On this page (5 sections)
Who gets in
The British Airways lounges are the one part of the Gatwick lounge scene money cannot open. There is no day pass and no Priority Pass route; the only keys are your cabin and your frequent-flyer tier. Get the eligibility right before you travel, because unlike the pay-per-use rooms there is no paying your way in at the door if you have guessed wrong.
The Club lounge, the larger of the two, admits anyone flying British Airways business class, whether that is Club Europe on a short-haul flight or Club World on a long-haul one. It also admits British Airways Club Silver members and oneworld Sapphire members from any alliance airline, each travelling on a British Airways or oneworld flight, with one guest apiece. The First lounge sits a tier up: British Airways Club Gold and oneworld Emerald members, again with one guest each. In oneworld terms the mapping is the usual one, Sapphire to the business lounge and Emerald to the first lounge, so a partner-airline card of the right colour works here exactly as it would at Heathrow. A handful of partner-scheme rules cover narrower cases, and British Airways' own Gatwick page is the place to check an unusual itinerary. The plain version covers almost everyone: business-class ticket, or Silver, Gold, Sapphire or Emerald status.
The Club lounge and the First lounge
Two rooms share one reception, and which you turn into depends on your status rather than a separate booking. The Club lounge is the main space and where most eligible passengers end up: business-class flyers and Silver or Sapphire cardholders. The First lounge is the smaller room off the same entrance, reserved for Gold and Emerald members.
The quirk worth understanding is the First lounge's name. British Airways operates no first-class cabin from Gatwick, so nobody reaches this room on a first-class ticket, because none is sold here. In practice it is the top-tier status lounge, a quieter and slightly better-appointed room that Gold and Emerald members earn through loyalty rather than through the cabin they booked. If you hold that status it is the better of the two; if you do not, the Club lounge is the room, and it is a good one.
Where they are
Both lounges are in the South Terminal, which is where British Airways flies from at Gatwick, so if you are booked with the airline this is the terminal to head for; confirm it on your boarding pass anyway, and the which-terminal lookup settles any doubt. Lounges sit airside, past security, so allow for the queue before you count on lounge time.
From security you come out onto the mezzanine level above the main departure lounge; the British Airways reception is on that level, reached by lift, sharing the floor with the terminal's pay-per-use rooms. It is signed, but the landmarks around it shift with retail refits, so follow the lounge signage rather than a memorised shopfront. The wider layout of the level, and the four lounges you can book if the BA doors are not yours, are covered in the South Terminal lounge guide.
What it is like inside
The Club lounge is the strongest room at the South Terminal, and reviewers consistently rate it above British Airways' own Galleries lounges at Heathrow: calmer, less crowded and lighter, with plenty of natural light and a genuine range of seating, from sofas and loungers to booths that suit families and high stools for a quick bite before boarding. Drinks come from several self-service points around the room, with a spread of alcoholic and soft options, and the food holds up as a proper lunch or breakfast rather than a snack, close to what the bigger Heathrow lounges put out. There is a small semi-private corner for anyone who wants to shut the room out.
The First lounge trades size for calm. It is not a large room and its layout is open rather than compartmentalised, but it is well fitted, the crowd is thinner, and the champagne is self-serve and unlimited, which is rather the point. Neither room is a place to count on a shower or a bed; for those, Gatwick's routes are the Emirates lounge and the Sofitel's arrivals suite, both covered on the main lounges guide. What the British Airways rooms sell is a calm, well-fed, well-watered couple of hours before a flight, and on that they deliver.
No access? What to book instead
If your ticket does not open these doors, you have not lost much, because the alternatives sit on the same level and take anyone's money. The closest match in feel is Clubrooms, adults-only with hosted table service and Fast Track security included, from £44; the nearest in price is Club Aspire at £34, the cheapest lounge at Gatwick. No1 Lounge and My Lounge fill the middle, the latter with the terrace and games room. All four are compared in the South Terminal lounge guide, and the whole airport's set, both terminals, on the full Gatwick lounges guide.
One thing worth checking before you pay for a lounge at all: whether your British Airways fare already includes Fast Track security, which some premium and status products carry, since that is often the queue-skip people actually want and it comes free with a Clubrooms booking. And if you are weighing whether a oneworld card is worth chasing for lounge access, the Gatwick airlines guide shows which carriers here sit in the alliance and could earn you the status that turns these two rooms from a locked door into a default stop.