Take a look inside Luton Airport’s new No1 Lounge

Just before Christmas, No1 Lounges opened a new lounge at Luton Airport.

Last year No1 won the contract to operate the two lounges at Luton, formerly the Clubrooms and Aspire spaces. Confusingly, No1 Lounges is part-owned by Swissport which is also the 100% owner of the previous contract holder Aspire.

Whilst not a brand new space, it is a complete refurbishment of what used to be the Luton Clubrooms lounge, which never re-opened following covid.

Now that No1 Lounge is open, the larger Aspire Lounge has closed for a full refurbishment and conversion to No1’s informal My Lounge concept.

No1 kindly invited me airside to take a look at the lounge the day before it opened. When I arrived there were about 20 No1 staff and contractors adding finishing touches to the lounge, including completing the last bit of tiling around the buffet area. Some parts of the lounge were still definitely in a state of construction whilst others looked virtually finished.

As I wasn’t able to get good photos of the completed lounge due to the ongoing work we decided to wait for the official PR photos. Based on my visit these are a good representation of what the lounge looks like.

The lounge is designed with a maximum capacity of 70 people, which sounds like a lot until you step in the space and realise it is tiny.

This has got to be the smallest lounge I’ve ever been in, although to be fair some regional airports have similar sized spaces. The No1 team said they would run the lounge at lower capacity most of the time to keep things “comfortable”.

There is a small check-in desk at the entrance, screened off from the rest of the lounge for privacy:

It is divided into a number of different zones. On the left, you have the bar and buffet area. No1 is trialling a new servery concept here, featuring dedicated hot plates to keep food warm or cold. This is something that will be rolled out across other No1 Lounges too.

Next to the buffet is the staffed bar, standard for No1, where you can get free beers, wines and spirits (Champagne is at an extra cost.)

Along the dining area you’ll find a run of dining tables:

The rest of the lounge is dedicated to a variety of different armchairs, as you can see here:

At one end you’ll also find a long, cosy sofa bench:

Despite the small size, they’ve also managed to squeeze in a bathroom:

No1 has gone all-in on the design of the lounge with a range of complementary colours, fabrics and finishes. Despite the variety, it all works together, from the brown leather chesterfield armchairs to the stone tables and textured walls.

A lot has been done with the lighting, with ceiling lights, wall sconces and an inset gold ceiling light above the dining area. As Goldilocks would say, it is “just right” – not too dark or too bright. A single window also offers a glimpse of the outside world and makes the space feel less enclosed.

As the lounge wasn’t operational yet I didn’t see the food and drink offering – that will have to wait until my next flight from Luton.

Conclusion

Despite its size, the No1 Luton Lounge is welcome addition to the airport where lounge capacity if often limited.

The challenge, at least for the next few months, will be managing passenger demand whilst the larger Aspire lounge is refurbished and converted into a My Lounge. This is set to open before the summer holidays.

When it comes to fit and finish, you can’t complain: the No1 Lounge looks great. You can find it next to Gate 17, after the main terminal concourse.

In theory, it is accessible on Priority Pass and DragonPass, although you may struggle with availability over the next few months if you don’t book in advance (£6) on the No1 website.

Remember that American Express Preferred Rewards Gold comes with four free passes for any Priority Pass lounge (the card is also free for a year) and The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two Priority Pass, each allowing two people unlimited entry, so covering a family of four.

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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.