No1 Lounge at Gatwick South is the main Priority Pass option in the terminal, the largest independent space, and — on a quiet weekday morning — a genuinely good lounge with strong natural light and a solid bar. It is also one of the hardest independent lounges in the UK to get into during peak periods. A significant portion of capacity is purchased in bulk by airlines without their own Gatwick lounge, and walk-in Priority Pass cardholders are routinely turned away without a pre-booking during summer weekends and busy morning slots. The £6 pre-booking fee via the PP reservation system is effectively mandatory at those times — and it bundles fast-track security, making it good value regardless.
At a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Terminal | South Terminal — same level as security; go left, follow mezzanine, past No1 reception. Do not take the escalators down. |
| Priority Pass | Accepted — pre-booking strongly recommended (£6 pp via PP reservation system; includes fast-track security) |
| Amex Platinum | Accepted via Priority Pass — same pre-booking advice applies |
| Cash Rate | Approximately £34 per person (pre-book at no1lounges.com; walk-in higher and subject to availability) |
| Opening Hours | Approximately 4am–9pm daily (verify at no1lounges.com) |
| Food | Hot and cold buffet; à la carte items may be available on quieter visits |
| Bar | Full bar; most drinks included; some premium items at charge; cocktails available |
| Showers | No |
| Children | Permitted |
| Wi-Fi | Complimentary |
| Pre-booking | £6 pp via PP reservation system — includes fast-track security; book well in advance in summer |
Location & Getting There
No1 Lounge is on the same level as security at Gatwick South — do not take the escalators down to the main concourse. From security, take the corridor to your left, which leads directly onto the mezzanine level. No1 and Clubrooms share a reception desk; once through, a short ramp leads up into the main No1 space. Club Aspire and My Lounge are encountered first, slightly before No1’s reception desk, on the right as you enter the mezzanine area. The BA lounges are further along the same corridor and require a lift up one additional floor.
Access Routes
Pre-booking for £6 per person via the Priority Pass reservation system is close to mandatory at Gatwick South, particularly at weekends and in summer. The pre-booking includes fast-track security — which at a busy Gatwick South morning can be worth as much as the lounge itself. If you cannot get a booking at your preferred time slot, try a slot 30–45 minutes earlier; the system may show availability there even when the preferred window is showing full. My Lounge next door also accepts PP with a £6 pre-booking fee and is worth knowing as a fallback.
| Route | Detail | Guest Policy | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority Pass | All Priority Pass variants accepted including Amex Platinum-issued cards. Pre-booking strongly recommended — available via the Priority Pass app or website. | Guests per card terms | Free with card; £6 pp pre-booking fee includes fast-track |
| LoungeKey | Accepted — typically issued with premium bank or corporate travel cards. | Per card terms | Per card terms |
| DragonPass | Accepted | Per card terms | Per card terms |
| Lounge Club | Accepted — issued with some Amex Gold cards as complimentary passes | Per pass terms | Per pass terms |
| Cash / walk-in | Available subject to capacity. Pre-book online for best rate (~£34); walk-in rate is higher and not guaranteed. | N/A | ~£34 pre-booked; higher walk-in |
| Airline status / ticket | No direct airline partnerships — this is an independent lounge. Airline J class passengers without their own lounge may access No1 via bulk airline agreements, which is one reason the lounge reaches capacity so often. | — | Via airline arrangement |
The Lounge
No1 Lounge at Gatwick South is the largest of the independent lounges in the terminal — an open-plan, high-ceilinged space with strong natural light from generous windows along one wall, giving views out towards the parked British Airways aircraft on the apron. The design is contemporary and considerably more polished than the basic contract lounge standard: varied seating zones including dining tables, armchair groupings, a full-length bar, and a casual seating area make the space versatile for solo travellers, couples, and groups. A short ramp from the reception leads up into the main floor, which gives the space a slightly elevated feel relative to the corridor level.
Capacity is the lounge’s defining practical problem. Airlines without their own Gatwick South lounge purchase bulk access and send entire business class cabins into No1 — China Airlines’ evening A350 departure has historically been a significant contributor, and is not the only example. When a large group arrives simultaneously, the buffet depletes rapidly, noise rises, and the sense of exclusivity the lounge is designed to project evaporates. At calmer times — early mornings on weekdays, or late in the evening after the last batch of long-haul departures — the lounge is a genuinely pleasant and airy place to spend an hour. It is simply unreliable at peak periods in a way that the smaller Club Aspire next door is not.
Food & Drink
The buffet runs throughout operating hours with a hot and cold selection rotating between breakfast and an all-day format. Morning options include cooked items, pastries, cereals, yoghurt, and fruit; later in the day expect hot mains, salads, sandwiches, and soup. On quieter visits, à la carte ordering — nominally a feature of the No1 format — may be available; at busy periods the lounge operates on buffet-only service and the kitchen defaults accordingly. Quality is functional and adequate — a contract lounge standard — and the food has attracted consistent comment that it was better before the pandemic and has not fully returned to its pre-2020 form.
The bar is a genuine strength of the space. Most drinks are included without supplement: wine, beer, spirits, and soft drinks. Cocktails are available on request. A small number of premium spirits and wines carry an additional charge, but the standard offering is broad enough that this rarely matters in practice. The bar area is well-stocked and, at quieter times, well-staffed.
My Lounge is immediately to your right as you enter the mezzanine — before the No1 and Clubrooms reception desk. It also accepts Priority Pass with a £6 pre-booking fee and includes fast-track, and tends to be quieter than No1 with a simpler buffet and a small outdoor terrace. Club Aspire is in the same cluster but closes around 1pm. Clubrooms, co-located with No1 at the same reception, is the premium step up at £15 supplement — à la carte, adults only (12+), and almost always quiet.
How It Compares
Among the independent lounges at Gatwick South, No1 is the flagship: largest space, best-lit room, strongest bar, and the most comprehensive buffet. Club Aspire is a quieter alternative for morning departures but closes at 1pm. My Lounge is a viable fallback — simple, quieter, with an outdoor terrace. Clubrooms is the clear upgrade for those prepared to pay. For Priority Pass and Amex Platinum holders flying from Gatwick South without airline lounge access, No1 is the correct default — subject to securing a pre-booking, which should be done as early as possible.
The best-equipped independent lounge at Gatwick South, held back consistently by its own demand. At its best — early mornings on weekdays — it is a genuinely good lounge with excellent light, a solid bar, and enough food to constitute a proper meal. At its worst — summer weekends, long-haul evening departure windows — it is overcrowded, depleted, and noisy. Pre-book without exception, arrive earlier than your flight demands, and it will serve you well. For those who want to avoid the capacity lottery entirely, Clubrooms next door is the upgrade worth considering.
