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London Heathrow Airport (LHR) Star Alliance Lounges [Reviewed]

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Greg Stone
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Greg Stone

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Greg’s obsession with earning and burning points and miles allows him to travel over 100 days every year, often in some of the most coveted business and first class products available.
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Before jetting off on Singapore Airlines’ new A380 from London Heathrow Airport (LHR), my partner and I were faced with the decision of which of the 4 Star Alliance airline lounges to visit in the new Queen’s Terminal 2 complex: Singapore Airlines, Air Canada, United Airlines, or Lufthansa.

It’s possible to visit all of the lounges as Star Alliance dictates that all business class passengers and Star Gold passengers can use any carrier’s business class lounges and all first class passengers can use any carrier’s first class lounge.

Naturally, I wanted to visit all of them, however, the Lufthansa lounge caters to the shorter European flights and is located in the main 2A terminal building and the other 3 are located in the satellite 2B terminal.

The transit takes at least 18 minutes walking at a brisk pace. Perhaps it’s a good way to stretch your legs before a long-haul flight? It also means you’ll need to allow at least 3 hours at the airport if you want to experience all 4 lounges. Sadly, we didn’t have enough time this visit all of them, so we decided to check out the 3 lounges in the 2B terminal.

The walk between both terminals takes you down a huge escalator under the tarmac, along several moving sidewalks (when traveling on them you can’t see where the last one ends) and finally up another long escalator.

Queens Terminal 2 London Heathrow Long Walkway
Queen’s Terminal 2 London Heathrow — Long Walkway.

Once you exit the last escalator, the entrance to the Singapore Airlines and Air Canada lounges are close by.

Queens Terminal 2 London Heathrow Lounge Entrance
Queen’s Terminal 2 London Heathrow — Lounge Entrance

Queens Terminal 2 London Heathrow Lounge Entrance
Queen’s Terminal 2 London Heathrow — Lounge Entrance

For more information on navigating this large airport, check out this guide on how to get between terminals at LHR.

Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Class Lounge London Heathrow

Hours: Open daily from 5:30 a.m. – 22:00 p.m.

Closest Gate: B36

Seeing as we were flying Singapore Airlines, we decided to visit the SilverKris lounge first. The airline’s signature batik design screen, as found across Singapore’s newest lounges, welcomes passengers entering the lounge.

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge Entrance
Singapore Airlines Heathrow — Lounge Entrance

The lounge is split in half — business class passengers enter the lounge to the right of the reception counter and first class passengers to the left, which our class of travel today didn’t allow access to.

Singapore currently operates 4 flights a day from LHR with our SQ317 second to depart at 11:25 a.m.

As you enter the business class section, you walk straight past the buffet. It has a decent selection of 5 hot food options.

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge Buffet Hot Options
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Buffet Hot Options

There was a selection of pastries and juices. If it wasn’t time for breakfast, I would have tried the Singapore Sling ice cream, which sounded amazing!

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge Buffet Ice Cream
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Buffet Ice Cream

Salads, muesli, smoothies, and yogurt were also available.

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge Buffet Cold Selection
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Buffet Cold Selection

A fully-automatic espresso machine, tea, and fridge of other refreshments were on offer.

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge Refreshment Station
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Refreshment Station

There is a good selection of food for breakfast so I enjoyed a small breakfast here to begin with, however, I passed on the coffee as I had read better coffee was available next door.

Banquette seating and tables run adjacent to the buffet.

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge --- Dining Tables
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Dining Tables

As you walk further into the lounge, you’ll find a self-service bar. Roaming staff are available to assist if necessary.

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge --- Self-Service Bar
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Self-Service Bar

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge Self-Service Bar
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Self-Service Bar

Most of the seating area is adjacent to the windows, with a selection of Singapore Airlines high-back throne seats. Sadly, there is not much of a view due to the ongoing construction at Heathrow.

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge Seating
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Seating

A row of solo workstation pods is positioned in the center of the main seating area.

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge Solo Pods
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Solo Pods

The rest of the armchairs in the lounge are next to coffee tables with integrated power sockets.

