Exclusive: first review of the new Emirates lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 3

This is our review of the Emirates lounge in London Heathrow Terminal 3.

This is part of our series of reviews of airport lounges across the UK.  You see all of the reviews here.

Head for Points was specially chosen as the first media outlet to review the refurbished Emirates lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 on Saturday *.

* This is a complete lie.  We were passing through on holiday 🙂

The last time I reviewed the Emirates Heathrow Terminal 3 lounge, I described it as “looking like a 1980’s Holiday Inn”.  Has it improved?

As the lounge is still in the same place, my original criticism – that it is quite a walk from the shopping area and therefore not an easy place to leave and return to – is still valid.

Of course, my original key selling point – that you can board directly from the lounge and onto the top deck of an Emirates A380, with meeting any of those pesky economy passengers – is also still valid.

Everything is still in the same place, except for the model A380 which has moved from Gate 7 into the reception area downstairs.

Here is the new dining area:

The style is more Arabian than before:

The food is unchanged:

…. and even the circular food holders are unchanged:

Champagne is Veuve:

…. but more interesting is the wine selection.  When did you last see a bottle of white wine which sells at £60 per bottle in the shops freely available in a lounge?

Some key things have not changed:

There is still no dedicated First Class area

There is still no dedicated children or family area

There is still more than enough seating for everyone

The food offering is still substantially bigger and better than any British Airways Galleries Club or Galleries First lounge.  You won’t go hungry here.  It isn’t run to the same ‘restaurant quality’ level as the Qatar Airways Premium Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 4, but it remains well above average.

In conclusion …. this is very much ‘evolution and not revolution’ – but it was a very necessary ‘evolution’ given the previous condition.

Travelling from Heathrow Terminal 3? Here are your lounge options ….

Heathrow’s Terminal 3 has one of the highest concentration of premium lounges of any terminal in the world.

Our overview of the best airline lounges at Heathrow Terminal 3 is here, or you can read individual reviews of all the lounges here:

• American Express Centurion lounge review
• American Airlines Admirals Club lounge review (oneworld)
• American Airlines First Class lounge review (oneworld)
• British Airways Galleries First lounge review (oneworld)
• British Airways Galleries Club (business class) lounge review (oneworld)
• Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge review (oneworld)
• Cathay Pacific First Class lounge review (oneworld)
• Club Aspire lounge review
• Emirates lounge review
• No1 Lounge review
• Qantas London Lounge review (oneworld)
• Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse review

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How to earn Emirates Skywards miles from UK credit cards (January 2024)

Emirates Skywards does not have a UK credit card.  However, you can earn Emirates Skywards miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

Cards earning Membership Rewards points include:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 20,000 Emirates Skywards miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 40,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 40,000 Emirates Skywards miles

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 10,000 Emirates Skywards miles. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:1 into Emirates Skywards miles which is an attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 1 Emirates Skywards mile. The Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it.