Gatwick Airport Lounges: The Complete Guide to North and South Terminal

Your flight isn’t for another three hours. You’ve walked through duty free twice. You’ve had a coffee you didn’t really need. Now you’re sitting near the gate, watching the departure board, wondering if there was a better way to spend this bit of the day.

There was. Gatwick Airport lounges exist for exactly this moment. Most passengers walk straight past them without knowing what’s on offer, what it costs, or whether it’s actually worth it for their particular trip. This guide sorts that out properly. North Terminal, South Terminal, every lounge in both, real prices, and a straight answer on which one suits you.

You don’t need a business class ticket to use most of these. That single fact surprises a lot of people, and it’s the whole reason this guide exists.

What lounges does Gatwick actually have?

Gatwick operates two terminals, and the lounges don’t overlap between them in the way you might expect. North Terminal has six lounge options once you count the airline-exclusive one. South Terminal has six too, once you count both British Airways lounges.

North Terminal offers No1 Lounge, My Lounge, Clubrooms, Plaza Premium, Plaza Premium Express, and the Emirates Lounge. South Terminal offers No1 Lounge, My Lounge, Clubrooms, Club Aspire, and the two British Airways lounges, Club and First.

Check your terminal before you book anything. Gatwick doesn’t operate an airside link between North and South. Book the wrong one, and you’re starting your journey again from scratch, minus the calm bit you were trying to buy.

One more thing worth flagging early. Every lounge in this guide is a departure lounge, reached after security. Gatwick doesn’t currently offer a dedicated arrivals lounge at either terminal. If you’re landing, head straight through arrivals instead of counting on a lounge stop first.

What’s in the North Terminal lounges?

North Terminal has the wider spread of lounges by count, five open-access options plus one restricted to Emirates passengers.

No1 Lounge, North Terminal

This is North Terminal’s main pay-to-enter lounge, open to any passenger on any airline, regardless of ticket type. You don’t need a business class boarding pass or airline status card to get in.

Inside, you’ll find à la carte dining alongside a hot and cold buffet. That’s a step up from most airport lounges, where food usually means a tray and a hot plate. There’s a full bar serving spirits, wine and champagne, proper barista coffee, and treatment rooms if you fancy a massage before you fly. Entry generally covers up to three hours before your flight, with extra time available to purchase if you want longer.

Typical pricing starts from around £38 per adult when booked in advance, rising if you walk up on the day. Book ahead where you can. Same-day rates sit higher, and during peak summer mornings, the lounge can hit capacity and simply turn people away.

My Lounge, North Terminal

My Lounge takes a more relaxed, informal approach than No1, with a loft-inspired design split between individual seats and social areas. Everyone is welcome regardless of ticket type, and it’s a sensible pick if you’re new to the whole lounge experience and don’t want anything too formal.

Expect complimentary food and drinks served buffet-style, unlimited WiFi, and a games room to help pass the time. It’s open to any airline and any class of travel. Worth knowing: My Lounge North previously ran a promotional tie-in offering free entry to easyJet FLEXI ticket holders. That partnership has since ended, so check current terms rather than relying on anything you might have read a while back.

Clubrooms, North Terminal

Clubrooms is North Terminal’s premium option, designed in the style of a private members’ club rather than a standard airport lounge. Expect table service at your seat, and a proper hot and cold menu prepared fresh rather than sitting under a heat lamp. The atmosphere is calmer and quieter than the busier lounges nearby.

It suits couples, business travellers who want a proper sit-down meal, or anyone treating the start of their trip as part of the occasion, not something to rush through. Access is generally for those aged 12 and over. Booking ahead gets you a better rate than turning up on the day.

Plaza Premium Lounge, North Terminal

Plaza Premium sits one floor up from the main lounge pavilion, which works in its favour. It’s noticeably quieter than the ground-floor options, with a proper buffet of hot and cold food, complimentary drinks, and runway views from the seating area.

It’s a solid pick if you want to get some work done before you fly. The extra floor and the quieter setting make a real difference if you’re trying to concentrate rather than just pass time.

