You get unlimited food and booze in an airport lounge – but are they really worth the extra cash?
Most airports now have lounges that all passengers can use, for a fee of up to £40 per person - but are they any good?
TRAVELLERS flying from the UK's biggest airports can now access swanky, executive lounges for a fee of around £25 per person.
But an investigation has found that the food and facilities on offer are nothing more than mediocre.
Flyers can access airport lounges regardless of who they're flying with, and they are there to offer passengers a "pay-as-you-go escape", with free food and booze, magazines, better wi-fi and, in some cases, even showers and spa facilities.
Yet undercover reviewers from consumer group Which? inspected 17 airport lounges, from Birmingham's Aspire, to Gatwick's No1 South, and were left feeling extremely underwhelmed.
The average score given to the 17 lounges assessed was just 2.6 out of five.
MOST READ IN TRAVEL
Which? said the decor in the lounges was often "low-rent rather than ritzy", and the buffets were "basic."
It added: "Having paid an average of £25 to enter, the consensus was that you would need to eat and drink an awful lot to get your money's worth."
My Lounge at Gatwick's north terminal - which costs £18 if paid in advance or £24 at the door - was found to be the worst lounge, scoring just 1.5 out of five.
Reviewers warned that "the floor was grubby and the facilities were basic", with not enough chairs or sockets for laptops, and food that looked unappetising.
Edinburgh Aspire (£27 at the door), Heathrow Skyteam T4 (£40 at the door), Heathrow Aspire T5 (£40 at the door), Manchester Escape T1 (£28 at the door) and Manchester Aspire T2 (£23 at the door) all fared only a little better, with scores of two out of five.
Which? found that some lounges, such as Birmingham's Aspire, didn't even have standard facilities, such as toilets or showers.
The No1 lounge at Gatwick's south terminal earned the highest score at 3.5 out of five.
With an advance fee of £30 or on-the-door fee of £38, it was found by Which? to be "classy and comfortable" and "worth paying the little extra for."
The reviewers said: ";It’s bright and airy thanks to views of the runway from the windows that line one side of the room, and the decor feels modern and stylish."
London's Heathrow charged customers the most for access to its lounges, at £40 per person at the door for Skyteam T4 and Aspire T5.
Its two other lounges in terminals two and four charged £35 per person at the door.
All four lounges scored 3 out of 5 or less.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4094