LHR T2 Lounges
 

Flying AZ from LHR next week. As a ST E+ I can use any Skyteam lounge I fancy, even if I'm in Y. What are my options?

I regularly use the AF lounge in T2, nothing fancy, but the standard AF lounge (without toilets, which are outside the lounge). I believe there is also an AZ lounge.

The AZ lounge is upstairs, near the LH and IB lounges (next to gate 3). It's small and basic, but quite nice (marble and leather, decent view). Coffee is good, although the machines are needlessly complex. Not good if you strongly dislike cigarette smoke, as the smoking area's not that well separated.

It's worth going to one of the two lounges, though, as T2 is grim and overcrowded. The only decent thing about it is the hopelessly slow Caffè Nero upstairs.

Oh, and always take the right hand queue at security. They often have two belts open here when they have only one on the left.

Otherwise, that's it. AF and AZ accommodate all the ST & friends pax between them. KL (actually an excellent lounge) is over in T4 and hence inaccessible to you.

Spot on remarks - the coffee was great, but the "smoking area" was annoying (why do people/organizations still believe that a room partition is an effective way of creating a smoking area?)

I have remark (as a ST newbie and a OW stalwart) that I found the AZ boarding procedure laughable! We were packing into the boarding area at LHR, which has seats sufficient for a third of the PAX and standing room sufficient for 2/3. The boarding call came for J and elite members. But there was no way to get through the throngs. And immediately after the boarding call for the first set of rows. But the clincher was that although there were boarding calls for different cabins and groups, there was no checking of BPs at the door - that had been done when entering the boarding area. So what is the point of calling cabins/groups? The entire throng of humanity tried to pile through the one door as soon as any boarding call was made!!

Thanks!
 

Thanks everyone for your comments.
I assume that I only need FF card and BP to enter the lounge, no invites and such rubbish, right?
And is there anything edible in either lounge? There's a decent chance I will have skipped breakfast and be absolutely starving!!!

No, no invitations needed.

IIRC, there were standard-issue pastries in the AZ lounge when I was there for an early MA flight. I'm not a morning person, though, so my memory is rather hazy.

I can't recall ever having any pastries in the AZ lounge at LHR - although it has to be said that I never fly out of there in the morning.

I echo the other comments here. At least the AZ lounge has a bathroom inside though. Also, two out of the last three times I've been in there, the AF lounge has been really, really overheated.

They'll also call your flight when it's ready for boarding in the AZ lounge, which they won't do in the AF one. It'll also be called when it's actually boarding as opposed to half an hour before hand or whenever the display indicates.

Foodwise, the AZ lounge will definitely contain: packets of small cheese biscuits, and mixed nuts; two different kinds of pre-packaged cake slice; and a couple of different kinds of prepackaged biscuits.

I think they actually go around the AF lounge, announcing to each passenger each flight as it gets ready for boarding. At least, that's my experience for the last 20 or so flights. It's also funny to hear a flight going to a destination which AF does not serve from LHR :) as AF opens its LHR lounge to some non-SkyTeam partners.

I don't think that they would announce an AZ flight in the AF lounge. Do they do the reverse in the AZ lounge ?