Plaza Premium Express, North Terminal

This is the budget option, and it’s typically the cheapest walk-in lounge across either terminal. Expect snacks and drinks rather than a full sit-down meal, decent WiFi, and a shorter, simpler visit than the bigger lounges nearby. It suits a short wait where you just want a seat, a drink and somewhere quieter than the main terminal, without paying for facilities you won’t use.

Exact starting prices for Plaza Premium Express vary between sources, so it’s worth checking the live rate directly before booking rather than relying on any figure quoted elsewhere.

Emirates Lounge, North Terminal

Emirates operates its own dedicated lounge at North Terminal, and access here is genuinely restricted. It’s built for the airline’s business and first class passengers, plus Emirates Skywards Gold and Platinum members. If you’re not flying Emirates in a premium cabin or holding top-tier status, this one isn’t available to you, whatever card or pass you’re carrying.

For those who do qualify, it’s a proper airline lounge. Expect full table service dining, showers, and a quieter, more private feel than the shared pay-to-enter options. There’s a dedicated cabin crew liaison desk too, and boarding updates come directly from lounge staff rather than a general tannoy call. If you’re flying Emirates from Gatwick in economy, No1 Lounge remains your realistic option.

What’s in the South Terminal lounges?

South Terminal handles more traffic than North, and its lounge choice reflects that. Four open-access options, plus two British Airways lounges reserved for eligible passengers.

No1 Lounge, South Terminal

The South Terminal branch of No1 Lounge follows the same open-access model as its North Terminal counterpart. Any airline, any ticket type, no status required. Expect the same standard too: proper dining, a full bar, treatment rooms, and reliable WiFi throughout.

Because South Terminal handles more flights, this lounge tends to get busier, particularly during school holiday departures. Pre-booking a set arrival window, rather than turning up whenever suits, tends to get you a smoother visit. There’s also a family corner away from the main seating, with lower tables and a bit more room to spread out if you’re travelling with young children.

My Lounge, South Terminal

My Lounge South is worth calling out specifically, since it has the only outdoor terrace at Gatwick, with apron views out over the runway. It’s consistently rated above the North Terminal branch in independent reviews.

Inside, you’ll find a self-serve bar, a kitchen counter with buffet food, a games room, and free WiFi. It’s a genuinely good pick for families thanks to the games room and terrace. It also tends to be the least formal, more affordable option in South Terminal.

Clubrooms, South Terminal

Clubrooms South follows the same premium model as its North Terminal sibling. Expect table service, a calmer atmosphere split across smaller connected rooms, and food that’s noticeably better than the airport-lounge average.

This is the lounge that Which? rated as the best of Gatwick’s options in their independent review, praising the freshly prepared breakfast and lunch dishes and the proper table service. Expect to pay from around £44 per adult, rising closer to £48 to £50 the nearer you book to your travel date.

Club Aspire, South Terminal

Club Aspire takes a cosier, loft-style approach. It’s genuinely smaller than the other South Terminal lounges, worth knowing before you walk in expecting something on the scale of No1. What it does offer is shower facilities, useful if you’ve had an early start or a long drive to the airport. There’s also self-serve hot and cold snacks throughout the day, and comfortable, mixed seating.

It suits passengers who want a quieter corner without paying Clubrooms’ premium. It’s often overlooked simply because it’s tucked away compared with the more visible lounges nearby.

British Airways Club Lounge, South Terminal

This one isn’t for general booking. Access is reserved for BA First, Club World, and Club Europe ticket holders, plus BA Executive Club Silver and Gold members. Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald cardholders can enter too, and bring one guest. There’s no public walk-in option here at any price, so don’t plan around it unless you genuinely qualify.

For those who do, expect full dining service, a proper bar, and a calmer, more private setting than the pay-to-enter lounges.

British Airways First Lounge, South Terminal

Even more restricted than the Club Lounge. This one is for First cabin ticket holders and Oneworld Emerald members specifically. If you’re flying BA in Economy or Premium Economy, neither British Airways lounge is available to you. No1 Lounge or Clubrooms become your realistic South Terminal options instead.

Gatwick North vs South Terminal lounges at a glance

Is Priority Pass or DragonPass accepted at Gatwick?

Yes, across most of Gatwick’s lounges, though the details matter more than people expect.

