The entrance to the Basel EuroAirport Skyview Lounge
Once upon a time I discovered what I believed to be the best Priority Pass lounge in Europe. That was in 2019, as part of my annual easyJet tour of Europe to retain my easyJet Flight Club status.
Roll on to 2024, with Covid behind us and the future of air travel never so robust and I'm once again back at the lovely Basel EuroAirport Skyview Lounge as part of another easyJet Flight Club retention trip.
This lounge welcomes Priority Pass, Dragonpass and is also the lounge for the premium passengers of Europe's flag carriers such as Lufthansa, Swiss and British Airways.
But is it the best lounge in Europe? Well, it would be a brave person to admit to having tried every Priority Pass lounge in continental Europe, and I doubt if such a person even exists, but of all the lounges that I have tried in Europe and beyond, this one certainly ranked highly on my last visit.
The lower level of the lounge, featuring palm trees, a water feature and glass elevator
So what makes a good Priority Pass lounge?
Well, it's not that hard to be honest, but I'm always amazed at how drab some Priority Pass lounges can be. Everyone will have a different take on what makes a nice lounge, but here's what I look for particularly:
- Hot food, bonus points if there is a selection
- Roominess - nothing worse than sitting elbow to elbow with a stranger
- Outside viewing area, facing the runway or apron
- Branded premium alcohol that is on free pour - I'm not talking Bells here, I'm talking Bushmills and Jamesons
- A lounge that is also the main lounge for the flag carriers - they're usually better because the airlines demand it
How many of this list does the Basel EuroAirport Skyview lounge meet? Well, most of it, actually. This is very rare indeed when it comes to Priority Pass lounges.
Food and Drink
Probably my number one gripe of most of the lounges I ever visit is food and drink. In fact in all of the years that I have been jetting around the world, spending literally days in some lounges, I've only ever found decent food in the Cathay, Singapore and Emirates lounges. The British Airways First lounge food is now so boring I don't even eat there..pie, anyone? And what does British Airways serve its most valued, high net worth 'Gold Guest List' and First travellers in its premier London Heathrow Concorde Room? Hamburgers. I jest, but it is on the list.
The food that I found in the Basel EuroAirport Skyview Lounge was ok. Not exactly fine dining but for a Priority Pass lounge, above the range and quality that I have come to expect elsewhere.
This lounge serves branded alcohol but it is very limited and quite what it was, I have no idea. Branding is fine, when you recognise the brand!
The Views
Ah the views. In addition to being the home of the glorious Toblerone, Switzerland also has magnificent views and what better way to enjoy them than as a backdrop to planes coming and going.
From the rooftop viewing area, you enjoy a 160 degree view out across the apron and runway. Whilst Basel EuroAirport isn't the busiest in the world, there was a steady stream of aircraft movements, both commercial and general aviation, during the happy few hours that I spent here.
The views from the rooftop viewing area of the lounge
Conclusion
It's difficult not to love this lounge, unless you particularly want something that it doesn't have such as branded whisky - my counter would be that it has everything else.
I'm not the only one who thinks this. Several times over the last decade the Skyview Lounge has been voted either best lounge, or runner up, as voted by Priority Pass members.
Priority Pass itself can be hard work at times. It's virtually useless now in the UK and many US lounges due to capacity constraints, as airports seek to cash in on taking expensive direct bookings from passengers (unheard of when I first started travelling regularly back in the late 90's). That said, your Priority Pass card will be welcomed in mainland Europe and Asia where the lounge dynamic is very different to the UK and US.
Priority Pass is the lounge equivalent of hotel chain Best Western. Some are great, some are terrible because the individual operator is left to decide on standards, and you soon learn which is which.
I'm pleased to say that the Basel EuroAirport Skyview Lounge remains one of my favourites and it's somewhere I'll always look forward to returning to.
Highly Recommended.
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