Best Value Airports

Revealed: The 20 best-value public lounges in the world

Our research suggests that Brits spend an average of £60 while waiting for flights, but access to a lounge can cost less than half that. Here's where we believe your money goes furthest, based on cost, amenities and online reviews.

Lounge Airport Price(£) Price($) Netflights.com Rating
Al Ghazal Lounge by Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 2
Al Ghazal Lounge by Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 2 Abu Dhabi International Airport £21.46 $28.76 5
Strata Lounge, International Terminal
Strata Lounge, International Terminal Auckland Airport £28.15 $37.72 5
Lounge @ BTerminal 3
Lounge @ BTerminal 3 Dubai International Airport £28.86 $38.67 5
1903 Lounge, Terminal 3
1903 Lounge, Terminal 3 Manchester Airport £40.00 $53.60 5
Plaza Premium Lounge (Arrivals), Terminal 2
Plaza Premium Lounge (Arrivals), Terminal 2 Rio de Janeiro Galeao International Airport £24.42 $32.72 5
BGS Premier Lounge, Terminal 2
BGS Premier Lounge, Terminal 2 Beijing Capital International Airport £21.46 $28.76 4
Loyalty Lounge, Terminal 2
Loyalty Lounge, Terminal 2 Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport £22.20 $29.75 4
Plaza Premium Lounge (Lounge B), Terminal 3
Plaza Premium Lounge (Lounge B), Terminal 3 Indira Gandhi International Airport £19.98 $26.77 4
Clubrooms North Terminal
Clubrooms North Terminal London Gatwick Airport £50.00 $67.00 4
SkyTeam Lounge, Terminal 4
SkyTeam Lounge, Terminal 4 London Heathrow Airport £40.00 $53.60 4
Neptuno Lounge (AENA VIP Lounge),Terminal 4S
Neptuno Lounge (AENA VIP Lounge),Terminal 4S Madrid Barajas Airport £26.40 $35.38 4
Pacific Club, Terminal 3
Pacific Club, Terminal 3 Ninoy Aquino International Airport £18.50 $24.79 4
SkyTeam Lounge, Terminal 1 (International)
SkyTeam Lounge, Terminal 1 (International) Sydney Airport £39.22 $52.55 4
Bidvest Premier Lounge, International Terminal A
Bidvest Premier Lounge, International Terminal A Tambo International Airport £24.76 $33.18 4
The Club at LAS, Terminal 3
The Club at LAS, Terminal 3 McCarran International Airport £28.86 $38.67 3
Marhaba Lounge, Terminal 2
Marhaba Lounge, Terminal 2 Melbourne Airport £35.85 $48.04 3
Premier Lounge, International Terminal
Premier Lounge, International Terminal Ngurah Rai International Airport £17.76 $23.80 3
Star Alliance Business Class Lounge, Terminal 1
Star Alliance Business Class Lounge, Terminal 1 Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport £30.34 $40.66 3
dnata Lounge, Terminal 3
dnata Lounge, Terminal 3 Singapore Changi Airport £28.12 $37.68 3
Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 1
Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 1 Toronto Pearson International Airport £25.90 $34.71 3

The idea of being late for a flight and having to run around a busy airport to get to check-in on time – like the McCallisters out of Home Alone – is something none of us want to experience.

So, sensibly, most of us like to plan ahead and arrive at an airport with plenty of time to spare. That, you’d expect, would translate into being chilled out and happy, right?

Well, according to our new survey of 2,000 UK travellers, we are, in fact, far from relaxed. All that extra time we end up spending at an airport leaves us feeling surprisingly worse for wear – and a little lighter in the purse or wallet too.

A significant 66% of Brits, for example, also said that they find being at an airport stressful. And, with plenty of time to use up before boarding, people invariably turn to shops, restaurants and bars in search of something to do.

This sets back the average traveller a whopping £58.77, with close to half (46%) of respondents saying they have even picked up things they didn’t really need.

According to our survey, most people tend to spend their cash on food (53%), which is followed by hot drinks (44%) and alcohol (38%).

Interestingly, the idea of avoiding all of that for a chilled-out experience in an airport lounge is somewhat lost on British travellers, with 87% saying they’ve never booked into one.

As to why, 40% said they found it too expensive, 23% thought it was only for members and 20% had no idea how to go about accessing one.

However, airport lounges, as our table above reveals, can be affordable and comfy experiences, with the average worldwide lounge costing only £37.32. And that tends to include perks like Wi-Fi, premium food and complimentary drinks.

We've done the hard work to uncover which lounges will give you most bang for your buck

We’ve put together a league table listing the best-value airport lounges in the world for under £50. To do this we compared the cost of entry to the lounge with the inclusion of amenities.

Scoring the number one spot in our ranking of best-value lounges is the Al Ghaza Lounge in Abu Dhabi International Airport – its low-cost, exuberant interior and efficient amenities mean it topped the list of lounges worldwide.

Meanwhile, at London Heathrow, it’s a little more, at £40, while London Gatwick will cost you £50 – still cheaper than shopping around an airport before boarding for a flight. It seems that airport lounges could be the answer to a more upbeat airport experience. What do you think?