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The British Airways Lounge at Rome Fiumicino Airport is one of just a handful of international outstation British Airways Lounges in the world, and is the perfect blend of British sensibilities with local Italian touches. I actually really like it.
Open to oneworld frequent fliers and oneworld Business and First Class travellers, this space is a lovely spot to relax before your non-Schengen flight.
On this occasion, today’s British Airways flight was anything but a simple 2-hour hop back to London due to a cancelled flight and I ended up visiting this lounge twice in 24 hours unexpectedly, but more on that story at another time.
Anyway, that rare situation gave me a good chance to explore the British Airways Lounge Rome (always trying to look on the positive side of things), so here is Forward of the Wing’s review.
Location
The British Airways Lounge Rome is located in the non-Schengen area of Terminal 3 on Level 2, next to the Plaza Premium Lounge.
Post-security and through duty free, follow the airline lounge signs and head up the escalators near the gate E1-E61 sign to level 2.
At the top of the escalator, do a full 180 turn and the British Airways Lounge is located straight ahead on the left, in the corner.
Leave plenty of time to get to your gate before boarding as it can take 10+ minutes to walk to your gate at Rome Fiumicino, and if your flight departs from a bus gate, they will start boarding earlier than usual.
Opening Hours
The British Airways Lounge Rome is open from 5:15am to 8:30pm 7 days a week (officially), but will close after boarding of the last flight of the night. If the last flight is delayed, the British Airways Lounge Rome stays open until boarding.
This covers roughly 2 hours before boarding of first flight of the day, which is the 7:40am British Airways flight to London, until the final flight on the night which is BA561. Note, BA561 has a different departure time depending on the day of the week, but is usually scheduled to depart between 8pm and 8:50pm, with Mondays having the latest scheduled departure time.
Inside the British Airways Lounge at Rome Fiumicino
The British Airways Lounge Rome has a stunning pill-shaped bar as a focal point when you walk in.
Around the rear of the bar is the buffet station. There is plenty of dining table seating located in this area, solo bar seating along the wall with power outlets, and some more small armchair and coffee table areas too. There is also a curved wall with more solo bar seating and power outlets, perfect for getting some work done.
Further towards the rear of the lounge, there is banquette seating with side tables and small lamps, more bar seating work stations, a communal work table with long feature lamps, and armchairs with prime plane-watching views. I really like that there are plenty of power outlets in this lounge, available at most seats. Power outlets are either inbuilt to the table surface or located on the wall. This is great as it means they are located at the ideal height, so you don’t need to reach under the seat or reach low to plug in your electronics, perfect for older travellers.
Whilst the British Airways Lounge Rome is open-plan, the areas towards the rear of the lounge are separated with wooden slat partitioning, so feel small and private.
There is free Wi-Fi located throughout the lounge too, perfect for working or downloading movies, TV shows, games or music ahead of your flight. When I tested it on my visit, the Wi-Fi speed was 11.4 Mbps download and 18.4 Mbps upload, so fine for most tasks but not overly fast.
Runway Views
As the British Airways Lounge Rome is situated in a corner on the second level, there are panoramic windows overlooking the Rome Fiumicino apron and runway, with plenty of seating to take advantage of prime plane spotting views.
The corner area at the rear of the lounge faces north/northwest, perfect for soaking up the last of the afternoon Italian sun whilst sipping on an Aperol Spritz, and watching planes come and go.
