The Lomond Lounge, Glasgow Airport
The flight was booked for this particular trip to the US for about two months and I knew that Glasgow Airport had just opened their new 'Lomond Lounge,’ making it the fourth at the airport along with the British Airways, Emirates and the independently run Upperdeck Lounge. In my own hyper organized way I was packing on the Saturday night before my early Sunday morning flight to Heathrow and just before I tried to get some sleep before the hellish 4:30 alarm I remembered I hadn’t booked into the lounge yet. Not a problem really, it took two minutes to book online. £35 later I was in. My head hit the pillow and before I knew it I was stepping into the taxi at 5:45.
Arriving at the airport, dazed by how early It was, I don’t remember the last time I saw 6am on a Sunday, the lounge is the first thing you come to after the maze of duty free booze and perfume. I was greeted at the door and told I could sit wherever I fancied as, like I say, it was before 7 on the Lord’s day of rest, but then again, airports never sleep.
Coffee was first on my agenda, but on offer to me was a staffed bar and kitchen, with a wide variety of cooked breakfast options as well as a continental buffet. I was spoiled for choice. I opted for eggs benedict because I couldn’t quite face a full Scottish Breakfast yet. The Benedict was delicious, Ayrshire ham or you can also go eggs Royale with some smoked salmon if you prefer. I was also sorely tempted by their cocktail menu that included some signature drinks created for the lounge. But booze was not the life I wanted to lead at the start of 18 hours of travel.
It’s a warm and relaxing lounge, there’s a lot of space and a range of seating to choose from. Almost every seat gives you access to a 13amp or USB plug and there’s a ‘business suite area' if you enjoy replying to emails while sipping on a free glass of wine. You can also choose from a host of magazines and newspapers along with a humongous TV showing the news. The lounge very much geared towards the business traveler but not in a way that’s off putting; I felt welcome and looked after throughout.
Are for-pay lounges worth it at airports?
So, here’s the thing. It depends. If you have 4+ hours to kill in Heathrow or O’hare and you don’t like the runaround of a busy terminal then yes, why not. But at those huge connecting ports the lounges will almost definitely be busy too and you can pay upwards of £50 for, not very much, it totally depends where you are and the time of day.
Would I return to the Lomond Lounge?
Yes, absolutely. I had about two hours to kill and what would I have done in that time? Bought coffee, breakfast and been drawn in by the temptations of duty free shopping. So from a cost-front it’s not much different to the amount I might spend on things outside the space. Cost aside, I would go back again because I had a great time, wonderful views of the airfield and was well fed. What more could you want?
