2023.10 Edinburgh and London (Part 9)

2023.10 Edinburgh and London (Part 9) – Lounge hopping

When the opportunity presents itself where you can visit four business class lounges before your flight, would any sane person say no? Good, because here’s our lounge hopping before our flight back to Toronto.

Check-in

Terminal 2 is used by most Star Alliance airlines, including Air Canada. Check-in was straight forward where we checked our luggage, and received paper copies of our boarding passes.

One cool feature of having most, if not all, Star Alliance airlines at the same terminal of London Heathrow is that there is a dedicated fast lane for business class passengers, as well as frequent flyers.

For us, this line was quick and we were through security in less than five minutes. From there we entered the terminal and turned to the right to head to lounge number one, Lufthansa.

Lounge Hopping?

Background time: Entrance requirements for most Star Alliance run lounges require either being a frequent flyer with Star Alliance Gold benefits, or having a business or first class ticket. The Star Alliance website even has a “Lounge Finder” section to help you find lounges in your departure airport. For London Heathrow, where United, Lufthansa, Singapore and Air Canada all have lounges, a business class ticket on any Star Alliance airline enables entrance to all four!

Right after security was this signboard with travel time to gates, as well as location of lounges. Terminal two has an infield section, and is the reason for the very long walk under the apron to the B gates. This is where our Air Canada flight would be departing from, but first up for us after security was Lufthansa.

Lufthansa Lounge

Located just past security, turn right and pass a few shops to get to its entrance.

Even the sign outside of the lounge highlights how Star Alliance passengers can use this and other lounges. I wonder if this lounge is used the most as it is easy to see after clearing security?

We were admitted instantly, and we walked past the buffet before finding seats. We grabbed a few items and enjoyed them. Below is a slideshow of the food options at the Lufthansa lounge:

Now if you want to count along, we each had a mimosa with breakfast. Then had mimosa #2 in the Lufthansa lounge. The lounge wasn’t busy during our visit, and I was able to get a few pictures of the rest of the lounge. The decor of the lounge reminded me of the many visits to Lufthansa lounges when I travelled for work many, many years ago.

Once we finished our bubbles and a few candies we left the lounge and made the long walk to the infield portion of the terminal. Onward up to the next three more lounges to visit.

Once out by the B gates the lounges were well signed and are easily found.

United Club Lounge

In retrospect, I think this is the largest of the four lounges. Access to the lounge is via elevator from the main departure level.

The entrance area had some aviation related artwork.

Below is a picture of the other side of the reception area to the United Club.

This lounge was significantly busier than the Lufthansa lounge. I didn’t get a lot of pictures of the lounge as there were people everywhere! I did get a few pictures of the buffet:

After a quick drink, mimosa #3, I did manage a few pictures of the lounge as we headed out. These pictures do not come close to articulating the size of the lounge:

After the United Club lounge it was back to the main departure level and a short walk to the elevator that goes to both Singapore & Air Canada lounges.

Singapore airlines

Access to the Singapore Airlines lounge is via a shared elevator. Once you get to the second floor, turn right for one, or left for the other!

The entrance to the Singapore Lounge has some unique decor:

We were admitted right away. From there, you have to walk down a hallway to the main portion of the lounge.

The lounge is one large space, with large comfy chairs with views of the apron.

Below is a selection of the food buffet. It was extensive as there were also individual hot plated items, and ice cream!

Once seated, I watched the Montreal bound Air Canada Boeing 787 get pushed back from the gate while we enjoyed a drink, and I enjoyed some ice cream.

Here’s a view of the bar, in which a special drink was available, however I didn’t try it. We stayed with bubbles, with mimosa #4.

Once we finished our drinks and our snacks we walked across the hall to our final stop, the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge.

Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge

Air Canada lounges, similar to Lufthansa lounges have a consistency to them, however each one is slightly different. For this location the lounge’s high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows certainly stand out from the lounges in Toronto.

To make use of the high ceilings, the seating along the wall was raised to give everybody an opportunity to look out the windows without issue.

We easily found seats and headed to the buffet for a drink and have a snack. Here’s pictures from buffet. Having a sweet tooth, I happily grabbed a slice of cake.

Here we enjoyed our short time here. I did inquire about a shower, however they were not available. In addition, there was a large open boardroom table close to the buffet, I didn’t get a picture as there were a few passengers working away on their laptops in that area. Once mimosa #5 was complete, it was time to head to the gate.

Summary

All told, I had fun. Little Miss remarked once we boarded “that was not relaxing at all. I much rather have stayed at one.” So, if you’re departing from London Heathrow with access to Star Alliance lounges here’s my take, and ranking in ascending order:

United Club – Stop here if you want to visit one of the largest bars in a lounge. It’s massive, so expect a crowd. Food isn’t anything special.

Lufthansa – Straight forward. Stop here if quality of bread is paramount.

Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Runner-up. Solid space, food is good.

Singapore – By far the best. Both the food selection and quality is a step-up from the other lounges.

Which lounge is your preferred one to visit?

Explore other parts of this trip:

Part 1 – KLM Flight Toronto to Amsterdam

Part 2 – KLM Lounge, flight Amsterdam to Edinburgh

Part 3 – Bruntsfield Hotel, Edinburgh

Part 4 – Edinburgh sights

Part 5 – Food while in Edinburgh

Part 6 – LNER, Edinburgh to London