The Emirates Lounge at Gatwick North is the best-provisioned lounge in the terminal — a 1,590 square metre combined Business and First facility designed to handle a full Emirates wide-body load, with a buffet that meaningfully outperforms everything else in the corridor, a self-serve champagne bar, and complimentary showers. Its limitation is fundamental: two daily operating sessions aligned to Emirates flight times, and restricted access that covers Emirates ticket holders and Skywards Gold/Platinum members only. No Priority Pass, no Amex Platinum, no walk-in. If you qualify, it is the clear first choice at Gatwick North. If you do not, it simply does not feature in the planning.
At a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Terminal | North Terminal — same lounge corridor as No1, Clubrooms, My Lounge, Plaza Premium |
| Access — Ticket | Emirates Business Class or First Class boarding pass (same-day flight from Gatwick North) |
| Access — Status | Emirates Skywards Gold and Platinum members travelling on a same-day Emirates flight |
| Priority Pass | Not accepted |
| Amex Platinum | Not accepted |
| Cash walk-in | Not practically available — contact Emirates directly for any exceptions |
| Opening Hours | Two daily sessions: approximately 7:00am–2:30pm and 6:45pm–9:45pm (flight-driven — verify at emirates.com before travel) |
| Food | Full hot and cold buffet; above average standard for an outstation airline lounge |
| Bar | Self-service; wine, beer, spirits, and champagne all included |
| Showers | Yes — complimentary |
| Children | Permitted |
| Wi-Fi | Complimentary; business centre with desktop computers available |
| Direct gate boarding | No — you must walk to the departure gate; factor this into departure timing |
| Size | Approximately 1,590 sqm; 255 seats |
Location & Getting There
The Emirates Lounge is co-located with all other independent lounges in the Gatwick North lounge corridor. After clearing security and passing through duty free, turn left and follow the signs for Gates 45–55 and 101–113. Do not take the escalators — follow the corridor underneath them, then turn right. The lounge cluster — Emirates, No1, Clubrooms, My Lounge, and Plaza Premium — is signposted together from this point. The Emirates Lounge is on the corridor level.
There is no direct gate boarding from the Emirates Lounge at Gatwick — an unusual gap for an Emirates facility. Departure gates at Gatwick North are spread across a significant distance, and Emirates flights tend to use the further gates. Leave the lounge with more time than you would expect to need.
Access Routes
The Emirates Lounge operates on two daily sessions aligned to the departure schedule, not continuously. If your Emirates flight is not within one of the two operating windows — roughly morning and evening — the lounge will not be open. Always verify the current session times at emirates.com before travel; the windows shift with the schedule. Skywards status holders travelling on a non-Emirates carrier on the same day will not qualify for entry — access requires a same-day Emirates flight.
| Route | Detail | Guest Policy | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emirates Business Class | Same-day Emirates boarding pass in Business Class departing Gatwick North. | 1 guest | Included in fare |
| Emirates First Class | Same-day Emirates boarding pass in First Class departing Gatwick North. No separate First Lounge — all eligible passengers use the same combined facility. | 1 guest | Included in fare |
| Skywards Gold | Access when travelling on a same-day Emirates flight from Gatwick North, any cabin. | 1 guest | Free with status |
| Skywards Platinum | Access when travelling on a same-day Emirates flight from Gatwick North, any cabin. | 1 guest | Free with status |
| Priority Pass | Not accepted | — | N/A |
| Amex Platinum / DragonPass | Not accepted | — | N/A |
| Cash / walk-in | Not available as standard | — | N/A |
The Lounge
Emirates outstation lounges follow a recognisable global formula — cream and beige tones, leather seating, a signature Rolex world-clock wall display, and a central buffet — and Gatwick is consistent with that template. The lounge is large by any North Terminal comparison: at around 1,590 square metres and 255 seats, it is designed to absorb a full A380 business class cabin. The layout is U-shaped, with a main central zone and secondary seating areas extending around the far end that offer marginally more seclusion than the entrance section. The overall design is corporate and neutral — functional and certainly not austere, but lacking warmth or personality relative to Plaza Premium upstairs or even the Clubrooms below.
A business centre is available with desktop computers and dedicated laptop workstations. Charge points are available in the business centre area but are not well-distributed across the main seating floor — if charging is important, settle near the business centre. The absence of direct gate boarding is worth noting: Gatwick North’s gate layout means departure walks can be significant, and Emirates flights tend to use gates at the further end. Build this into your departure timing and leave earlier than you would at an airport with airside jetbridge access from the lounge.
Food & Drink
The buffet is the Emirates Lounge’s clearest advantage over every other option in the North Terminal corridor. Emirates operates at a higher outstation lounge standard than the independent contract lounges, and Gatwick reflects this across both operating sessions. The morning session features a full cooked English breakfast, continental options, fresh fruit, and hot dishes; the afternoon and evening session moves to a more substantial spread including hot mains, cold mezze-style plates, salad, cheese, and dessert. Presentation is notably above contract lounge standard — dishes are clearly labelled, hot items are properly maintained, and cold items are pre-plated rather than self-served from bulk trays.
Champagne is available on a self-pour basis from the bar — included without supplement, which is unusual for an outstation lounge at this tier. Wine, beer, and spirits are all included. The spirits selection is functional rather than curated, but coverage is adequate. Shower facilities are complimentary and have attracted broadly positive feedback, though cleanliness consistency has been noted as variable at peak periods — a common pattern at high-utilisation airline lounges. Request shower allocation at reception on arrival rather than waiting.
How It Compares
For passengers who qualify, the Emirates Lounge is the correct first choice at Gatwick North by a clear margin — better food, more space, complimentary champagne, and showers that no independent lounge in the corridor offers. For everyone else, it is not an option. Its narrow operating window means it also does not feature for most North Terminal departures: the terminal is heavily used by easyJet, TUI, Jet2, and other leisure carriers whose passengers and schedule windows fall entirely outside the Emirates session hours. The lounge’s relevance is therefore highly specific — outstanding for those it serves, invisible for the majority of terminal users.
A well-provisioned airline lounge that delivers reliably on the things that matter — food, bar, showers, space — without any particular design ambition. For Emirates passengers and Skywards Gold/Platinum holders, it is the best lounge in the terminal by a meaningful margin and the decision requires no deliberation. For anyone else, it simply is not accessible. The two-session operating model and absence of direct gate boarding are the operational caveats worth planning around; everything else is straightforward.
