LIS-LHR
Arriving at the airport a couple of hours prior to our 18:45 scheduled departure, check-in formalities were completed promptly at the Club Europe desk, with Fast Track security having next to no queue. BA use the third party ANA lounge at LIS; at first glance, one might be forgiven for getting excited at the prospect of spending time in a premium Star Alliance airline’s lounge, but alas this lounge has no relationship with the Japanese airline of the same name. Instead, the lounge, as with the airport itself, is operated by Vinci Airports and, despite being large and offering an apron view, is pretty basic.
Located a level above the main departure lounge and adjacent to the TAP Premium lounge, the ANA lounge is one large square space, split into predominately two unequal halves; a buffet and self-service bar take up a third of the lounge to the left, with predominately armchair-based seating in the right two thirds. Two refreshment stations at either end of the lounge supplement the bar with hot and soft drinks. Catering is the usual limited and unappetising third party offering, whilst the armchairs are of the annoying swivel type, set too close to each other to offer any privacy or respite from unwelcome bumps.
In a more unusual feature for a third party lounge, semi-private booths with sofas and reading lights are offered along one wall, although these were all occupied on our visit and, as with the rest of the lounge, did not appear to be very comfortably furnished.
Both washrooms and showers are available in the lounge, the latter being chargeable at EUR15.50 (although I’m not sure whether this fee would be waived for premium airline passengers as opposed to walk-in fee-paying passengers). Judging by the state of the washrooms, I shudder to think of how the shower experience would pan out.
The overall design aesthetic of the lounge is a little utilitarian to put it politely, with an unhealthy use of cheap pinewood throughout.
Whilst the lounge’s floor to ceiling windows are welcome, the building’s brise soleil was not doing a great job of deflecting sunlight the evening we were there. The TV area is particularly puzzlingly designed, with the TV image projected onto multiple dropped ceiling partitions, creating a huge dark mass in the centre of the lounge.
Positively, power sockets are located at fairly regular intervals between seats, although there are no USB ports.
Despite its failings, the ANA lounge is a world away from the tiny Blue lounge, fashioned out of an airport corridor, that BA used on my previous departure from LIS in 2014.
We travelled home aboard G-TTOE, one of the few A320s in BA’s fleet to feature an IFE system. Originally designed to be deployed on the longest of the Band 4 routes (Athens, Istanbul and Larnaca) alongside shorthaul-configured 767s, these A320s used to offer main screen entertainment to all passengers, and consequently feature in-seat channel selector and volume controls. The system was not removed during refurbishment of these aircraft with the Pinnacle seating product, despite IFE ceasing to be offered on shorthaul routes just a few years after this seating’s introduction in 2014. The aircraft we flew on that evening had been delivered new to GB Airways in 2002, transitioning to easyJet in 2008 before joining the BA fleet in 2009.
Presumably due to a fuller cabin, a bar service was not offered prior to dinner, unlike on the outbound flight. The menu on our flight this evening was, predictably, the same as that on my return from Madrid the month before. The starter of cherry tomato and mozzarella salad was not to my personal taste and was a little basic. Thinking it was time for a change from what would’ve been my third sampling of the baked risotto, I opted for the grilled North Atlantic cod, Mediterranean tomato and caper sauce, ratatouille and fennel mousseline.
I’d sampled this dish earlier in the year returning from Stockholm, and whilst not one of my favourite Club Europe dishes due to its saltiness, it is still a filling and satisfying choice. The lemon curd crumble with meringue, on the other hand, was low quality and disappointingly forgettable, although the celebration of British cheese (Croxton Manor Mature Cheddar and Somerset Brie cheese with apple pear chutney and crackers) was surprisingly decent.
That’s it for this trip – my second visit to Lisbon, one of Europe’s more relaxed cities. Thank you for reading and, as usual, comments and questions are welcomed.