One of the great pleasures in luxury travel is a trip through the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Wing, followed by a swift entry to the iconic Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow Airport. When Delta and Virgin Atlantic became joint venture partners, the pleasure extended even further, giving access to all top tier Delta flyers, and business class customers.
But London Heathrow Terminal 3, where these unique parts of the air travel experience exist, is currently closed, leaving many airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic and Delta without their own dedicated facilities. To create a temporary fix, Delta and Virgin Atlantic have found a new lounge home in T2.
Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2
In many ways, T2 is a step up for general travellers without lounge access, compared to facilities in Heathrow T3. Higher ceilings and more restaurant choices are a welcome start, and larger boarding gates help maintain social distancing to polish off the final experience.
But when it comes to VIP lounge access, few terminals in the world compare with T3, which offered a Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Lounge, Emirates Lounge, Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, American Flagship Lounge and more.
Nonetheless, a lounge is better than no lounge at all, and Virgin Atlantic, with Delta, will move into the Plaza Premium Lounge at London Heathrow T2, as of August 20th, 2020.
The lounge may not be the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, but after winning SKYTRAX awards in three consecutive years, and with a fresh refurb, it could be a lot worse.
Both Delta and Virgin Atlantic customers flying on an increasing number of daily flights will be eligible for free food and drinks prior to flight in the Plaza Premium Lounge T2. The facility is located after security, on Level 4, next to where transit security would be located. Basically, head into the terminal, stay left, and then head down.
Access to the Plaza Premium Lounge at Heathrow T2 will apply just as it would’ve in pre-pandemic times, with Delta frequent flyers with Gold status or above, and Virgin Gold or above eligible for access, along with any ticketed business class passengers.
So when will Heathrow T3 open again?
That’s the billion dollar question. Asking sources across Heathrow, Delta and Virgin, each offered a different take in regards to Heathrow Terminal 3 reopening, with most rumours suggesting October 2020 at the earliest, but some stating it may be 2021 before the lounge havens of T3 see passengers again.
For now, it’s lounge access as usual for Delta and Virgin Atlantic customers, albeit in a different space. If the food in the lounge isn’t up to scratch, the UK’s ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ scheme still applies to airport food, which brings £10 off per person for terminal dining.
