jamesegrant

Hi

I have found various conflicting threads on this so wondered if anyone had a definitive answer so I will know for the future.

I am gold and returned with my son on an avios booked first trip from New York last week, with onward domestic connection to Aberdeen. I was held up getting my bag searched so he went ahead and tried to get in the galleries lounge and was denied because he "had no status". He was a bit confused as he arrived on a first ticket which I had "sold" as a massive birthday treat! Obviously if he was with me it would have been fine.

I have travelled previously with rest of the family (5 of us) on club or club Europe and never had a problem with all of us getting into the Aberdeen lounge on the way out or into galleries in heathrow on the way back. Obviously when we are only in economy it's accepted I can only take in one guest

Does anyone have the definitive position on this please? Many Thanks

edi-traveller

He should gave been allowed in for the domestic connection. Indeed if he was inbound on a FIRST ticket he could have gone in the Concorde Room.

Here's a link to the rules:

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/5...sengersac3.jpg

KARFA

Hi jamesegrant. The definitive answer to this one is that under oneworld rules you and your son would have access to the GF lounge regardless of status having arrived in F and connecting to a domestic flight. The basis for this can be found on teh oneworld site and also here on the BA site under lounge access:

In addition to that, there is the CCR which not a oneworld lounge so the oneworld rules don't apply. However, the BA rules state that when coming in on BA F and connecting on to a domestic flight you have CCR access. [EDIT: see edi-traveller post above and the scan which shows that access to the CCR would be allowed]

Whether GF or CCR you would have to show your inbound F bp when trying to access the lounge.

Certainly the reason your son was given would be incorrect in your situation. Which lounge did he go to? Did he mention he had arrived in F?

jerry a. laska

If you traveled BA F, access to the Concorde Room should have been provided. You often have to retain and show your boarding pass at the door.

There is a seperate issue that depends upon the age of your son and whether he could access the lounge without you present. See for example this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...under-age.html

Skipcool3

Trust your son is over 18? If not, I understand that the help yourself to alcohol means that young people are not admitted in accompanied....

Calchas

Not always admitted

jamesegrant

Thanks for the info

Yes he is 18 and was denied because he didn't they said he didn't have status and wasn't entitled! He showed them his first ticket and explained he had just arrived etc.

I texted him when I got there looking where he was and he had gone to gate and was in a huff on how he had been treated so wouldn't come and join me!

Many thanks

Skipcool3

Write a short note to customer service, it is not acceptable that we know the rules and the staff don't!
This has been going on for years now"............

jamesegrant

Thanks everyone

Have filled in the complaints and comments form on BA

Will post their response

Cheers

flieduk

I am flying in F to LHR in January, connecting Domestic in UK. What should I do to make sure that I do not get denied access? Thanks

jerry a. laska

If flying on BA into LHR and connecting same day or the following morning, bring your boarding pass with you to present to the attendant at the door.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...uidelines.html

corporate-wage-slave

I can't help thinking that this particular incident was partially explained by the fact that instead of going to CCR, the OP's son went to (presumably) Galleries Club North, which is near to Flight Connection security. It would be unusual for someone to claim access there based off previous First travel, when CCR is fairly close by.

Had he gone to CCR I would expect a very different reaction, since a good third of people using it are in there off the back of their previous travel in First, rather than their onwards travel. So at the so-called Secret Door, if you have a boarding pass with First on it, I can't imagine any delay there at all. At the next checkpoint, the main reception desk they thenscan your onward travel boarding pass (and then make a note of the previous travel if it was on a separate PNR).

nux

You can access the CCR unaccompanied if you are under 18 as there is no self serve alcohol.

jamesegrant

Many thanks CWS

We have been in the CCR a few times now in T5 and JFK and we are not (gasp!) big fans of the CCR in either T5 or JFK - we like being able to serve ourselves! - They have a good selection of magazines though! We prefer the FLOUNGE.

On this occasion, we headed to galleries as the connection time wasn't that long and domestic at that end of T5 normally. Well it was reasonable amount of tiem for going to flounge but the carnage of alleged fast track security meant I had to wait 45 mins to get a small backpack searched!

We are not particulalry precious but the abruptness about "no status/entitlement" for entry even when my 18 year old showed his first ticket and that he had just travelled in first is the bit that annoyed us.

Hopefully a one off

Cheers

KeaneJohn

Sadly not a one off, many people incorrectly denied lounge access. You would have thought that someone allowing access to the lounge would know the rules despite how complex they are.

If BA staff can't be trusted to interpret the rules then maybe its time that another lounge invitation card be issued at time of check in.. can be another boarding card. A lot of other airlines do this noteably at outstations