I was in the Velazquez lounge the other morning and the wine and beer cupboards were all locked shut. I was connecting from a long-haul to LHR and during my visit 0630-1045 I fancied maybe a glass of cava. I noticed a manager (I assumed, he was wearing a suit and supervising staff) and asked about it he said there is no alcohol available until 1200 and this has been the new policy for 2-3 months. He was very apologetic. I noticed other lounge users were similarly puzzled.

It turns out they forgot to switch off the machines that dispense wine from a pump, so I had one of those and added soda water to improve the taste, but... seriously? There are many long-haul flights departing before 1200 (Miami, Rio, Chicago etc) so this policy seems astonishingly poor. I can understand maybe they do not put out the self-pour spirits trolley until lunchtime, but no glass of cava with brunch? A bit of cava would be the cheapest crowd-pleaser, yet they are providing 15 types of pastries in a mediocre breakfast offer that hardly anyone touched.

Please tell me this is a mistake?