I’ve never thought of booking a lounge on previous solo trips, as airports are so stressful for me I just like to rush through and get onto my plane. When we were planning our April trip for J’s birthday he suggested a lounge and I thought reviewing it for Inside Laura’s Head’s readers would be good, so we booked for both of us.
We were really lucky that the day we went, the lounge was just finishing a refurb so it was all shiny and new, which the photos reflect, but I’d imagine it’ll stay nice and clean and tidy going forward.
What is the 1432 Runway Club?
Leeds Bradford airport has a couple of lounges you can book for before your flight, and the 1432 Runway Club is their adult only (over 12s are allowed) smaller, more intimate lounge. It offers food and drink before your flight, all included in the entry fee.
Why would I book the 1432 Runway Club?
When you’re flying, often the waiting around at the airport is by far the worst part of your day. We chose to book the 1432 Runway Club at Leeds Bradford for our Bucharest trip, mostly because the trip was for J’s birthday and we wanted to be fancy, and because the lounge was newly renovated I wanted to review it on Inside Laura’s Head.
Booking an airport lounge means a far more chilled start to your holiday, a guaranteed seat and plenty of food and drink without having to pay airport prices for a lukewarm Burger King meal. It’s usually quieter, this one has a good view of the runway, and it feels like the holiday starts in the airport. If you want a treat for a special occasion, or would rather spend a little more for a premium experience, it’s worth considering a lounge.
The 1432 Runway Club is adults only and whilst most people pre-book, they do take walk ins subject to availability too.
How much does it cost?
We bought our passes with a Wowcher code which saved us about 10% on the normal cost, although we paid £2 each for the Wowcher so the saving wasn’t that great. To book today, directly on the 1432 Runway Club’s website, you’ll be paying £45 per adult.
What do you get?
The lounge has food (including breakfast, although I can’t comment on that as we were there in the afternoon) We were able to choose from a few different hot meals (pasta, chilli, pizza, paninis) and some meats, cheeses, bread and cakes too. The bar is all included (other than champagne) and we were offered a glass of prosecco on arrival. We had a couple of coffees between us as well. The spirits were premium brands, no dodgy cheap vodka in sight, and the menu had a good mix of meat and veggie which can still be a problem in some places.
The wifi was free, which is handy in an airport. We could charge our phones (not all tables have a plug, we had to plug in at a nearby table) and there’s a toilet just for the lounge. That was definitely cleaner and tidier than the usual airport loos!
Staff at the 1432 Runway Club were really attentive, bringing us fresh drinks regularly, taking away finished with plates and checking we had everything we needed, they seemed genuinely happy to help.
Is it worth the cost?
We felt the price was worth the experience, we had four or five alcoholic drinks each, a couple of coffees and we ate a fair few small portions of food between us too. Whilst an extra £90 isn’t always going to be affordable for us on every trip, and it’s not something I’d be likely to go for before a solo flight, we’d definitely consider a lounge again in the future for special trips.
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