British Airways Galleries South Lounge (Heathrow Terminal 5)
TRIP REPORT: More Passenger Innovations in Hamburg
In this week of passenger experience fun:
- Back to Hamburg Again. And yes, keeping it simple
- To Heathrow Airport with FlixBus and Terminal 5
- British Airways Galleries South, Terminal 5
- BA964 London Heathrow to Hamburg (Club Europe – New Configuration)
- The joy of the European Entry/Exit System and into Hamburg
- The Ibis Budget St Pauli (Refurbished)
- A walk through the Hamburg Dom Fair (Spring Fair)
- What you might have missed from Aircraft Interiors Expo 2026
- Off the Camera Roll – Exploring Hamburg during the quiet moments
- Escape from the Messe and Return to Hamburg Airport
- Hamburg Airport Lounge and European Entry/Exit System queues
- BA969 Hamburg to London Heathrow (Club Europe – Old Configuration)
- A Luggage Mess and a Messier Coach Ride Home
- Continued Innovation
Negotiating my way up the escalators (noting the down one was out of order, that lead back to the departures level), I headed to the British Airways Galleries South Lounge.
One of these escalators is not like the other.
I had selected the South Lounge in the main terminal for this flight, mainly because that was the direction the aircraft was taking off from, and there’s a reasonable window view. Well, that’s the hope. The reality was a lot different as cleaning windows isn’t in the bill at Heathrow Terminal 5.
We can but hope.
Of course, I’m heading to the Galleries lounge, which is on the top deck of the BA South Lounge Complex. At least I’d see the A380 and Horselamp.
Horselamp: I thought you were too poor to be here? Go away with thee!
British Airways Galleries South Lounge
After being admitted to the lounge, I headed to a window bay and found a recently vacated seat. That would do for my visit. At least there was power at the seat (both mains and wireless charging points).
Pappa was a rolling stone.
I doubt that neck pillow ever made it back to its original owner.
Setting down my trash, I headed over to the food and beverage offerings to grab breakfast and see what innovations British Airways has brought.
Compactness is the innovation they brought here, it seems.
To the food
In the past, there used to be two islands – one for hot items, one for cold. It seems that BA have shrunk some of its breakfast offerings to offer both (with the content of both islands repeated).
Under the hot laps
Amazing. Apples without plastic wrap on them. Someone should inform lounge operators in the USA that this is a possibility in life.
Cold to the left, hot to the right.
Cerials
Breads
Pastries
That allows for faster passenger flow through the food areas, but it does lead to the question… what did BA cut to get to this point?
Hmm.
At least the Club team know how to serve up a good breakfast, with all the usual hot favourites there (although people were consuming stuff as fast as it was being put out)
There were also bubbles. Which pleases me as bubbles mark the start of a trip, or something exciting in life.
The vanuted Silver Bar
Wine
Spirits
As well as that, I went through enough water fill-ups, canned ginger ale and so on, too. Because life isn’t about constant alcohol.
Coffee, Tea or me?
Moderation is everything.
As for the views… I did see aircraft taking off… but given how high they had climbed by reaching the lounge, I wasn’t impressed with the results.
United Airlines Boeing 767-300ER
British Airways Boeing 777-200ER
Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-400ER
Riyadh Air Boeing 787-9’s “Technical Spare”
With the flight to Hamburg going from Gate A22, for once, I had selected the right lounge to wait out the departure. Sometimes, deities do smile upon me.
I’d have more to smile about when boarding the aircraft.
Heading out of the lounge, there was a delay waiting for a lift (as the downward escalator was out, and no option to take the stairs was possible),
Gate A22 had filled up by the time I arrived, with a mixture of old and new faces there. This was definitely an airshow shuttle at this point, with a lot of priority customers in the queues (as is always the case with airshow shuttles – people want to get to the destination, do their thing and get the heck out).
BA started pre-boarding its zone 0 passengers, then got the zone one passengers to load up. Let’s put it like this: they filled the premium line (which I was at the back of) and the entire economy Group 3-7 queue.
This is a “premium heavy” flight, to put it bluntly. With the queues growing, the ground crew allowed boarding of Group 1. Thus, the queues moved at speed (as we were all self-scanning).
Soon enough, it was my turn to scan. With a satisfying blip, I was able to board.
Next:
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This is a different Horselamp, no? Son of Horselamp? Horsebuttlamp? Some strange mutant bred at someplace with either questionable scientific ethics or very high silliness levels like, say, Diddly Squat Farms?
And no, I don’t understand the American propensity to wrap apples in certain situations. I guess maybe they think it’s more hygenic, since there’s really nowhere to rinse apples off? Yet the rest of the world, and even in the US in other contexts, doesn’t seem to suffer from apple-borne illnesses to any unnerving degree. Or maybe it’s so that if you nick one and put it in your bag, then inadvertantly crush it, the plastic helps reduce the mess? But if so, does this say Americans are just very clumsy with fruit and hand luggage?
This requires a study.
It’s the same old Horselamp. They have just got a fancy horse-coat on, being fancy-smancy that Horselamp has always been (I’ve been reliably informed the coat is… expensive, to put it mildly).
This is what happens when Horselamp dines on Avios and the tears of those who no longer qualify to feed it.
As for the Apples… sigh. I’ve seen them wrapped in AA and guest lounges, but not around the rest of the world. I guess one less liability to worry about.
Although the worst I saw was at a Hudson news once, with an apple wrapped, then put in a tray, and another wrap over the top, so they could put a barcode on it straight.
There is such a thing as overkill.