bmi diamond club - Heathow Domestic Lounge Access On Reward Bookings

Hi There!

First of all, I've tried to find the answer to this question by searching - so sorry if this has already been covered.

I am a BMI gold card holder.

I booked my mother a reward ticket from Manchester to Africa in First on the way out and business on the way back.

From MAN-LHR, and LHR-MAN Diamond Club booked my mum in economy as you know there's no business cabin. The remaining sectors were in First of Business.

She arrived at the BMI domestic lounge in T1 after arriving from Africa and was not allowed access. I was not with her on this trip.

Is this correct?

Why would a Gold reward booking on MAN-LHR-MAN for a guest not allow lounge access? In the old days I believe lounge access would have been given since it had a business cabin. So, why lose both the cabin AND the lounge access?

I'm guessing that if I had booked the same international flights but with BMI from EDI or GLA I would have got my mother booked in business and lounge access wouldn't be a problem...

Either the lounge agent was wrong, or, in my view it doesn't seem quite right? Afterall, the booking MAN - Africa - MAN was in First on the way out and business on the way back...

Your comments are appreciated!

Many thanks

Airways45

Others will know better than me. But as far as I understand, the fact you're a Gold card holder is irrelevant, as your mother was not accompanying you on this particular trip. If your mother simply showed the DC lounge her boarding pass to MAN, then presumably they'd have had no reason to know she'd come off a flight in business class.

However, if she did show the boarding stub from her incoming flight (business class), I'd have thought she should have been allowed access as a same-day business class traveller.

I know you probably feel shafted twice over (not only do you not get C class for the LHR-MAN-LHR segments but you do not get access to the lounge either) but if your departing flight is not in C and you are not Gold or Silver, you are not entitled to lounge access, whether on a reward on revenue ticket.
Assuming she was flying into LHR on SAA in business or first, your mother should however in principle have been entitled to access the SAA arrival lounge, afaik.

I think your relating to the return portion of her trip when she landed from Africa and was going onto Manchester. In which case from my understanding she would not be entitled to lounge access. If you had have been with her then you would have been entitled to it.

If the LHR-MAN sector was booked into (Domestic) Premium Economy fare then she should have had access to the Business lounge. If it was just booked as Economy then she wouldn't.
http://www.flybmi.com/bmi/en-gb/planandbook/aboutfaretypes.aspx?textonly=on&route=LHR-MAN
premium economy and business passengers can use bmi business lounges and some third party lounges (please refer to airport information to check where available).

I'm a bit surprised that if booking a C award with a BMI domestic economy only cabin involved, they don't book that sector as premium economy.

If the LHR-MAN sector was booked into (Domestic) Premium Economy fare then she should have had access to the Business lounge. If it was just booked as Economy then she wouldn't.
http://www.flybmi.com/bmi/en-gb/planandbook/aboutfaretypes.aspx?textonly=on&route=LHR-MAN


I'm a bit surprised that if booking a C award with a BMI domestic economy only cabin involved, they don't book that sector as premium economy.No, because that would involve booking in a revenue bucket rather than a reward bucket. There is only one reward bucket on single class plane: X for economy. The Z bucket for PE only exists for 'true' PE, viz. long haul where there is a PE cabin. And Z would not give you lounge access anyway.

Ahh. That's rather a shame.