Edinburgh Airport lounge's rating downgraded for 'work canteen' lunch menu
Plaza Premium to “actively review” improvements for being below standard
Air travellers tempted to splash out on airport lounges are warned that many are “expensive and lacklustre” - as one at Scotland’s busiest airport was downgraded in the latest survey by consumer group Which?
The body advised passengers to consider whether choosing an airport restaurant or bar would be better value for money because lounge standards had slipped while prices had “rocketed”.
The verdict came as Which?’s latest annual survey rated the Plaza Premium lounge at Edinburgh Airport as three star compared to four stars a year ago. Its advance booking price is £44.
Escape, another lounge at the airport, which costs £40, was given three stars. It wasn’t assessed last year.
The Northern Lights lounge at Aberdeen Airport (£36) was awarded three stars, but not surveyed last year. The lounges were checked between July and September.
Also included in the latest Which? report, but surveyed last year, was the Lomond Lounge at Glasgow Airport, with two-and-a-half stars, and Aspire at Inverness Airport, with two stars.
Four stars denote “an excellent lounge, above average”, while three stars are for “a solid lounge that meets expectations” and two stars for “an adequate lounge with room for improvement”.
The ratings were based on facilities such as as toilets and showers, runway views, designated quiet areas and spaces for families, and the food and drink selection.
Which? said only one in three of the 28 lounges checked at airports across the UK were given three stars or more. The only one-star rating - “well below average” - was given to Club Aspire in terminal 5 at Heathrow.
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A spokesperson for Which? said of Plaza Premium at Edinburgh Airport: “We really liked the breakfast when we visited in 2024, but were less impressed by the lunch this time.
“This year, we loved the fact the Plaza Premium has great provision for kids - with table football, an air hockey table and even a small climbing wall. But, crucially, this was in a separate room to the quieter bar area for adults.
“We visited at midday in 2025 and were less impressed by the lunch options - Thai curry, pasta bake, salad, all reminiscent of a work canteen - than we were by the Scottish breakfast, including haggis, that we'd had in 2024.”
Plaza Premium admitted improvements were needed, which it would “actively review”.
The lounge’s spokesperson said: “We are committed to continuously improving our service offerings in each location and we truly value every piece of feedback we receive from our guests.
“We acknowledge that there were elements of our offering on this occasion that were not up to the standards expected from our lounge in Edinburgh, and we will actively review how we can improve each aspect to ensure that they reflect the experience and quality that we strive for.”
Inverness Airport manager Dan Mason said its customer reviews had rated its lounge as “very good”.
Which? said average lounge prices had increased by more than two thirds from £25 in 2017 when it began the surveys to £42, and no longer included services such as showers.
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