Use of Lounge pass when not flying AC?

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Nov 22, 2000 | 11:46 am

PRS

Original Poster

Join Date: Nov 2000

Location: Crozet, VA, USA

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Use of Lounge pass when not flying AC?

I have an all-day stopover at Heathrow coming up and a Maple Leaf Lounge pass I would like to use. However I am only flying AC for my YHZ-YYZ leg and flying through Heathrow on British Airways, which goes against the fine print on the pass.

Has anyone had success using passes when flying on another airline? Any other suggestions for Heathrow?

Thanks...

PRS

Nov 22, 2000 | 12:10 pm

Altaflyer

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Quote:

Originally posted by PRS:
I have an all-day stopover at Heathrow coming up and a Maple Leaf Lounge pass I would like to use. However I am only flying AC for my YHZ-YYZ leg and flying through Heathrow on British Airways, which goes against the fine print on the pass.

Has anyone had success using passes when flying on another airline? Any other suggestions for Heathrow?

Thanks...

PRS

I suspect you will not be able to use the AC lounge pass. I recently had a lovely time at the Diners Club (Servisair) lounge at Heathrow Terminal 1 (free snacks and drinks, incl alcohol). This is an option if you had a Diners Club card but there is technically a 3 hour limit. Also, if you are not flying from Terminal 1 it may be hard to get there, I had to whine to the security guy to let us into Terminal 1 as our flight left from Terminal 4. You may consider doing a day trip to Windsor Castle which is fairly close to Heathrow.

Nov 22, 2000 | 12:31 pm

Shareholder

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You'd be unlikely to get through security at T3 to even get close to the MLL. And then the basic stricture, which goes for all Maple Leaf Club members (Elites and Diners] except SE's, is that you must be flying AC and have a valid boarding pass on the day of admission. Since the Diners Club lounge is not associated with any one carrier, AltaFlyer would have been in his rights to clear T1 without a boarding pass. In your case, T3 has extra heavy security and immigration clearances because it deals with overseas flights.

Also, lounge access is generally not available even to members (except SE's) after a flight, only before or connecting onward from an AC flight.

Nov 22, 2000 | 12:39 pm

AC*SE

Join Date: Feb 2000

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

Posts: 3,373

There is a new arrivals lounge that has user pay admission, called "The Island."

It's in T3, groundside. Admission is UKL25 and it has the whole range of arrivals lounge goodies.

It's open 0500-1400, so that will cover some time.

Alternatively, put the money to good use and go into town.

Nov 22, 2000 | 3:27 pm

Andrew Yiu

Company Representative - Air Canada

Join Date: May 1999

Location: Canada

Posts: 24,224

Even though I'm a EP(SE), I've had problem using the T2 lounge at times when I am not travelling and am picking up someone at the airport. It's really stupid that they make me get a gate pass from an agent, and then the agent ask me flight #s and when I will be coming back out... They should just tell the securities that whoever shows an SE/EP card can just get through security. I will be trying this again next week...

Nov 22, 2000 | 9:07 pm

Fly Boy

Join Date: Jul 2000

Posts: 2,452

If you just want to clean up etc after the flight - I would say your best bet is to go to the AC Arrivals Lounge in T3, and hang there for a while. I dunnow if they will take an MLL pass (I presume so) but when I was last there is was pretty quiet (only 2 of us in there) so I am sure if you were to grovel enough she would let you in. Even so, you would still probably have a lot of time to kill, and it is small/not much to do there, but at least you can shower and get some 'down time'. If you have an evening connection and a bit of coin - I'd get a day room. I usually go for the T4 Hilton, which is attached to the airport and hence easy access to tube and LHR Express train.

Nov 23, 2000 | 6:38 am

megamiles

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Join Date: May 1998

Location: New York - DL Gold, AA Gold, AC Prestige, VS Silver

Posts: 811

A MLL lounge certificate will not get you into the Arrivals lounge.

Nov 23, 2000 | 7:59 am

SCMM

Join Date: Mar 1999

Location: Winnipeg Canada, Cambridge England. CP - EP (R.I.P.) formerly AC-SE now lower than the lowest low.

Posts: 828

Megamiles is correct, the only people who are allowed into the arrivals lounge are full fare J, & SE/EP who have arrived via AC/CP that morning. They have a list of names of those who are eligable each day.

Those who have upgraded and are not SE/EP are denied entry also.

Of course you could always try charm, you never know when that will work.

Stewart.

Nov 23, 2000 | 8:39 am

BlondeBomber

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Actually they will let departing passengers that are E/SE but arrived on other airlines (like I did from Africa last June) use arrivals. I checked this specifically with the SE desk and they confirmed via e-mail the rule which is published in the SE guide (AC boarding pass, arriving/departing doesn't matter). They even let my non Elite brother, arriving from YYC, in 15 minutes before I arrived from CDG (based on the info placed on my file by the SE desk).