Airport lounges, worth the money?

[LollipopViolet]

So, got a flight to Finland in 2 weeks from Manchester T1. Been considering booking a lounge but not sure if they're worth the money (although there's currently an offer on Fb for 15% off). Flight is at 10.15am and if I didn't do it, I'd be looking at getting breakfast in the terminal, so recommendations welcome for that too.

Anyone who's used one, what did you think? Worth the money or not?

Following this with interest as I quite fancy booking the Manchester lounge before a flight to the US next year.

Worth every penny for us 🙂 if only for the comfy chairs and peace and quiet (they won’t tolerate noise)

Enjoy your holiday

Yes definitely.We used the one at east Midlands in May and have used the Manchester one before.Its around £25 per head so if you in there for 2.5 hours approx and you have a breakfast/lunch/dinner and drinks it's well worth it when you consider how much it is to eat and drink in airports.The seats ate comfort too,you dont feel like you are in an airport.

Depends what you like to do before a flight and the airport. I quite like roaming about the shops at major airports and so often won’t even use the business / first class lounges I’m entitled to even though they are really luxurious and come with free meals and beds (DH on the other hand stays in them!). At smaller airports the lounges and shopping experience can both be shit - so I’ll just stay in the lounge.

Check the facilities in the particular lounge you will be using. They vary hugely. I have never paid to use a lounge because DH has frequent flyer cards for most of them but there are some that are not even worth going in to.

I've used before and it was really good somewhere to sit and relax made me a lot less anxious about flying and meant I was there a couple of hours early so no stressing about getting through security was nice to sit and relax watching the planes with free food and drink which if you are planning on buying anyway the lounge might not cost that much extra.

Oh I love them. To not have to sit in the noisy terminal on plastic seats is worth it to me adding in yes its around £50 but I would probably spend £20 on coffees and a snack it's really not that much more expensive for the comfort.

This sounds like it might be worth it - last time I flew everywhere was busy, and all I want to do is have some food, maybe a coffee and relax, flying makes me anxious anyway. I book assistance through the airport because I'm visually impaired, and last time just ended up sat in their little area as everywhere was so busy.

We used to get free lounge access at our local airport. If it was just me traveling with the kids, I didnt go. Yes, it was good for a free drink, but it was in the arse end of nowhere, with no boarding screens. Nearly missed a flight when there with DH.
The ones in big terminals are usually nice, but I wouldnt pay for them (I'd rather fast track through checkin and security, grab something to eat, ket the kids run riot in the playground, and get to the gate early enough to get a seat)

I fly a lot and have a Priority Pass membership through my Amex which gets me into a lot of lounges for free. I also have gold frequent flyer status for StarAlliance and BA/OneWorld Silver, so I use those lounges a lot as well.

The benefits of the lounges varies hugely and the nicest lounges are almost always the frequent flyer or business class ones, that you can't buy access to.

That said, I've yet to find a lounge anywhere that I'd consider paying £50 to visit. Unless you intend to drink vasts amounts of alcohol, you are unlikely to get your money's worth.

There are various FF websites where the different lounges are reviewed - it's worth looking these up and seeing what users say about the lounge you're interested in.

I'm not familiar with Manchester but I've found that equivalent pay-per-visit lounges at Stansted and Gatwick can get very busy & crowded, making them no more pleasant than the general seating areas outside. There's been quite a few occasions when I've wondered why I bothered after eating some substandard food in a busy lounge & regretted not buying a sandwich from Pret and sitting in the general area instead....

Most waiting areas in airports have sockets, wifi etc so that is no longer an advantage, either.

Apols for the rant, I'm a complete lounge nerd

Dh has priority pass, and says the lounges are variable. The Brussels one is OKish; the one in Vienna is dull..the airport shops with all the lovely chocolate are far more exciting.

We fly long haul with stop overs and find it cheaper to book a lounge than to buy food. They usually have a nice shower as an added bonus.

Yes, we usually arrive a bit early and do the full 3 hours because of the food & fizz 😬

@LollipopViolet Do you have an Amex card (of any variety)? If so, you can get complimentary access to a lounge in Manchester T1 see here

Sadly not - if I do it it'll cost me around £20, which isn't too bad when breakfast at the hotel I'm staying at the night before is £15!

Definitely worth every penny. The breakfast and drinks alone would cost you more at the airport.

We used to use them all the time when we had free access via our credit card, it don't bother now as quite often they aren't that much better than the public spaces.

Only time we pay now is if there's a delay, or a very early start.

The Escape Lounge is not worth it. It's busy and the food isn't great at all. It tends to attract the 'drink as much as you can before boarding' types.

There's a more expensive adults only lounge that I've not yet been in. Will try to find some info.

Here you go. It's £10 more but far better.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g187069-d12948636-Reviews-1903_Lounge-Manchester_Greater_Manchester_England.html

I’ve never used one but we are such cheapskates that we take our own sandwiches on a flight rather than pay for food and fill empty bottles with tap water (usually available somewhere) after security, wouldn’t dream of buying alcohol or even tea and coffee during the flight even though we (I 🙈) can drink like fishes normally. Oh and I usually buy a few sweeties at B&M bargains for the flight 😅

I love the idea but would only use a lounge if it were a free perk with a credit card or another freebie deal!!!

Actually, the £40 for the lounge is about the price of some of the cheapie return flights we take with Ryanair 🤣🤣

Haven't been to Manchester but just to warn you that the assistance people seem to be collecting passengers earlier and earlier these days - I was collected from the lounge an hour before the flight time both inbound and outbound recently. So leave plenty of time to get your money's worth! (They will drop you at the lounge and pick you up later though.)