Brussels (BRU) is Belgium’s largest airport. We review the best airport lounge if you fly in First or Business Class or have a Priority Pass or relevant credit card. We have also reviewed the best hotels in Brussels with club lounges in case this is what you are looking for.
Free Airport Lounge Access
If you have not paid for Business Class or First Class, you can access airport lounges for free if you have an unlimited Priority Pass or an Amex Platinum card. To get bonus referral points and advice on the Platinum American Express and other free lounge access credit cards, have a read of our best credit cards for luxury travel.
Brussels Airport has a central area with terminals and piers leading off the center like spider’s legs. These piers or terminals are labeled: A, B, and C. You can walk between the piers in the terminal so you can access all the lounges in the terminal once you are past security. The airport’s flagship airline is Brussels Airlines. There are also flights to the rest of Europe and America on airlines including Delta, United, Air Nippon, Lufthansa, and Air France.
1. Brussels Airlines Airport Lounge Pier B: The Suite
Emirates operates some of the best lounges worldwide, but it doesn’t have its own lounge at Brussels Airport. Its Business and First Class passengers get access to the Brussels Airlines lounge in Terminal B, called ‘The Suite’.
We experienced this lounge before our Emirates flight To Dubai. The Suite is a spacious rectangular room with floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the airport apron. The lounge is divided into three different areas:
A working area with desks to work on, a quiet zone reserved for passengers who like to relax in peace, and a reading corner, where you find loads of newspapers and magazines.
Food is available as a buffet in a separate room, next to the main lounge. Some snacks are amended according to when during the day you are visiting.
We visited the lounge during lunchtime, and the snacks comprised olives, cheese, several salads, soup, and a hot dish (meatballs with tomato sauce and rice). Belgian beer (including Leffe and Stella Artois) is also available in the buffet area.
Belgian spirit is reflected in ‘The Suite’ through Belgian beers, Belgian media, Belgian culinary specialties, and impressions of the surrealist art of René Magritte.
2. British Airways Oneworld Lounge Brussels Airport
Passengers on British Airways, Qatar, etc., have access to the Oneworld Lounge Brussels Airport if they are flying in Business or First. Oneworld airlines Gold Executive Club members, Silver Executive Club members, and Sapphire and Emerald members can also access this lounge. This is one of the best lounges at Brussels Airport, even though British Airways only has a handful of daily flights connecting Brussels with London.
The lounge layout is straightforward. It’s a fairly large, rectangular space with the reception area at its center. Several cozy sitting areas spread out along both sides of the reception, with some stained glass screens adding an extra level of privacy. One side of the lounge features a food station (with a continental breakfast on offer at 7:00 am), while the other side has a bar (with a gorgeous chandelier) and a self-service cafe.
Floor-to-ceiling windows stretch along the lounge’s entire length, offering great tarmac views (but not of the runway itself). The lounge’s design is similar to the one you find in all British Airways lounges worldwide, with colorful throne chairs and Osborne and Little exclusively designed fabric.
3. The Loft, Pier A
The Loft is a superb lounge located in Terminal A (Schengen gates), on the 2nd level. Passengers can access the Loft if they fly First or Business Class on Brussels Airlines and other Star Alliance member airlines.
The Loft is a stylish lounge with comfy black leather seats and pine and white furniture with universal power outlets throughout. There’s a business center and are nap rooms with starry ceilings courtesy of Panasonic. There are also 6 showers and a spa experience by Grohe.
The menu is designed by world-class chefs and is very good. For drinks, there’s an espresso machine, spirits, wines, and draft beers are available from brewer AB InBev.
Food is impressive and beautifully laid out in a circular buffet area with delicious hot dishes including ratatouille, rice, vegetable quiche, and whipped potatoes, plus cold cuts and cheeses, bread, pastries, cookies, and fruit.
4. Star Alliance Lounge at Pier B
We reviewed the Star Alliance Lounge at Pier B in Brussels Airport before a flight in Business Class on Etihad Airways in an Airbus A330.
Etihad does not have its own lounge at Brussels International Airport. Etihad’s Business Class passengers instead have access to the Star Alliance Lounge at pier B, managed by Brussels Airlines.
This lounge nothing special and not very big. It offers Wi-Fi, a business center, complimentary magazines and newspapers, and toilets, but there are only a minimal number of food items on display: some snacks (cheese & chips) and tasteless sandwiches. This is a massive contrast to Etihad’s impressive Premium Lounge at Abu Dhabi which I have also reviewed.
5. Sunrise Lounge
Star Alliance First or Business Class passengers can access the Sunrise Lounge, a smaller lounge near gate A/T72. This is a very sunny lounge in the morning, so it is nice in this respect, but the food offering is not great with mainly cold food and a limited range. Belgian beers, including Leffe and Stella Artois, are also available.
6. The Diamond Lounges, Pier A and B
There are two Diamond Lounges at Brussels Airport, the larger being the lounge in Pier B. Both lounges have lots of seating, with outlets and USB ports, and both are fairly basic. They can both be accessed by Priority Pass members and are also used by many non-Star Alliance airlines for their premium passengers.
These lounges’ look is dated (we don’t like the green walls either), but there is plenty of natural light and nice views out to the planes.
The buffet includes bowls of fresh salad and fruit salad, cheese and cold cuts, cookies, snack mix, cereal, croissants, bread, etc. Drinks include Belgian beers, wine, and spirits.
There are also bathrooms and a business center in each lounge.
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