New Aspire lounge, used by British Airways, opens at Belfast City Airport

The newly extended Aspire lounge has opened at Belfast City Airport.

This is the lounge used by British Airways for its premium and status passengers and it is also part of the Priority Pass and DragonPass lounge card programmes.

The lounge can also be used by Aer Lingus and KLM passengers who have suitable elite status or a qualifying ticket.

Aspire has invested £1.2 million in the new site.

The lounge has been able to grow because Aspire has extended into the space which became available when British Airways decided to close its lounge.

(We believe that history is about to repeat itself at Newcastle, where Aspire is rumoured to be planning an extension into the old British Airways space.)

The new capacity is 178 people, an increase of 70.

The original Aspire space has been refurbished to match the extension, creating a unified space. Direct boarding to British Airways flights remains.

Aspire said in a statement:

“We are excited to unveil our new Aspire Lounge at George Best Belfast City Airport which showcases the Aspire brand and the rich culture of Belfast and beyond. The new lounge offers business travellers, families and individuals a welcoming, relaxing and energising experience before their flight, in a comfortable lounge that is recognisably Aspire, with a distinct sense of place.

“Guests can enjoy an enhanced food and beverage offering, work from purpose-built booths, or relax and soak up the view of the airfield and the surroundings.”

Access to the lounge for anyone who cannot get in for free is available for £36.99 via the airport website. It is cheaper at £31.99 from Lounge Pass.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (January 2024)

Here are the four options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta Air Lines and Eurostar lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.