Priority Pass access typically covers My Lounge, Plaza Premium, Club Aspire and Clubrooms across both terminals. Entry comes included as part of your membership rather than a separate paid booking. DragonPass works in a similar way across a comparable set of lounges. No1 Lounge in both terminals sometimes participates too, though availability through membership schemes can be more limited than direct payment, especially at busy times.

Here’s the bit that catches people out. Holding Priority Pass or DragonPass doesn’t guarantee you a seat. It guarantees entry if there’s capacity. During peak departure windows, particularly Friday afternoons and the first wave of summer holiday flights, lounges do reach their limit. Card holders get turned away just as readily as anyone paying on the day.

The fix is simple. Pre-book your slot through the relevant app rather than assuming your membership alone gets you through the door. It takes two minutes and removes the one genuine risk of relying on a membership scheme.

Worth knowing before you commit to any lounge: a pre-booked, paid slot through the lounge’s own website guarantees your seat regardless of how busy the day gets. That’s the safer route if you’d rather not gamble on capacity at all.

What does a Gatwick Airport lounge actually cost?

Typical starting prices, based on advance booking rather than walk-up rates:

Treat every figure here as a starting point, not a fixed price. Lounge pricing moves with demand, the date you’re travelling, and how far ahead you book. It’s worth confirming the current rate directly with the lounge or through Gatwick’s own booking page before you pay. Walk-up prices on the day typically sit £8 to £15 higher than pre-booked rates.

Children are generally charged at a reduced rate, and most lounges let under-threes in free. Check the specific lounge’s policy when you book, since the age cut-off varies slightly between operators.

Which Gatwick lounge is best?

There isn’t one answer, since the right lounge depends on what you’re actually after.

Best overall: No1 Lounge, in either terminal. Full dining, a proper bar, treatment rooms, and open to any passenger on any ticket type.

Best for families: My Lounge, particularly the South Terminal branch, thanks to the games room and the only outdoor terrace at Gatwick.

Best for business travellers: Clubrooms or Plaza Premium. Both offer quieter surroundings and reliable WiFi if you need to make calls or finish something before boarding.

Best value: My Lounge South. Which?, the consumer group, visited all seven Gatwick lounges for an independent review. My Lounge South stood out for value, and Clubrooms North and No1 Lounge South also rated decent.

Best for a premium occasion: Clubrooms, in either terminal. Table service and a proper sit-down meal make it feel like part of the trip rather than a waiting room.

Best for a short visit or tight budget: Plaza Premium Express in North Terminal. No frills, but a genuinely useful option if you just want a seat and a drink before a short flight.

Best runway views: No1 Lounge or Plaza Premium, both with proper seating positioned to look out over the apron.

The honest advice with six lounges per terminal is simple. Pick based on what you actually want from the visit, not which name sounds most familiar.

Is a Gatwick lounge worth the money?

Depends entirely on your trip. A few honest scenarios rather than a blanket yes or no.

Early morning long-haul departure, after a drive down from the Midlands? Genuinely worth it. A couple of hours somewhere quiet with proper coffee and real food beats sitting in the main terminal after an early start.

Short domestic hop, already eaten, flight on time? Harder to justify. You’ll likely spend more on the lounge than you would on food at the gate. You also won’t be there long enough to make full use of it.

Travelling with young children? Often worth it purely for the stress reduction. Space to move that isn’t a packed departure hall, food that isn’t overpriced airport fast food, and somewhere to sit that isn’t a hard bench. It tends to pay for itself even on shorter flights.

Flight delayed and you’re facing an unplanned few hours? This is where a lounge earns its keep fastest. Several operators offer delay cover through certain booking routes, keeping you inside without extra charge if your flight overruns.

Business travellers with calls to finish or a report to review before boarding? The quieter lounges, particularly Clubrooms or Plaza Premium, suit this well. Reliable WiFi and space that isn’t the middle of a crowded walkway make a real difference.

Nervous flyer, or simply not a fan of busy airports? Worth considering even on a short flight. A calmer environment before boarding, away from tannoy announcements and crowds at the gate, genuinely changes how the whole journey feels for some people.

