Tartegnin

Arrived in business on flight from IAD connecting to LCY flight BA metal but ticketed as EI EI flight number) also in business but denied entry to lounge as it's a BA flight. Too hot and tired to ask for rule confirmation and subsequently kindly granted entry to DAAlounge. Am willing to be told I am wrong on lounge access by those in the know on this forum but didnt really trust unpleasant lounge ladies denial of entry.

modularmayhem

My understanding is that you were correctly denied entry. You have access to the DAA lounge as it is used by BA passengers

ROKNA

Unless your flight is operated by Aer Lingus you have no right of entry to the EI lounge regardless of class or status.

The DAA lounge is contracted by BA for all its business and OW status passengers, travelling on BA operated services and is in the terminal BA operate from.

As you were arriving having flown in business on EI, you would have been granted access to the EI arrivals lounge in the baggage hall after passport control.

irishguy28

But note that, as a transit passenger, it is certainly not worthwhile going landside to use that particular arrivals lounge.

Shamrock125

Unless you're really in need of a shower.

irishguy28

I must concede that point! ^

Dardania

Does seem harsh considering EI tickets in my opinion. Although strictly speaking, the DAA is technically closer to the BA gate!

irishguy28

It would be harsh if there was no lounge available - but there are two (the lounge contracted by BA for its departing pax, and the EI arrivals lounge for arriving pax)

magyir

I used the EI lounge for the first time last Monday, it was fine. One point of note is that my Vantage fare (which included lounge access) isn't noted on the boarding pass (mobile/Fastpass) nor is Fast Track, so I had to ask the attendant to check.

Have EI/OW not introduced a BP/Barcode scan mechanism that instantly confirms eligibilty? That's standard in Star Alliance.....

ROKNA

OW yes, EI no,

Tartegnin

OP Here - OK, I stand down from my initial disbelief (but not my annoyance). It's a stupid rule, I must say. BA has an arrivals lounge in London but also grants access airside to passengers in transit if you arrived in business on a longhaul flight. I really did need a shower! DAA actually advised that I could use their T2 lounge which has shower facilities, but by then I had trekked back and forth several times and was more in need of caffeine than a shower by that point.

I also note that had I known a bit better, I would actually have entered through normal immigration and used the arrivals lounge - the transfer immigration from the transatlantic to the local connection to London only had one person checking non EU passports for flights to UK and Ireland - it was about a 45 minute wait to clear. I can't help but feel that going through normal immigration, using the arrivals lounge and then going back through would have been at least equally time consuming, and there would have been a shower waiting to boot. The DAA lounge was ok - a few breakfast items and reasonably good coffee.

I didn't know about the potential for a long line in connections nor about the existence of an arrivals lounge (not at all publicized on the flight).

Overall, my first Aer Lingus experience was ok, decent product in flight (I was on the 757 and snagged a single seat) but I was hoping for a bit better on land. Of course, I should have researched smarter on FlyerTalk and better prepared myself

irishguy28

As does Aer Lingus.

However, given that your departing flight was on BA rather than EI, your access was therefore for the lounge contracted by BA, rather than the EI lounge.

daftboy

What hasn't been mentioned thus far is that while EI has been purchased by IAG and thus has the same parent as BA, and notwithstanding you were on a codeshared flight, EI has not yet rejoined OneWorld so the lounge access provisions of the alliance do not yet apply; to all intents and purposes you were travelling on separate airlines so were correctly directed to the DAA lounge.

Glad you enjoyed your flight in any case!

BrianDromey

The relationship between EI and BA is complicated.
EI Arrivals Lounge - Access only to those arriving in J. No guests.
EI Lounge - BA gold and silver if travelling on EI metal to LHR or LGW - although any EI route with a BA codeshare may, unofficially, gain access, depending on the door. The passenger doesn't have to be on a BA flight number.
BA use the DAA lounge at Dublin, - standard entry rules. For their own flights rather than the EI lounge, so you would have had access there.

irishguy28

Only if you start from the (invalid) assumption that there is a reciprocal lounge relationship that would appear warranted by their common ownership.

But once you get this idea out of your head, it is not at all "complicated".

I can't think of any example where a codeshare flight, involving two airlines who are NOT in a common alliance, would give rise to a "double" lounge opportunity. The OP had unrealistic expectations.