Buffet Options at the British Airways Lounge Rome
As I was travelling through in the afternoon, the lunch and dinner menu was available, but I also saw the breakfast menu too. Here is what was on the menu on both days I passed through the British Airways Lounge Rome:
Breakfast
- Corn Flakes
- Sugared Donut
- Pistachio Croissant
- Croissant
- Pain au Chocolat
- Venetian Cake
- Toast
- Yoghurt
- Selection of spreads and conserves
- Chicken sausages
- Peas with Tropea onions
- Omelette
- Bacon
- Local Italian salami
- Roast turkey
- Milan salami
- Gruyere and primo sale cheese
- Puff pastry breadsticks with sesame
- Focaccia
- Casareccio
- Fresh fruit
- Gluten free options are also available and alternative milks
Lunch/Dinner
- Mixed salad selection and ingredients
- Fusillotti with homemade basil pesto and tomato concassé
- Bolognese lasagna
- Lemon cod with vegetables
- Peas with tropea onions
- Roasted potatoes with rosemary
- Margarita pizza
- Roasted turkey
- Milan salami
- Groviera cheese
- Salted ricotta
- Focaccia
- Puff pastry breadsticks with sesame
- Casareccio
- Baba with limoncello
- Fruit tart
- Pistachio puffs
- Neapolitan sfogliatella
- Biscuits
A fairly well-rounded, light Italian menu with something for everyone. I really liked that the hot food was served in glass ramekins, which was easy, neat and hygienic. Everything was fresh, delicious and high-quality. I also really liked all the Italian breads and pastries on offer throughout the day.
Bar Selection at the British Airways Lounge Rome
The bar is staffed, and serves a range of beer, wine, spirits and cocktails that highlight the art of Italian Aperitivo. There is also a small self-service selection of wines for when the bar isn’t staffed during lower demand periods during the day.
Here is what was available during my visit:
Beer
- Peroni Nastro Azzuro
- Peroni Red
Wine
- Astoria Ribolla Gialla Spumante Brut, Italy
- Lento Amatus Rosso, Italy
- Lento Contessa Emburga, Italy
- Astoria Il Puro Merlot, Italy
Spirits
- Aperol
- Campari
- Gordons Gin
- Martini Bianco
- Martini Extra Dry
- Martini Rosso
- Johnnie Walker Red Label
- Ballantines Scotch Whisky
- Vecchio Amaro del Capo
- Skyy Vodka
- Amaro Averna
- The Glen Grant Scotch Whisky
- J&B Rare Scotch Whisky
- Pampero Blanco Rum
Cocktails
- Aperol Spritz
- Campari Spritz/Soda
- Mimosa
- Gin and Tonic
- Negroni
- Vodka or Gin Martini
- Appletini
A really nice bar selection by airport standards with a focus of Italian producers and an homage to Aperativo culture with Spritzes and Negronis available. There are no less than 6 daily British Airways flights to London Heathrow with only one flight scheduled in the morning (and one Qatar Airways flight and Qantas flight), so this lounge has definitely been designed with afternoon and evening travellers in mind. My only comment is that there is only one white wine available as well as a sparkling (Spumante) option. Chardonnay isn’t for every white wine drinker, and nor is Spumante, so would be nice to have another white wine option too.
There is also a range of soft drinks, juices, teas and barista-made Lavazza coffee available for non-alcoholic options.
Around the lounge, there are also self-service coffee machines in case the bar isn’t staffed, with fresh fruit, a selection of teas and biscuits available.
Bathrooms
There are no internal bathrooms at the British Airways Lounge Rome, however there is a public bathroom just outside the lounge next to the Plaza Premium Lounge adjacent.
This means you have to leave the lounge and re-enter if you need to go to the toilet. There are also no showers at this lounge.
How to Access the British Airways Lounge Rome
Access to the British Airways Lounge Rome is in-line with British Airways and oneworld lounge access policy:
- British Airways Club Europe
- British Airways Silver (+1 guest)
- British Airways Gold or Gold Guest List (+1 guest)
- oneworld Sapphire (+1 guest)
- oneworld Emerald (+1 guest)
No day passes are available, and lounge access schemes cannot access this lounge. Passengers with lounge access schemes such as Priority Pass can access the Plaza Premium Lounge next door instead (and you can also buy a daypass).
Conclusion
I really like the British Airways Lounge Rome for an outstation lounge. There is plenty of seating, it’s modern and spacious, the food is great, and there is a fantastic bar. It also seems to capture the afternoon Italian sun.
There is only around 10 daily oneworld non-Schengen flights, depending on season and day of the week. So on both occasions, this lounge was fairly quiet, not more than half full.
If you have oneworld Sapphire or Emerald such as British Airways Silver or Gold, or are flying Club Europe, I think the British Airways Lounge Rome is a perfect escape to relax before your flight, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the terminal.