Changes for BA Silver (emerald) card holders??
 

At Vienna now and at check in was informed that as of 1st July my BA silver card (Sapphire one world ) does not grant me priority boarding or fast lane check in on Air Berlrin Flights. Did I miss something?

Update: I called AB service line just now and was informed BA Silver card (Sapphire) flying AirBerlin now has NO priority boarding, NO security fast track, NO lounge access. I was told this was from 1.1.16

You likely got an agent who confused AB Silver (=BA Bronze, OW Ruby) with BA Silver.

Fast Track Security is a benefit nominally reserved for Emeralds, and you may indeed not get it.
You will get lounge access and priority boarding, though. Those remain standard OW Sapphire benefits.

[QUOTE=bhomburg;26871549]You likely got an agent who confused AB Silver (=BA Bronze, OW Ruby) with BA Silver.

I thought the same initially but the Vienna groundstaff of AB all said no (both check in and ticket office staff) and that for Sapphire BA it had changed and then the agent at AB who I phoned afterwards said also said the same,no. I'm confused.

Did you show your card?
Oneworld clearly states lounge access, priority boarding and priority (business class) check-in are and remain Sapphire benefits: https://www.oneworld.com/ffp/sapphire-privileges.
This very perplexing as VIE is an AB/HG hub, and staff should definitely be trained in OW policies. Wouldn't shock me much if they weren't, though. I've seen AB GAs at TXL only call topbonus members and not their oneworld equivalents out during priority boarding announcements.

It's been awhile since I've been through there, but the lounge had the color-coded oneworld symbols at the entrance as well.

BA does indeed have a confusing tier system when Silver is Sapphire (Silver normally corresponding to Ruby) and Gold is Emerald (Gold normally corresponding to Emerald).

I think the incident above was simply comfusion.

I'm traveling back from Dusseldorf to Vienna tomorrow so I will check this again with AB at Dus and report back.

And ?

Data point: flew MUC-CGN on Wednesday, OWS - the online and self-print boarding passes did not show the usual "fast lane" etc. I then asked for a printed boarding pass at the check-in counter at the airport; and that one showed all the benefits as usual.

I'll be watching this thread closely!

Had no problems using AF lounge at TXL and contract lounge at DUS with BA Silver last week.

Were you on an AB flight?

Positive. Why else would I post in this very thread?!

Did FRA-TXL-PRG this morning and my home printed BP had both Priority Boarding and Fast Security Lane printed. The implementation of those benefits is a different story though (no priority boarding at TXL, no fast track security at TXL C either). I also could access the lounge at FRA after presentation of my BA card).

And one more data point: currently sitting in PRG lounge after presentation of my BP (no card needed this time ). Home printed BP has again Fast lane security and priority boarding printed. All this on a standard Eco fare as BA Silver.
I even got a priority tag for my checked luggage.