U.K. and Ireland - Earlier flight on non-refundable ticket?

Hi all,

I'm flying from Cape Town to Edinburgh on BA next month, and I just realised that I have a 6 hour layover in Heathrow T5 :( Totally my fault, I didn't notice when I booked.

I'm on the cheapest ticket, no status - is it worth trying to get on an earlier flight when I land at Heathrow? Or is that just something that can't be done on a non-refundable ticket?

Alternatively, are there any pay lounges in T5 where I can hang out for a while? It's a long time to sit around doing nothing after an 11 or 12 hour flight!

This may be a better question for the BA forum, but IME BA does not change tickets on the non-changeable fares even if there is space on an earlier flight. BA lounges are the only ones in T5...I do not think you can pay for entry.

If you have 11-12 hours, you could go into the city. There is also a Sofitel attached to T5 and the Yotel in T4.

You definitely cant buy entry at T5, but if you post here you might have some success:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1085141-lounge-meet-up-master-thread.html

Do a search on BA or bmi for tickets, you might find them for £50-£60 one way about a month ahead. then dicide how much you value our hanging around time!

No harm in asking just in case it suits them to put you on an earlier flight but the answer will usually be no.

There's no harm in asking but be very prepared for them say no, I'm assuming that you don't have any status in any of the One World Airlines that can get you into the lounges?