Pictorial Lounge Review: NCL British Airways Terraces Lounge
 

Pictorial Lounge Review: NCL British Airways Terraces Lounge

Index to Genius1 Trip Reports

In early September I had the opportunity to visit BA’s lounge at Newcastle in a first-time trip to both the city and the airport. The lounge is located at gate level in the domestic area of the terminal building, one floor below the main departure lounge. This area is one way only so, if you need to, use the shops in the departure lounge before heading to the lounge.

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Essentially a single square, the lounge is intriguingly large for a non-premium heavy destination. Stepping through the understated entrance, there’s a small reception desk to the right complete with Terraces ‘sun’ logo projecting light above (sadly no longer working). Behind the reception desk is the area where the trademark Terraces fountain used to be (the original inspiration for the Terraces branding), removed in a recent partial refresh of the lounge. Along with seating, there’s also a news stand here.

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Adjacent to the former fountain area is the Larder, which features the usual domestic lounge selection for non-breakfast hours of soup, sandwiches, bread, crisps, fruit, cheese, crackers and biscuits. The lounge was reasonably well-tended, with empties being removed promptly. A few of the food items (such as the sandwiches) could’ve been re-stocked better, however. There are a handful of dining tables and chairs in this section of the lounge, with a few more in the Library. The wooden floor immediately in front of the coffee machine has been covered over with laminate, presumably as the wood has worn where everybody stands.

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To the left of the Larder are the washrooms; basic affairs that don’t seem to conform with the original Terraces concept, with Elemis hand wash and moisturiser. When I visited, they weren’t particularly well cared for.

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Moving around the lounge, once past the kitchen prep area and screened off storage area is the Combiz business centre with a number of PCs but not much free space if you want to use your own laptop here.

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Separating the business centre from the bar is the rather grandly titled Library. This is basically some open shelving with a handful of sorry looking dog-eared books, flanked by a couple of sofas. Perhaps in days gone by this area would’ve been a bit more useful, but today it doesn’t really serve any purpose.

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The World Wine Bar is the focal point of the lounge with the usual full selection of alcoholic and soft beverages BA lounges are known for, along with nuts. Sadly the wavy island bar’s base perimeter lighting no longer functions.

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The rest of the lounge is given over to numerous different seating clusters; traditional armchairs with a couple of wingback chairs in the centre. Tables are interspersed between the seats, the ones by the window (overlooking the walkway to the domestic gates and the airfield beyond) having integrated power sockets, although not all of them worked. There’s also a TV near the bar, another news stand and literature table, and two areas for luggage storage incorporating flight information screens.

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With the opening of the new EDI lounge in 2013, almost all of the furniture and table/floor lamps in the NCL lounge were replaced with items from the old EDI lounge. This is a motley mixture of, in the most part, re-upholstered Terraces pieces with Galleries style fabrics, along with a handful of new Galleries tables. For some reason BA decided not to remove the horrid multi-coloured section of carpet in the centre of the lounge below some equally odd chandeliers that were installed during the refresh; these items really clash with the rest of the lounge scheme.

The lighting scheme is fairly harsh, with the ceiling lights principally being basic office style lighting (recently upgraded to LED), with no use of softer targeted lighting as you would normally find in lounges.

That being said, I was impressed with this outstation lounge. It’s spacious and uncrowded, and despite being dated, is in good condition with plenty of different spaces to relax in. The art dotted around the walls of the lounge really enhances the space. My favourite feature, however, is this literature in the news stand behind the reception desk. Dating from the early 2000s, spot the mentions of ‘new’ post-9/11 security features, Concorde and the ‘new’ Molton Brown Travel Spas.

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Thank you for the review, Genius1. Love the old literature!

Although Newcastle is my closest airport, I’ve yet to actually visit the lounge (in spite of having walked past it in the corridor many times). Will have to fix that, now I have lowly status... :p

Great review ; looks very large
For me the make or break of a lounge is whether it has windows and a place to relax and watch the external aviation world
There is nothing worse than an internal room for a lounge!
I notice here are windows in your pic but interestingly you have not picked these out as a feature

The NCL lounge is very big, especially considering the number of flights per day and that tgese are usually well spaced out.

There are windows along one side but these look out on a corridor (which in turn acts as the path towards one of the gates) which is also glazed. If you wish to stand you can look out onto the apron 'through' the corridor to the BA stand. If you sit in that area you won't be able to see anything.

I would dispute this. I am originally from Newcastle and there is a lot of money in the north east. The last time I attended a street party on my Mum and Dad's road everybody was talking about the merits of EK vs. BA vs. VS in business class. All my Mum and Dad's friends fly in F or J.

Great review....looks a lovely quirky lounge.

Thanks squark. I wonder whether the literature will be removed any time soon!

Thanks, I mentioned the windows in the text but because the corridor runs between the lounge and the external windows, the view isn't great as madfish says.

Yes, hopefully the lounge won't be decreased in size if/when it is refurbished.

True, I just meant that CE loads tend to be low.

Thanks smokie36

I may be a little biased but I think it's actually a very nice lounge. It is spacious and even when busy doesn't seem overly crowded. I agree that you have to stand if you want to look out of the windows overlooking the domestic gates but there's a fair amount of natural light coming into the lounge which really helps. The staff are always very friendly and helpful too!

I also like this lounge. It's nice and light, staff are always friendly and the seating arrangements mean that, when the lounge is full (and there appear to be quite a number of status pax passing through NCL esp on the commuter flights) you don't feel like you're crowded in together.

My only disappointment is that they are no longer receiving stock of the yogurt coated honeycomb.... but that's probably for the best :)

It looks decent enough to me considering there are no connecting passengers to pamper.
Any Newcastle Brown Ale to be had?

I think it's a good lounge too. Would love to see a refurb to the new lounge concept, however.

Not sure! Was driving the other end.

I don't think so. What's even more regrettable is that it's not even brewed in Newcastle (or even - shock horror - Gateshead) any longer. Once brewing moved out of Newcastle it lost its protected status too!

Mind you, I actually preferred Vaux Double Maxim instead.

Oh dear, sorry to hear that.

First tasted it in Jarrow over 40 years and wondered what all the fuss was about. Not had it since although I'm sure I'd appreciate it more now.

Your supposed to pour it on your cornflakes for breakfast.

As a student I would arrive into Newcastle from the overnight National Express from London to the smell of malt wafting over the city from the brewery. A rather pleasant aroma.