A Quick Visit to the Plaza Premium Lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 4

Flying from the U.S. to London usually means you’ll land at Heathrow Airport (LHR) — the busiest airport in the U.K. and one of the busiest in the world. However, flights arriving from or departing to the U.S. use terminals 2, 3, and 5, so American visitors to the U.K. might not be too familiar with Terminal 4.

I only recently started using this terminal myself after flying more frequently with Air France and KLM, both of which use Terminal 4 for their flights. Before catching a flight to Paris in October 2024, I learned that a new Plaza Premium Lounge had opened its doors in this terminal, replacing the old SkyTeam Lounge. Naturally, I popped in for a quick visit so I could share my thoughts.

Should you find yourself catching a flight departing Heathrow’s Terminal 4, here’s what you can expect from the Plaza Premium Lounge.

Plaza Premium Lounge Location

After clearing security, make a right and follow the signs to the Plaza Premium Lounge and Etihad Airways First & Business Lounge.

Terminal 4 is essentially just 1 long corridor, so the lounge is very easy to find, even without the ample signage throughout the terminal. It’s across from gates 10A and 10B.

A second Plaza Premium Lounge, Blush Lounge by Plaza Premium Group, is at the opposite end of the terminal near gate 2 (if you turn left after clearing security), so you shouldn’t get these confused.

Gaining Entry to the Plaza Premium Lounge at Heathrow T4

The first important thing to note is that the lounge doesn’t open until 5 a.m., despite flights departing at 6:15 a.m. That means you won’t have much time in the lounge before boarding if you’re catching these early flights.

Now that you know this, hopefully you won’t arrive at 4:30 a.m. in dire need of a coffee, like I did.

As it happens, 4:30 a.m. is also the time that security opens, so don’t plan on turning up to Terminal 4 too early unless you want to be hanging around in the landside area of departures.

Once the lounge does open its doors, you need to have a valid Priority Pass membership or carry one of several cards with lounge access (such as The Platinum Card^® from American Express, which comes with access to the Plaza Premium Lounge and Priority Pass lounge networks, upon enrollment) to get into the lounge for free.

Passengers who have lounge access included in their fare (either through elite status or flying in a premium cabin) with the following list of airlines will also get access: Air Algerie, Air Astana, Air France, Air Serbia, Bulgaria Air, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, KLM, Korean Air, Kenya Airways, RwandAir, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Brunei, Saudia, TAROM, Tunisair, Turkmenistan Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, and WestJet.

You can also book online for £43.20 ($59) for 2 hours or £67.50 ($92) for 5 hours. This is a 10% discount on walk-in rates.

The lounge closes at 10 p.m.

First Impressions

The bright and colorful space was a delight for my tired eyes. The carefully curated mix of fabrics and colors, as well as the curved and circular shapes used in the design, made for a playfully modern aesthetic. I’m not sure if the abundance of greenery was fake or real, but I’d love to see this in more lounges.

The space is far more welcoming than the drab and dreary SkyTeam Lounge that once existed inside the same walls.

Seating

From reception, you walk straight into the main lounge area, which is split into sections. There is a variety of seating styles that mainly consists of single armchairs — a row of which face right out to the tall windows. These look like they would have great views of the apron during the day.

It’s great to see an effort has been made to provide sufficient charging points for passengers, like at these private, booth-style seats.

Spare seats were plentiful just after the lounge opened, especially in the far left corner of the lounge, where not a single person was sitting.

I can’t vouch for how busy this lounge might get in the evening, when I’m told the terminal is its busiest.

I didn’t notice any lounger-style seating — the kind you sometimes see for taking naps.

Amenities

Meditation Room

While touring the lounge to see what had changed, I came across this meditation room, which, judging by the prayer mats, doubled as a prayer room.

Given the number of routes from Terminal 4 to predominantly Muslim countries, this was probably seen as an important feature of the lounge.

If only this space had been kept as the spa that passengers used to be able to enjoy in the SkyTeam Lounge.

Showers

I assumed that the 3 showers were out of use, as the space in front appeared to be being used as a storage area. When operational, the lounge’s website states that reservations can be made at reception upon entry.

Restrooms

As I’d have expected, having just opened its doors, the restroom was clean and tidy.

Wi-Fi and Charging

I can confirm that the lounge did have Wi-Fi, though I didn’t connect during my whistle-stop visit.

I was very pleasantly surprised by how many charging points there were. The regular U.K.-plug sockets sometimes even had 2 USB-C ports, but no old-school USB-A ports.

Food and Beverages

During my visit, a hearty, complimentary breakfast buffet was on display. Passengers could choose from an array of hot items, including pancakes, sausages, mushrooms, various types of toast and bread, and even roasted veggies.

I didn’t notice any allergen information on the labels.

Cold items, such as cuts of cheese and meat, cereals, and an assortment of pastries, were also available.

I was very happy to find a bean-to-cup coffee machine with Lavazza beans. If only more lounges could take their coffee quality as seriously as this.

In addition to the main buffet area, there was a second self-serve bar to the left of the reception area upon entering.

In addition to a fridge of soft drinks and beers, I found a modest array of midrange liquors, including Stoli, Bombay Sapphire, and Jack Daniels. All the alcohol available at this bar was complimentary.

Service

During my short time in the lounge, the only interaction I had with a staff member was at the reception desk. The exchange was perfectly fine. I was asked for my boarding pass and ID before being welcomed into the lounge.

Final Thoughts

Terminal 4’s Plaza Premium Lounge is a great option for those who are flying with an airline that doesn’t have its own lounge at the terminal.

While I found the previous SkyTeam Lounge in this space to be a great lounge, the new lounge’s fresh look and apron views take Plaza Premium’s Terminal 4 offering to the next level.

My only criticism is that it doesn’t open early enough. An opening time of 4:30 a.m. in tandem with the opening of the security lanes would mean passengers wouldn’t have to hang around aimlessly in the terminal waiting for it to open.