Following my very nice flight in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class from Tampa, I had a few hours to kill before my next flight. Before heading over to Terminal 5, I paid a visit to the Virgin Atlantic Revivals Arrivals Lounge London Heathrow. Unlike the decidedly awful contract lounge in Tampa, the arrivals lounge feels more becoming of a premium product.
This post is a part of my trip report series covering my trip to Scotland in February, 2023. Click here for the trip report index and introductory post.
Virgin Atlantic Revivals Arrivals Lounge, London Heathrow
Location
After baggage claim and immigration in Terminal 3. After collecting your bags, simply follow the signs to buses/taxis/short stay car park/arrivals lounges.
Then, look for the signs for the Virgin Atlantic arrivals lounge.
Access
The following passengers receive access to the Virgin Atlantic Revivals Arrivals Lounge London Heathrow:
- Virgin Atlantic Upper Class and Delta One passengers arriving at London Heathrow
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold members when arriving on a Virgin Atlantic or Delta flight
- Delta SkyMiles Diamond and Platinum members when arriving on a Virgin Atlantic or Delta flight
- Virgin Australia Velocity Club Platinum members when arriving on a Virgin Atlantic flight
- Virgin Australia Velocity The Club cardholders when arriving on a Virgin Atlantic flight
Note that you must clear passport control to access this lounge. If connecting to another flight, in theory, you can still use this lounge. However, you’ll need to clear passport control, and then clear again to connect to your onward flight. In my case, I had a connecting flight within the UK, so I had to go through passport control anyway. Operating hours are 5 am until 12:30 pm daily.
Review
Date of visit: February 2, 2023
Upon arrival, a very friendly agent checked me in and offered to store my roller bag. With that completed, she welcomed me to the lounge and invited me to have a seat. Thanks to my relatively late arrival (about a quarter to eleven), I found plenty of seats for the taking.
First impressions – the lounge does seem a little long in the tooth. But the style is unmistakably Virgin, with a pastel of bright colors. Most of the seating consists of dining tables, though there are a few couches and loungers mixed in. It’s a relatively compact space, but with the sparse visitation at that hour, it felt quite spacious.
There are some windows on one side, but don’t get too excited. They don’t actually provide a view of anything meaningful. Nevertheless, the large windows do at least provide a decent amount of natural light. Very welcome during an English winter, needless to say.
There’s a rather oddly shaped couch that wraps around the back wall as well.
Meanwhile, there is a small bar at the front of the lounge. Since the arrivals lounge only serves breakfast, there’s no alcohol. You can, however, order soft drinks, juice, or coffee, including espresso drinks. The espresso drinks come from a push-button machine, though. So if you’re a coffee snob, consider yourself warned.
This lounge also features an increasingly rare amenity – a magazine rack, actually stocked with paper magazines.
Behind the bar are several restrooms with shower suites. Given the low load factors, you could just grab any one you wanted, though you’ll need to ask the attendant for a towel. The design feels a bit outdated, but they were maintained well, and were spotlessly clean. Apparently, Virgin used to offer free basic spa treatments for lounge guests, but it discontinued these a couple of years ago it seems. You can, however, ask to have your clothes pressed if desired.
Inside, you’ll find Virgin Atlantic’s standard-issue “Ren” toiletries.
Anyway, I settled in to a lounger by the windows and perused the breakfast menu. Or I guess really more of a brunch, since it was almost 11. The Revivals lounge offers menus via QR code at each table. I found the selection quite robust, including a traditional English breakfast (vegetarian option available).
After you click the order button, you’ll receive a confirmation with your selections.
About 10 minutes later, a server brought me my English breakfast. It was nicely presented, and very delicious. If you’re the type that prefers to sleep through breakfast on the flight, you’ll certainly get a nice meal here.
Virgin Atlantic provides WiFi to all guests, which was fast and free.
Virgin Atlantic Revivals Arrivals Lounge London Heathrow – Final Thoughts
This is an excellent arrivals lounge, certainly better than the British Airways Galleries Arrivals Lounge in T5. If you’re flying Virgin Atlantic into Heathrow, make time to stop in before heading on your way.