Not really a frequent traveller, expecially on BA, however my wife and I are flying from Phoenix to Barcelona in First Class with about a 20 hour layover in LHR. Wife has never been to London before and we would like to take advantage of the time to see a few things. Couple of questions:
Do we get access to our checked luggage in LHR?
If so I assume we can store it somewhere and just travel with a small backpack into the city to sightsee?
Do we need to get a hotel or can we use the Lounge to spend the time we are not out seeing the sights?
From what I gather the lounge is nice and we can clean up and eat. Any hints/tips as far as the lounge use while we are there?
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Welcome to FT!
Are you on a same-day connection? If so, your luggage will most likely be checked all the way through to BCN.
Travelling First, if it's a same-day connection, you can access the Concorde Room prior to departing to BCN. If it's not a same-day connection, you can access the Galleries Club lounges, assuming you are booked into Club Europe on the BCN sector.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wanderingtheearth
Galleries First, coming off a First flight. May have to explain this to the lounge guardian in small words, though.
Concorde Room if same-day (showing the F boarding pass stub). Galleries Club if not same-day, assuming no Emerald status and the OP is travelling in CE.
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Welcome glennpet
Greetings glennpet, welcome for FlyerTalk and welcome also to the BAEC forum. It is great to have some new faces here, so please make good use of this resource and feel free to continue posting. I hope we will see plenty more of you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by glennpet
Do we get access to our checked luggage in LHR?
If so I assume we can store it somewhere and just travel with a small backpack into the city to sightsee?
You should check as much luggage as you can all the way to Barcelona - you need to nothing more apart from collecting it upon arrival in Spain. For the backpack, personally I would take that with you so you can just skip away from LHR without waiting for it to emerge, but you do have the alternative to ask for one or more bags to be checked only as far as Heathrow if you wish. There are storage facilities at both T5 and Paddington station, the terminus of the Heathrow Express.
Quote:
Originally Posted by glennpet
Do we need to get a hotel or can we use the Lounge to spend the time we are not out seeing the sights?
You mention a 20 hour layover. I'd get a hotel, perhaps the Hilton Metropole or Paddington, near the Heathrow Express, or another within easy walking distance of Paddington station (there are loads to chose from). The lounge does close at night, as does airside Terminal 5. If there is an overnight period between arrival and departure you will not get access to the airside lounges until the next day. You would have access to the Arrivals lounge on the day of arrival, and the airside lounges on the day of departure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by glennpet
From what I gather the lounge is nice and we can clean up and eat. Any hints/tips as far as the lounge use while we are there?
You have access to the Concorde Room (if same day, but you may get away with it if next day), the Arrivals Lounge (until 14:00 hrs) the First Lounge and the three Galleries Club lounges. I'd give those GC lounges a wide berth, but the others are worth a visit, particularly the Concorde Room. The sticky at the top of the forum will give you more information. However personally I'd not aim to spend more than 2 hours in the lounges, it's not intended to be a life changing experience. London, on the other hand, really ought to be.
From your post a 20 hour layover at LHR arriving from PHX ( c 1310 arrival) means an overnight stay.
You will not be able to stay in the lounge overnight so you will probably need a hotel for that evening.
Regards
TBS
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Greetings- I am new to BA. I think I know that answer but just to confirm, I am flying BA F from ORD-LHR overnight then a connection the next day to AMS (same day as I land, 6hr connection). I have access to the Concorde Room during those 6 hours, correct?
If so, are there showers in the lounge I can use to freshen up?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by playbbg
I have access to the Concorde Room during those 6 hours, correct?
If so, are there showers in the lounge I can use to freshen up?
Yes, you'll have access to the CCR, be sure to keep you inbound boarding pass and show it on request at the entrance to the CCR.
There are no showers in the lounge itself (although you could book a cabana) but you can make use of the showers in the lounge complex (shared by all lounge guests). These are located between the CCR and Galleries first, in the Elemis travel spa.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matthandy
Yes, you'll have access to the CCR, be sure to keep you inbound boarding pass and show it on request at the entrance to the CCR.
There are no showers in the lounge itself (although you could book a cabana) but you can make use of the showers in the lounge complex (shared by all lounge guests). These are located between the CCR and Galleries first, in the Elemis travel spa.
Thanks so much for your quick response! Can I book a cabana in advance?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by playbbg
Thanks so much for your quick response! Can I book a cabana in advance?
Yes, but I'm not 100% sure how. You can email You First if you are in the UK I believe, but otherwise I don't know. Do a search for 'book cabana' and see what comes up. If not, when the UK wakes up you'll probably get a quick response from someone else.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by playbbg
Thanks so much for your quick response! Can I book a cabana in advance?
Matthandy is correct, you contact YouFirst by email or telephone and they should be able to book the cabana, up to 1 month in advance. But if it is just a shower I wouldn't bother, it's easier to get a shower cubicle from the Elemis Spa area right next to CCR. If you want a bit of a nap after the flight and not so interested in breakfast then a cabana would indeed be a better idea. There are 3 of them, one of which is better for those with mobility issues (it's also more spacious).
What a great community! Thanks for the responses and information.
We get into LHR early afternoon and then the flight to BCN leaves early the next morning so we can spend the rest of that day seeing London and get a hotel close to the airport seems like the way to go. I'll check the BA web site for the exact hours of the lounges.
with about a 20 hour layover in LHR. Wife has never been to London before and we would like to take advantage of the time to see a few things. Couple of questions:
