Originally Posted by
flyingcrooked
Thanks everyone. Yeah, it's really hard to see a reason to stick with Star Alliance if we're in Edinburgh for short-haul. E.g. 100 destinations reachable by direct flight with Ryanair and Easyjet vs something like 5 on Star Alliance. I wonder how hard it is to make those airlines more tolerable. Maybe stick with Easyjet and just get Easyjet Plus for security/better seats/less stress about baggage, plus Amex Platinum cards for lounge access? How do UK-based folks tend to access lounges if they're not flying on mainline carriers with status?
Honestly I would try and get BA Silver status - it's not that hard to get - and will get you lounge access in Edinburgh at the BA lounge which is pretty good. I had a priority pass for a year before/after Covid (so a Covid year :-|) and it was very hit and miss whether I would be allowed access at a lot of UK/US airports. Never had an issue with BA status so far.
The current BA Holiday double tier-point offer means that you could get BA Silver Status from just two BA holidays to mid-haul destinations like Sofia, Cyprus or Cairo, given that you'd be connecting via Heathrow. Have a look at the BA Executive Club forums...