Travelling alone on a work trip with a couple of hours to spare? Arguably the best value pound for pound. You’re not splitting the cost across a family, and you get a proper meal and a decent coffee instead of grabbing something rushed at a kiosk.

The pattern across all of these is the same. A lounge earns its cost when it solves a specific problem, whether that’s time, comfort, stress, or a genuine need for space. It’s a weaker buy when you’re doing it simply because it feels like the done thing on a short flight where nothing’s actually going wrong.

What to expect once you’re inside

The open-access lounges, No1 in both terminals, My Lounge, Clubrooms, Plaza Premium and Club Aspire, work on broadly the same principle. You’ll find a self-serve food area, a bar covering soft drinks through to spirits and often champagne in the premium options, and comfortable seating. Charging points are built into most seating too, so there’s rarely a hunt for a spare socket.

WiFi performs faster and more reliably than the free terminal network in every lounge covered here. Flight information screens are dotted around the room. Most lounges also send a boarding alert to your phone or make a direct announcement as your gate time approaches, so you’re not glued to the departure board the whole visit.

Toilets are standard everywhere. The larger lounges add proper shower facilities too. No1 Lounge and Club Aspire both offer these, useful if you’ve had an early start or a long journey to the airport. Dietary requirements are generally handled well, with buffet-style food labelled for common allergens. Flagging anything serious to staff on arrival, rather than assuming the labelling covers it, is the safer move.

Dress code across Gatwick’s lounges is relaxed. Nobody expects a jacket and tie, but it’s still a shared indoor space, so very casual holiday wear tends to draw a polite word from staff. Accessibility is generally good across the open-access lounges, with step-free access and accessible toilets as standard. If you need specific support, mention it when you book so the lounge can prepare ahead of your arrival.

Opening hours vary slightly by lounge. Most open from around 4.30am and close by 9pm or 10pm, matching Gatwick’s flight schedule rather than operating round the clock. That covers the vast majority of departures, though it won’t help on a genuinely late-night or very early red-eye flight outside those windows. Check the specific lounge’s hours against your own departure time before you book.

What to bring

Nothing unusual, but a few things make the visit smoother. Bring your boarding pass, digital or printed, since you’ll need it to check in at the lounge desk even if you’ve already paid online. A phone charger is handy despite the built-in points, purely because popular sockets near the best seats fill up first.

If you’re using a Priority Pass or DragonPass, have the physical card or app confirmation ready rather than searching for it at the desk. Anything you’d normally carry through security applies as usual. Lounges sit airside, so you’ll already have cleared the liquids and electronics checks before you reach one.

Things to consider before you book

• Confirm your terminal before booking. North and South don’t connect airside.
• Pre-book rather than walk up. It’s cheaper and it guarantees your seat.
• Check the maximum stay allowed. Most lounges cap visits around three hours.
• Ask about group size limits if you’re travelling with more than four or five people.
• Flag any dietary requirements or allergies when you book, not on arrival.
• Check opening hours against your actual flight time, particularly for very early or very late departures.
• If your flight time changes, update your lounge booking manually. It rarely adjusts on its own.
• Factor in walking time from security to the lounge. Ten minutes isn’t unusual in South Terminal.

How do I book, and what should I check first?

Three routes get you in. Book directly through the lounge operator’s own website, book via Gatwick Airport’s own lounge page, or use an existing Priority Pass or DragonPass membership.

Direct booking through the operator is usually the cheapest route and the one that guarantees your slot. Gatwick’s own booking page brings most options together in one place, useful if you’re comparing before deciding. Membership schemes work well if you already hold one, provided you pre-book your visit rather than relying on walk-up access.

Payment on the day is straightforward wherever you go. Every lounge covered here takes card payment at the desk, and most accept contactless or mobile wallets without any fuss. Turning up with only cash isn’t a great plan, so have a card ready regardless of how you booked.

Whichever route you choose, most bookings allow free cancellation or amendment up to a set number of hours before your visit. Check the specific cut-off, since it varies by lounge, and always match your booking to your correct departure terminal before you pay.

