This is not a rant. It is just an objective analysis because I can easily keep silver but have to do a bit of creative flying to get to gold. For the past 3 years, I have noticed that I am earning between 1100 and 1200 TPs. So when an opportunity presented itself, I booked a couple of extra flights to get to 1500 TPs. Just waiting for them to be credited to my BAEC account. But I have been doing some research on Gold benefits and here is what I have found out so far. My thoughts are prefixed with "B:".

• Allocate seats for yourself and other members in your party free of charge, at the time of booking, including exit row seats

B: Can't sit in exit row seats because of my disability. I typically fly on my own. I make a conscious effort to not fly with colleagues on same flights. I can request a seat reservation as soon as I book special assistance. If I am flying with my wife, we typically book on the same ticket and can select seats for both of us (silver benefit). Even when I wasn't silver, a call to BA customer services would ensure that both of us had seats next to each other. Perhaps I will get access to blocked off rows for gold such as the bulkhead on domestic but that usually doesn't matter much as I have to wait for everyone to get off before they can assist me anyway.

So in conclusion, this isn't such a useful benefit for me. Although I have to say BA are to be commended for some of the additional benefits for special assistance passengers.

• Allocate seat for a companion travelling on your flight, on their own booking. This cannot be done online. A "To Complete Party" request must made to your BAEC service centre.

B: What I said above is still relevant. There was only one occasion when my wife was on a different booking but customer services were happy enough to allocate seats for us next to each other.

• You may use a First, Club World, Club Europe and equivalent oneWorld first or business class check-in desks, irrespective of what class of ticket you have.

B: If I ever have to use a checkin desk, I would invariably be taken to a business class desk or any free desk. Again, I suppose they are being helpful but I didn't have to wait in a checkin desk queue in a long time. But this is offset by having to wait at the special assistance desk for someone to come get me. This can be upwards of an hour sometimes at places like Heathrow T5 and CDG. T5 have improved lately after constant complaining.

Again, not a very useful benefit thanks to my disability.


• Priority boarding.


B: I get preboarded anyway because of special assistance request on pretty much every airline irrespective of status. Also special assistance helpers are in a hurry and therefore I invariably end up in the front of the security check lanes. But this is offset by having to wait for the assistance to be provided. I also have to wait for everyone to get off before they let me get off the plane.

• You and one guest may relax in a BA Galleries First and Club/Terraces/Executive Club or oneWorld first and business class departure lounge.

B: My destinations in the past year have been BRU, NCE, GLA, TXL, DUB, FAO, MAD, BSL, DEL, HYD, BLR, JFK (arriving only), IAD, DCA, SLC, EWR, SAN, PHL, HKG, BKK and such places. Other than T5 and LGW (for FAO), I am not sure where I could have used a first class lounge. I am guessing HKG has one but the CX business class lounge was pretty good. Not sure if EWR has a first class lounge. I typically fly out of EWR because of family living in NJ. But I am looking forward to T5 Galleries First.

• You may use a BA Elemis Spa before travelling on a long haul flight, irrespective of class of travel.

B: Never managed to get an appointment when flying CW even after arriving at the airport 4 hours before the flight. I shall keep trying...

• You may use a BA Arrivals lounge after travelling on a long haul flight, irrespective of class of travel.

B: This got me excited until I realised it is only at LHR T5. I only live a half an hour drive from T5 and so it is not a big deal for me personally. If they would let me use OneWorld arrival lounges in other cities, I will be very happy. Especially in places like DEL, HYD and BLR where the flights arrive at an ungodly hour.

So not a benefit I envisage using.

• Reservation Assurance on full fare economy tickets, ensuring a seat even where the flight is full.

B: Employer doesn't buy full fare economy tickets unless absolutely necessary. that's that.

• Priority over Blue, Bronze and Silver Members on waitlists.

B: This may come in handy but I have never been bumped off a flight. I am guessing that my disability is making a difference here.

• Additional reward availability in economy (V class)

B: This I am looking forward to for those short holiday trips to Europe for the wife and myself. Hopefully there is enough inventory in V class to make it worthwhile.

• Gold Priority Reward. This allows a redemption for double Avios points if revenue seats are on sale but no redemptions are otherwise available. Gold Priority Rewards can only be booked offline and 30 days notice is required.

B: I'd probably book a cash ticket instead of forking out so many Avios and pay all the crazy taxes on top. So no thank you. Unless of course, priority rewards can be booked on other OW carriers like MH or CX...

• No booking fee for reward flights using Avios. Fees apply when changing or cancelling redemption bookings (fees waived on Gold Priority Rewards)

B: See above.

• At 2,500 Tier Points, you will be awarded with a Gold Upgrade For Two (GUFT) voucher that you and a companion can use towards an upgrade to the next cabin on a flight of your choice, subject to availability. This voucher is valid for one year.

B: I have been lucky with business travel this year. I will get to 2500 TP. I was excited about GUF2 voucher until I realised that I can't use them on cash tickets with BA. I have to find a TA who will do it. I would want to typically use a GUF2 voucher for personal travel and I haven't used a TA in over a decade for booking a flight ticket. Employer uses Amex Business Travel but I don't know if they will be able to request it. They certainly won't help me with my personal bookings.

• At 3,500 Tier Points, you will be awarded two Gold Upgrade for One vouchers, valid for one year

B: Not sure if I will get there.

• At 5,000 Tier Points, you will receive a Concorde Room Card and invitation to the Gold Guest List. The Concorde Room Card allows you to use the LHR and JFK Concorde Room lounges when you are not travelling First.

B: Not going to happen!

So a combination of silver benefits and genuine goodwill from BA to disabled passengers is kind of making me ambivalent towards Gold membership.

When the most exciting thing of Gold membership is the possibility of a few extra reward seats in economy, one has to really give it a serious thought.

Of course I will keep an open mind and will have over a year and 4 months to try out the benefits.

I thoroughly enjoy flying with BA mainly because of their excellent cabin crew. My recent 6 flights with US and AA in business and first strongly reinforced this opinion.

Again, I am trying to do an objective analysis here. I may have overlooked some of the benefits. Any and all thoughts and/or ideas/tips to make the most of my BAEC Gold membership will be greatly appreciated.