The airport, for most people, can be a stressful experience. The hustle and bustle of the terminal building, lack of seating and people just getting in the way. Not to mention the prices for food and drinks! Back in October 2021, when I travelled WITHOUT a lounge, I was charged £22 for 2 pints of beer and two very basic sausage sandwiches! See the tragic photo below! With my BA flight ticket, I was fortunate to escape to the Escape Lounge, Manchester Airports, Terminal 1.
But do airport lounges relieve that stress, and are they worth the money? International travel is still on the bounce back since all the COVID restrictions, but here is my review of the Escape Lounge at Manchester Airport, Terminal 1, at 08:00am on a Friday in February 2022.
Access To The Lounge
Due to the flight ticket and the upgrade I got with British Airways, I was able to check the lounge out free of charge. However, if not included in your ticket, the lounge does offer a pre-booked package for £28.99 when booked in advance. Or a walk-up entrance fee is brought on the day for £30.00. So would this lounge of been worth up to £30 per person?
To access the Escape Lounge in Terminal 1, you take a left and head up a set of stairs as soon as you pass duty-free. Then turn right where you will see the other lounge, “Espire Lounge”. The Escape Lounge is just past that on the left-hand side.
When you enter, a staff member will welcome you at the front desk who will ask for a booking reservation or take payment for your stay. They will also ask if you have visited before. Suppose it’s your first time they will give you directions to what they have on offer and where everything is.
What They Have On Offer
A quick look at the Escape Lounge website gives a rundown of what they offer. Let’s break down what they promised on their website and what I got on my visit.
- Freshly Prepared Hot & Cold Food
- A Selection Of Beers, Wines And Spirits (Including Fizz)
- Unlimited Hot And Soft Drinks
- Free Wifi
- Flight Inforamtion Screens
- Mobile Chargeing Points
The Staff & The Service
To start, I found the staff to be fantastic. Whilst the lounge wasn’t bustling on my visit, the team of staff kept being proactive. Every time I had an empty glass or plate on the table, it was quickly removed and taken to the kitchen to be disposed of. Whilst there was not one member of staff standing behind the bar waiting, as soon as I, or another guest approached the bar, a staff member was there soon after to take people’s orders.
The staff would ask other guests and me about their day and the travel plans. They could not have been more friendly or helpful and did deliver excellent customer service.
Freshly Prepared Hot And Cold Food
During my time at the lounge, it was breakfast time. When I spoke to a staff member about food options, he said the best time to fly and enter the lounge is 10am, because you get the cross over between breakfast till 11am and lunch, so getting the best of both. While most of us don’t plan our flight based on an airport lounges food menu, it’s something to remember if booking a late morning flight.
The food for breakfast was lovely and of good quality, with plenty of options for self-service hot English breakfast that was replenished regularly with a choice of bread and baps. Items included sausages, bacon, beans, scrambled eggs, mini potato hash browns and tomatoes. The continental options included a range of fresh pastries and a selection of cereals and yoghurts.
Personally, I wish they had an omelette station and some American-style pancakes. But the food that was offered was tasty and to a good standard.
A Selection Of Beers, Wines And Spirits (Including Fizz)
The choice of alcoholic drinks at the lounge caters pretty much for everyone, whilst not the most premium selection it was a good range of drinks. I had no problem getting as many alcoholic beverages as I wanted from the staff., I had five alcoholic drinks in total. However, the website does have a fit to fly scheme regarding alcohol consumption. You don’t want to be offloaded from your flight because you appear too intoxicated at the boarding gate.
Spirits
- Gordon’s Gin
- Gordon’s Pink Gin
- Smirnoff Vodka
- Bell’s Whisky
- Baileys Irish Cream
- Brandy
- Captain Morgan White Rum
- Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
- Captain Morgan Dark Rum
Wines
- House White
- House Red
- House Rosé
- Volaré Sparkling Wine
Beers
- JW Lees Original Lager
- Manchester Pale Ale
- Guinness
- Tetley’s Smooth
- Heineken 0%
- Strongbow Cider
Unlimited Hot And Soft Drinks
As the name suggests, it’s UNLIMITED, so you can go and help yourself as much as you like. The self-service coffee machines offer a range of offices, teas and hot chocolates. Why not ask the bar to add a shot of bailey to your hot chocolate for that holiday treat!
The free pour soda machine offers the usual range of fizzy drinks and again is self-service from the machine at the end of the bar. Ice can also be requested from the machine or the bar staff.
Free Wifi
Crappy would be too kind a word for the Wi-Fi. It was basically nonexistent. I tried to load up a basic webpage like Facebook, and it took over 10 minutes to load up, and if I clicked on anything, another 10 minutes to semi-load a page with errors. An airport lounge that quotes on its website
“No need to worry about slow internet connections or time outs in the lounge, enjoy our fast and free wi-fi. Therefore, whether you would like to work, watch a film, or simply scroll on your Facebook page, you can do so without limit.”
https://escapelounges.com/uk/
The lounge does fall short of the mark and needs a lot of extra investment for WIFI. I asked the staff members, and they did confirm it is sometimes hit and miss, and after reading several reviews online, it seems people are disappointed with this free service which I’m sure people outside the UK who don’t want to use data roaming would rely on.
Flight Inforamtion Screens
Dotted around the lounge are several flight information screens for departing flights. When entering the lounge, the reception staff did inform us that audio announcements would not be made. If you get anxious about making the gates and don’t want to keep checking your airline’s mobile apps, it might be a good idea to get a seat near one of these screens. Most gates are a maximum of 15 minutes’ walk from the lounge, which isn’t too far.
Mobile Chargeing Points
There are plenty of plugs throughout the lounge to charge your laptops and mobile devices. The lounge also has a limited number of extra charges for a selection of phones which they lend out free of charge to anyone that might not have their charger. Just ask at reception.
Overall
I had a really good experience at the lounge. It was quiet. The food was fresh and I was allowed as many drinks as I wanted from the bar. It would have cost me a lot more in the main terminal for that experience and I would have also been in the main crowds at Manchester Airport. For me, it’s a no brainer and I would 100% recommend an airport lounge if you know you ant food and a few drinks before boarding your flight, with a quiet and relaxing experience. Just don’t expect the internet to work!