One more thing worth checking before you commit. If your flight time shifts, whether that’s an airline schedule change weeks out or a delay on the day itself, your booking doesn’t update on its own. Log back into your confirmation and adjust the time yourself, or contact the lounge directly. It’s a small step, but it’s the difference between arriving to a booking that still stands and turning up to find your slot’s already closed.

How early should you arrive for a Gatwick lounge?

Work backwards from your flight time rather than treating lounge time as extra on top of your normal airport arrival. Say your flight departs at 10am and you’d like two hours in the lounge. You still need your standard buffer for check-in, bag drop and security before that lounge time even starts.

For a long-haul departure, arrive at the airport around three hours before your flight. That gives you enough room to clear check-in and security, with roughly ninety minutes to two hours left for the lounge itself. For a short-haul European flight, two hours at the airport typically leaves you closer to an hour in the lounge once check-in and security are done.

If you’re travelling from the Midlands, our guide on how early to leave Birmingham for Gatwick Airport walks through realistic timings by flight type. Use it to work out your lounge window properly rather than guessing.

Driving and parking versus a pre-booked transfer

Booking a lounge only solves the waiting-around part of the day. The getting-there part still needs sorting, and this is where a lot of the stress genuinely lives, whatever a spreadsheet of parking costs might suggest.

Drive yourself, and you’re weighing up motorway traffic, finding a space in long-stay or valet parking, and the walk or shuttle bus to the terminal. That’s all before you’ve even reached security. Add the mental load of remembering where you left the car for the return leg, particularly after a long-haul flight when you’re not thinking clearly.

On paper, self-drive parking can look like the cheaper option. In practice, the time and stress cost rarely gets factored in. It usually only hits home once you’re stuck in a queue for the car park shuttle, with twenty minutes left until your lounge slot closes.

A pre-booked chauffeur removes most of that. You’re dropped directly at the terminal entrance. No parking search, no shuttle bus, no walk with heavy cases. The price is fixed before you travel too, so there’s no surprise add-on for a full car park or a longer stay than planned. For the return journey, your driver tracks your flight and adjusts the pickup automatically. No taxi queue, and no standing outside arrivals in the rain waiting for someone to notice you.

If you’re still weighing up the two options directly, our breakdown of Gatwick parking versus chauffeur costs covers the real numbers on both sides.

Getting to Gatwick without the stress starting early

None of the above matters much if the journey to the airport itself is a scramble. A tight dash down the M23, a stressful drop-off, or a parking search that eats into your lounge time. Any one of those undoes the whole point of booking a lounge in the first place.

We track your flight and time your pickup around it. That way, you reach the right terminal with room to actually enjoy the lounge. No rushing through security just to make the most of a booking you’ve already paid for.

Our Gatwick Airport chauffeur service covers the whole journey door to terminal from Birmingham, the wider West Midlands, or further afield. The price is confirmed before you travel.

Want the wider picture on each terminal beyond the lounges? Our full North Terminal passenger guide and South Terminal guide cover security, parking, and getting between gates in detail.

Why book National Executive Transfers for the journey there

A good lounge only counts for something if the trip getting to it isn’t the stressful part.

Our chauffeurs know Gatwick, both terminals, and they check your flight before you’ve even thought to. Every pickup includes real-time flight tracking, so a delay on your end doesn’t mean a wasted wait on ours, or a rushed one on yours.

You travel in a Mercedes-Benz, S-Class, E-Class or V-Class depending on your party size and luggage. A professional, licensed driver handles the route while you sit back. Fixed pricing means no surprise on arrival and no last-minute add-ons.

Flexible enough for a solo business trip, a family holiday, or a group heading to the same flight. Reliable enough that the airport journey is one less thing to think about on travel day.

Ready to book your Gatwick transfer and actually enjoy the wait before your flight? Get a fixed-price quote here, and we’ll take care of the rest.

The takeaway

Gatwick Airport lounges have genuinely improved their range over the past couple of years. There’s now a realistic option whatever your budget or flight type. My Lounge covers straightforward value, No1 offers a full spa-and-dining experience, and Clubrooms suits a proper sit-down meal before you fly.

Pick the right Gatwick Airport lounge for your actual trip rather than the most expensive name on the list. Book ahead rather than risk a walk-up refusal, and get the journey there sorted first so you actually have time to use it.