine.
In all my previous reviews of British Airways lounges, I complained about the breakfast. Today was a big upgrade. I like to think that someone at British Airways saw my review and made a change.
Maybe someone at British Airways happened to read one of my reviews. Or maybe the upgrade was already coming. Either way, I'll take it.
Drinks are one area where the British Airways excel. They offer a full complimentary bar with sparkling wine, beers and spirits. They had Ciroc vodka. Which I remember that I enjoyed at university.
They also have a separate cabinet showcasing their wines and Proseccos. The alcohol is self-pour.
They had a juice and smoothie station. My daughter tried the smoothie and said she liked it.
Union Coffee machines serve the coffee. There is also a Twinings tea selection. I had an Earl Grey Tea. Which I enjoyed a lot.
I spent two hours at this British Airways Lounge Heathrow Terminal 5 North lounge and came away genuinely impressed — the breakfast upgrade alone made it worth writing about. Bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, hash browns and a proper spread meant I finally didn't have anything to complain about with the food. That's a first for my BA lounge reviews.
It's not without its downsides. The lounge was very busy on my visit, and that's apparently a constant issue with BA lounges in London — the terminal's rarely quiet. But four separate zones meant I never struggled to find a seat, even with most of them taken. And a family of four having breakfast there instead of buying it outside saved me £50.
If you're travelling with kids, the small play area with a games console is a genuinely nice touch. Bottom line: it's the easiest of the three BA lounges in Terminal 5 to reach, and the food's had a proper upgrade. It's worth seeking out if your ticket or status gets you through the door.
This isn't the only Heathrow BA lounge worth knowing — if you're flying out of Terminal 3 on a different trip, I've also reviewed the BA Lounge Heathrow Terminal 3.