new lounge rules for gold? [End of Open Doors for Golds]
May 20, 2011, 6:42 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Location: London, UK and Occitanie, France
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 517
new lounge rules for gold? [End of Open Doors for Golds]
Logged in this morning (c. 0845 BST) to check something online and saw a banner that said "New Lounge Access Rules for Gold Members" with a picture of the T5 First lounge tinged in golden hues. When I clicked through I got an error message. I'm assuming nothing new has come out but wondered if this is a precursor to an announcement that maybe mistakenly got put on the site... 
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
May 20, 2011, 7:33 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 2,422
Indeed, that row has been removed from the table: http://www.britishairways.com/travel...e/public/en_gb
May 20, 2011, 7:37 am
#5
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, VS Silver
Posts: 2,575
May 20, 2011, 7:39 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK-Berkshire
Programs: BAEC Blue
Posts: 633
OMG No!!!!
If it is the case then for me there is no reason to remain gold. Living 'up north' this is the most important difference between silver and gold. I frequently use Sleazyjet MAN-AMS and use the BA lounge.
If it's all over then I'll allow myself to drop to silver as there's no point in me being gold any longer.
If it's all over then I'll allow myself to drop to silver as there's no point in me being gold any longer.
May 20, 2011, 7:48 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA CCR/GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,483
Not that I'd used it, but I don't find it at all weird. You are loyal to BA by flying enough to get Gold, and if they don't fly to where you want to and/or someone else does it significantly cheaper, you still get to use the lounge.
I now really can't see much differentiator between Silver and Gold, certainly not enough to make it worth any hassle of TP runs etc..
I now really can't see much differentiator between Silver and Gold, certainly not enough to make it worth any hassle of TP runs etc..
May 20, 2011, 7:51 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: London
Programs: Mucci Petit Four de Pucci, RedVee's Navigator Badge, BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,123
That's right; the open door perk and perhaps the arrival lounge perk were two quite big differentiators I thought, although more useful to some than others - being diminished.
May 20, 2011, 7:54 am
#13
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,211
Encouraging you to fly with your competitors seems to me to be a weird way of running your business.
All those Gold card holders drinking and eating in your lounge then buggering off when the Easyjet flights start boarding.
All those Gold card holders drinking and eating in your lounge then buggering off when the Easyjet flights start boarding.
May 20, 2011, 7:55 am
#14
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: Lord OPebble - Mucci of the Hour. Diamond Class MUCCI.Chevalier du Circle Intime de Pucci
Posts: 7,088
You will find that there is a magnitude of difference between the way Golds and lesser beings are treated. None of it is published but having been the beneficiary of the unwritten rules I can assure you that it is there and does make a difference!
May 20, 2011, 7:56 am
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: SE1, London
Posts: 23,444
I only used it a very few times at LHR and in Asia when flying on some crappy airlines with dismal lounges or when in Y. It was once of those things that helped build brand loyalty - how nice to be in a BA lounge rather than XYZ airlines hell hole (like the old, old TG lounges at Don Muang).