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge --- Power Between Armchairs
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Power Between Armchairs

I clocked an acceptable 17.5 Mbps download and 5.5 Mbps upload on the lounge’s Wi-Fi.

Air Canada Lounge Wi-Fi Speed Test
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Wi-Fi Speed Test. Image Credit: Speedtest by Ookla

Travelers may utilize 1 of 3 showers or a range of reading material.

Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge Reading Material
Singapore Airlines Heathrow Lounge — Reading Material

The lounge has been designed by the interior design firm ONG&ONG and is modeled on a residential ‘home away from home’ feeling. I personally believe Cathay Pacific executes the residential lounge vision better in its newest Ilse Crawford designed lounges.

Although this lounge is relatively new and uses Singapore Airlines’ newest design concept, it already feels dated, so I was quite underwhelmed and happy to not spend too much time here.

Air Canada Maple Leaf London Heathrow

Hours: Open daily from 6:00 a.m. – 22:00 p.m.

Closest Gate: B36

After a quick breakfast in the Singapore Airlines lounge, we walked across the hallway to the Air Canada lounge.

Air Canada currently operates up to 9 flights a day from London Heathrow. Upon showing my boarding pass to the lounge receptionist, she saw I was flying Singapore Airlines and suggested I visited that lounge instead. I said I had just come from there and wanted to see the Air Canada lounge next, so she scanned my boarding pass and granted us access.

Air Canada Heathrow Lounge --- Entrance
Air Canada Heathrow Lounge — Entrance

Upon entering the Air Canada lounge, the aesthetic immediately exudes a more premium and modern feel than the Singapore Airlines lounge that we had just come from.

Air Canada Heathrow Lounge Seating
Air Canada Heathrow Lounge — Seating

The larger windows in this lounge flood the space with natural light allowing a sweeping, enjoyable view of the tarmac, despite the wet and miserable London day outside. The higher ceiling, with dual-level lounges and banquette seats, made the lounge feel more expansive. At this time of the morning it also wasn’t very busy.

The overall styling and furniture selection felt more modern and the vertical timber feature wall added a beautiful warmth to the lounge.

Air Canada Heathrow Lounge Seating
Air Canada Heathrow Lounge — Seating

Air Canada Heathrow Lounge Seating
Air Canada Heathrow Lounge — Seating

Air Canada Heathrow Lounge Reading Material
Air Canada Heathrow Lounge — Reading Material

There are several semi-private lounge chairs with personal TVs.

Air Canada Heathrow Lounge Semi-Private Lounge
Air Canada Heathrow Lounge — Semi-Private Lounge

A business center featured a large communal table, PC workstations, and a printer.

Air Canada Heathrow Lounge --- Business Center
Air Canada Heathrow Lounge — Business Center

I headed to the, somewhat smaller Air Canada dining area which looked amazing in the signature Canadian red feature wall against the timber-look tiles.

Air Canada Heathrow Lounge Bar and Barista Coffee
Air Canada Heathrow Lounge — Bar and Barista Coffee

At the tendered bar I ordered an Americano that was made by the barista and was better than what the automatic machine coffee could produce next door.

Air Canada Heathrow Lounge --- Barista Coffee
Air Canada Heathrow Lounge — Barista Coffee

The lounge staff enquired why I was taking so many photos and when I mentioned this review, she insisted I try a fresh hot crepe and waffle which are made-to-order. My sweet tooth couldn’t refuse an offer like that! There is a selection of condiments to apply on top. All were delicious!

Air Canada Heathrow Lounge --- Waffle and Crepe Station
Air Canada Heathrow Lounge — Waffle and Crepe Station

Air Canada Heathrow Lounge --- Waffle and Crepe Station 2
Air Canada Heathrow Lounge — Waffle and Crepe Station 2

Overall, I was really impressed with the Air Canada lounge and I could have easily stayed there longer, but time was running out and there was 1 more lounge to visit.

The United Club Lounge London Heathrow

Hours: Open daily from 5:00 a.m. – 22:00 p.m.

