Quick Look: The New British Airways Lounge In Johannesburg

Some links to products and travel providers on this website will earn Traveling For Miles a commission that helps contribute to the running of the site. Traveling For Miles has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Traveling For Miles and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. For more details please see the disclosures found at the bottom of every page.

British Airways has announced the reopening of its lounge at Johannesburg International Airport following extensive renovation works and the airline has now shared some images and details of what customers can expect when they next visit the facility.

Overview

• The lounge covers approximately 9,470 square feet (880 square meters)
• Capacity is set at 247 passengers
• Opening hours are 06:00 – 23:00 daily
• The lounge is located airside in International Terminal A near gates 7-18.
• Access is granted to First Class and Business Class passengers as well as oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members. See the oneworld rules for guest privileges.

The British Airways Johannesburg Lounge

British Airways says that this lounge follows the concept that the airline first rolled out in 2018 so the images you’ll see below may look a little familiar if you’ve been to any of the other recently refurbished British Airways lounges around the world (like the lounge in Rome).

Passengers entering the lounge are greeted by a “lobby bar area”…

…adjacent to which is an area with chairs and 2-person tables.

British Airways says that its new lobby bar is “stocked with a tempting display of spirits, beers and soft drinks together with a selection of fine wines” while “an enhanced dining menu” offers both hot and cold options including:

• Cape Malay curry
• Fresh seasonal salads
• Mezze
• Local charcuterie
• Indezi river cheeses

A dedicated area for First Class dining offers travelers a pre-flight a-la-carte menu alongside “an extensive” wine list and should be popular with flyers looking to get some rest as soon as they get on board without being disturbed for the meal service (BA’s two daily flights depart Johannesburg at 20:10 and 22:05 during the winter season).

The lounge’s seating areas have been divided into zones with the idea that guests will be able to choose where they sit depending on their mood – bespoke lighting and a bespoke playlist for each area as well as the type of seating appear to be the differentiators.

British Airways says that the lighting has been “carefully planned by zone and dimmable to reflect the time of day“.

The lounge also offers an office space with “ample work stations with power outlets” (no image provided) and the restrooms have been updated and continue to offer shower facilities.

The one aspect of the old lounge that British Airways hasn’t been able to improve upon is the lack of natural light in the facility.

It’s been a while since I visited Johannesburg but, if memory serves me correctly, the lounge overlooks the interior of the airport and doesn’t have any external walls so, as the new facility sits in the same location as the old one, the issue of a lack of natural light still remains.

Bottom Line

Sometimes airport lounges are refurbished as part of a regular refurbishment cycle and sometimes they’re refurbished because they’re desperately crying out for a big makeover and with the British Airways lounge in Johannesburg falling firmly in the latter category, the news that it has now been reopened following a complete refit is very welcome.