My first trip back to the arrivals lounge since covid
Just to recap, this is the end of a trip to Riyadh where I flew home in Club World (BA Business Class) as it was an overnight flight. Read about the rest of this trip here.
Finding and getting into the arrivals lounge
To locate the arrivals lounge; collect your bags, pass through customs and turn left when you get out, look for the orange lifts. From there you can either take the lift or the escalator up to the floor which is signposted for the BA arrivals lounge.
The BA arrivals lounge is a place you can go to get a shower, have breakfast and read the morning paper before your day begins. There is very limited access however, and it’s only open in the mornings, closing at 2pm. To get in you need to have flown a long-haul flight either in Club World, or First, or be an Exec Club Gold member. You cannot take a guest. If you’re in Club Europe you won’t be getting in, only long-haul flights qualify, even for Gold members.
By the entrance there is a free baggage store where you can leave all your luggage, but don’t forget that clean change of clothes for after your shower!
Once inside there is a large breakfast buffet with plenty of hot and cold options for you to choose from. If you’re lucky enough to have been travelling in First there is a small Concorde room off to the side where you can sit and get table service for breakfast. There’s a business service area where you can do some work with the usual facilities like printing. To the right there is a wall stacked with the morning papers and TV screens above showing you different news channels, and plenty of places to sit and relax.
Showers
Down the end you will find the shower facilities, simply check in with receptionist who will assign you a shower. There are 94 showers in total, so you should never have trouble getting in. However, it is a bit of a rabbit warren, you’ll be assigned a colour and a number, and I will admit on a couple of occasions it’s taken me a few minutes to find my allocated shower.
Each shower cubicle is a self-contained unit with a shower, sink, mirror and toilet. There is a bench to sit on and hooks to hang your clothes up. There is also a hatch contained within the door that if you hang your shirt up inside the hatch, close the door and press a button, someone will open the hatch from the other side take your shirt away and iron it for you while you’re showering. Also by the door is a control that allows you to listen to the radio.
The shower itself is a pretty advanced piece of kit. It has multiple nozzles with pressure and temperature controls and even the ability to adjust the height of the whole unit. There’s full instructions on the wall on how to use it. You’re provided with towels so no need to take a damp towel home with you.
I always find shower very refreshing after a long-haul flight and then it’s nice to relax with a bit of breakfast before worrying about getting home or getting to the office.
However, the shower units are now showing their age and it’s probably about time they looked at replacing them with something newer. They work fine, but it feels a bit dated.
Bottom line
There are many flights that run overnight arriving in the early hours at Heathrow. I will always be trying to get those lie flat beds to sleep in, using my points to upgrade where I can. And with that, access to the arrivals lounge to freshen up upon arrival, it’s well worth it.
More recently I’ve achieved Gold status with the BA Club again, meaning I can use the arrivals lounge after any long-haul flight, regardless of the cabin I flew in.
I have also managed to try the Concorde Dining room in the arrivals lounge since this trip, read about that here.