Closest Gate: B46

The United Club is about a 10-minute walk from the Singapore Airlines and Air Canada lounges, across from gate B46.

I don’t usually hear great things about the United experience, so I was instantly surprised entering the United Club. The lounge is larger than both the Singapore Airlines and Air Canada lounges, obviously to cater for the large number of United flights from Heathrow: I counted 7 cities and 15 services on the day we were here.

I really loved the modern design of the lounge. The furniture uses United’s signature blues and grey with blue colored glass to create smaller zones in the immense space the lounge occupies.

The United Club Lounge Heathrow Seating
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Seating

A large window spans the length of the lounge, flooding the lounge with natural light and a similarly large bench runs parallel to the main tendered bar, ideal for solo travelers wishing to recharge devices or work on a laptop.

The United Club Lounge Heathrow Table w/ Power Outlets
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Table with Power Outlets

Elsewhere in the lounge are bar tables which also have power outlets and USB ports on the tabletop.

The United Club Lounge Heathrow Built-in Power
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Built-in Power

The large long bar sits directly in front of the windows in the center of the lounge and has ample seating. Most guests were using the buffet instead, but we enjoyed a mimosa at the bar.

The United Club Lounge Heathrow Bar Seating
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Bar Seating

The United Club Lounge Heathrow --- Bar Beverages
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Bar Beverages

The United Club Lounge Heathrow Bar Mimosa
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Bar Mimosa

On the far end of the lounge is a large circular refreshment station.

The United Club Lounge Heathrow Refreshments
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Refreshments

The United Club Lounge Heathrow Refreshments
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Refreshments

Back towards the entrance of the lounge is the main buffet which had a selection of 7 hot dishes for breakfast.

The United Club Lounge Heathrow Buffet Hot Options
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Buffet Hot Options

A salad and cold meat section was also available.

The United Club Lounge Heathrow Buffet Cold Selections
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Buffet Cold Selections

The United Club misses out on barista coffee and instead has several automatic coffee machines.

The United Club Lounge Heathrow Buffet Coffee Machine
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Buffet Coffee Machine

The Wi-Fi was better than the Singapore Airlines lounge, even though the lounge was quite busy, with downloads at 25.3 Mbps and uploads at 30.8 Mbps.

The United Club Wi-Fi Speed Test
The United Club Lounge Heathrow — Wi-Fi Speed Test

Although our boarding pass said boarding wouldn’t commence until 10:25 a.m., I checked the flight information boards at 10:15 a.m. and it had already started boarding so we had to run. I would have loved to have spent more time in this lounge and take some additional photos to share but lucky we ran as we were last to board our A380 at 10:25 a.m. due to a very light passenger load.

Final Thoughts

As the new Queen’s Terminal 2 is exclusively used by Star Alliance carriers, it’s quite surprising they didn’t build a couple of Star Alliance branded lounges like they have done in 8 airports around the world rather than have 4 airline-branded lounges.

When I fly out of Heathrow Terminal 2 again, I would skip the Singapore Airlines lounge as I was unimpressed. Instead, I would divide my time between Air Canada and the United Club.

Both had a nicer ambience, more modern design, and better views through more windows. I would choose the Air Canada lounge for its superior coffee and chef station making waffles and crepes for breakfast—and I’ve read they make paninis for lunch. After you spend some time in the Air Canada lounge, I recommend you hop over to the United Club for a few drinks at the bar. If time permits the next visit, I would love to check out the Lufthansa lounge that I missed on this visit.

Although the Air Canada lounge seemed much quieter than the United Club, this would obviously change throughout the day depending on the respective carriers’ departures.

For further reading take a look at our comprehensive list of London Heathrow lounges.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Star Alliance Lounges are there at London Heathrow?

There are 3 lounges, the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Class Lounge, the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, and the United Club Lounge.

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About Greg Stone

Greg got bitten by the travel bug at a young age while traveling with his Dad on business trips to Asia. He took over the family business in 2012 and uses it to maximize his loyalty points earning. His obsession with earning and burning loyalty rewards points allows him to travel over 100 days every year.

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