The secret airport lounges you can’t afford to visit

The feverishly watched Harry and Meghan documentary begins with the Prince filming himself in the Windsor Suite at Heathrow. This regally named room is not a part of the standard British Airways offering at the London hub – it’s part of the little-known world of secret airport lounges. 

The discerning flier might be forgiven for thinking that first-class lounges are the high point of luxury travel. Perhaps loyalty points have been slavishly saved up for those precious hours of free food and wine with a guaranteed armchair. More likely, access has been granted as a perk of upper-class travel. But regardless of how travellers find themselves enjoying smoked salmon at the airside breakfast buffet, they must reconcile themselves with the fact that there are even more exclusive private spaces in the airport. 

These secret suites are tucked away in private parts of terminals, allowing VIP passengers to sweep through separate check-in and security points without needing to shuffle in a long queue or traipse through a duty-free shop. Often, the journey to these lounges starts well before the airport is even in sight: private cars will transport high-end travellers directly from their front door to one of aviation’s inner sanctums. Fine wine and luxurious day beds await; at some international airports, guests will likely be the sole users of the space. 

There are, of course, variations on the offering. At Frankfurt Airport, Lufthansa operates a series of lounges, the pinnacle of which is a private suite for up to eight people. The plush rooms are equipped with deep sofas, ample workspaces – one can assume the primary user will be the overburdened businessperson – and a luxurious bath. When the time comes to board, travellers can be discreetly delivered from the suite to their plane by a chauffeur-driven car. 

The Lufthansa upholstery is, admittedly, quite an acquired taste. This wouldn’t be an issue at Hong Kong International, however, as guests can request personalised room decoration, alongside all the usual amenities like limousine transfer and in-lounge passport checks. 

It’s not just Prince Harry who enjoys this extraordinary service – at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport’s VIP centre, there are rooms reserved solely for the Dutch Royal Family. For those who aren’t in line for a throne, access to the most private rooms can be bought, although it will likely be much more expensive than even an upper-class flight ticket.

Admittance can also be granted if the airline deems you an important enough person: an A-list celebrity (or high-ranking politician) would likely have the sort of security provision that necessitates a covert check-in. This is why you are not likely to find Taylor Swift in the terminal spending her last few euros on a giant Toblerone, or even mixing in the first-class lounge at JFK. Entry to these rooms might come as a result of some cultural capital, but there are also the ultra frequent fliers whose business is crucial to the airline’s profit margins – and so access to the hallowed spaces is a savvy commercial move. 

Christina Lawford, who runs DiamondAir International, a company that organises luxury travel services, says that personalisation and privacy are the key concerns for the VIP flyer. At one time, presidential suites were used solely by diplomats, she says: “Especially in government-run airports, the most private rooms were exclusively reserved for high-ranking officials. The Windsor Suite essentially started off as a place for the royals to wait for flights.” Most of the time, therefore, such spaces would lie empty. 

Now, however, airports allow access to “high net-worth individuals, members of the C Suite [ie high-ranking executives] and very high-profile celebrities”, plus those willing to pay for the privilege. A three-hour stay in the Windsor Suite, for example, will set non-royals back by around £4,000. At LAX, a similar service is a relative snip at £2,800 per person. 

Lawford says that there is a substantial market of wealthy fliers who are eager to “have the private jet experience regardless of their carrier”, which is what the secret lounge provides. An overcrowded Delta Sky Club this is not, but it seems that same urge – to escape the scrum for a clear view of the departure screen and a decent seat – is evident, regardless of status. 

While the frictionless journey from front door to boarding might be appealing, it’s the amenities inside that really highlight the splendour. Michelin-starred food is delivered by butler, personal shoppers can fetch wares from Gucci and Harrods. At Heathrow, guests are chauffeured in a BMW 7 Series from their front door to the suite via a private access road. The walls are decorated with a revolving curation of artworks by Warhol, Bacon and Banksy. 

The ability to personalise the experience is evidently very attractive. “We’ve created pop-up spas in the lounges for guests who really want to relax,” says Lawford. “But we’ve also looked after a rock band who only wanted bacon butties and a shaving kit.” Celebrities, it seems, really are just like us. 

Not every airline or airport has these ultra-secret spaces (Lawford counts about 100 worldwide), but many have the ability to create them. The much-lauded Virgin Clubhouse at Heathrow, for example, opened in 1993 for upper-class customers. It is not exactly unknown – those bright red banquettes are rather unforgettable. It can, however, be transformed for the Branson-loving VIP: in come the sliding doors and opaque dividers, creating an exclusive bubble within an already restricted space. The Upper Class wing has its own baggage drop and security channel, plus Peloton bikes and expert mixologists on hand – but for celebrities travelling with their families, private space is the most desired commodity.

Given that travel is now returning to pre-pandemic levels, it seems we all yearn for a genuinely smooth airport experience. But for those able to afford it, the first-class amenities are no longer enough. Heady cigar bars and sommelier-run wine cellars are fine for the first class traveller, but for the wealthiest among us, an opaque door (and that BMW 7 Series) is even more valuable.