albireo

I hold BA EC Silver status and will travel CDG-AMM on RJ with wife and toddler son (2 1/2 year old). Neither my wife nor my son hold OW elite status. I know that Sapphire members can bring only one guest to the lounge, but is that rule strictly enforced when the second "guest" is a small child ? Your experience on this matter (especially for the Admiral's Club lounge at CDG T2A and the RJ lounge at AMM) is appreciated.

If the rule is strictly enforced, is it possible to have a second guest for a fee ?

sunrisegirl

Well neither the Admirals Club nor the RJ lounge are BA lounges as such, so perhaps this would be better asked on one of those sections of FT, particularly as you're travelling with RJ and not BA anyway.

As far as BA are concerned, if the toddler is under 2 then they will normally be allowed in the lounge with you. Over that and the answer is no.

Paralytic

Hypothetical question: If someone said their child was under 2, but the lounge dragon/angel suspected they were older, I guess they'd have the facility to check their DOB on their system?

I bet many people have tried that before.

heckenhocker

I don't know the answer - but I suspect the lounge guardian would look at the booking of the adult(s) and see if the child has a seat - would give an indication of age, though of course some children under 2 are purchased a seat.

orbitmic

Typically, under 2 is an infant ticket (10% of regular fare) and over two is a child ticket (which has a discount - usually 50% - on many fares but not on others). If the passenger is booked with an infant, the lounge people are likely to accept this as evidence of the toddler's age. If the passenger is booked without infant alongside a child and claims the child is in fact an infant under 2, this is likely to look extremely suspicious indeed. Of course, in theory, a wealthy passenger keen on his/her comfort could choose to buy a ticket for an infant under 2 so that the said infant has his/her own seat, but in practice, I believe that this is very rare so would conceivably lead the lounge attendants to ask for some identity paper showing the child's date of birth.

PS: heckenhocker has beater my slow typing by quite a margin!
PPS: sunrisegirl is absolutely right that policy can change by airlines. In fact, a number of Middle Eastern airlines apparently allow people's children in the lounge in addition to guest (according to what I was told due to traditionally different conceptions of family and family size) so it would be worth checking directly with RJ if they also do not count the children as part of the frequent flyer's guest allowance.

sunrisegirl

People try all the tricks in the book at an airport!

They could also ask to see the passport.

peterrabbit

I've had no problem with BA/AA/LAN lounges when my 'second guest' was on an infant ticket.

When she got older, and strictly speaking not allowed, I have kindly asked if we can be accommodate and generally speaking it's been OK everywhere except T5.

LondonAndy

An infant (ie child under 2) can be brought in to the lounge in addition to a guest.

Regarding some of the points above, it is completely legitimate to buy a ticket for an infant so that they have their own seat, in which case it is charged at child rates which, when flying short haul, is typically 100% of the adult fare (although discounted for long haul).

I have a wife, a child, and a baby (ie very young infant!). I know that SRG will disagree with me even asking the question, but whilst I normally fly by myself, there have been 3 flights over the last year where I've flown with the family and we haven't had lounge access due to the cabin we were flying in. My experience of asking at the lounge but perfectly expecting to be knocked back was:
LHR: OK, just this once (we arrived about 40 minutes before the flight left and I knew my daughter wouldn't eat the sandwich on the plane but would eat the pasta/sausages in the lounge).
European lounge, BA run: Leave your daughter outside......... hahahaha no of course you can all come in.
European lounge, third party run (where we had the right number of BA cards and priority passes to cover us all): Didn't even look at the priority pass, just waved us in with the BA card.

I know what the entitlement is, and many will disagree with me even asking to get in, but if they said no then I would, very happily (rather in a DYKWIA sort of way!) take my daughter in and send my wife off shopping (which could prove very expensive ). The cost to BA of this is very low (they don't take bottles of champagne, newspapers etc. ) and the children are well behaved.

sunrisegirl

The problem is - and I know London Andy will disagree with me! - that if everybody asks then the lounge gets overrun by children and becomes worse than a creche/playground and other (entitled) guests complain about the noise and nuisance levels.

Try this in the middle of school holidays at LGW with the MCO, TPA, BGI and ANU flights and you have somewhere in the region of 200 additional guests who shouldn't be allowed being let in every day.

Some of our flights at LGW have a hefty amount of children on board - one flight this week had 72 of them (and no it wasn't MCO!) many of them children of card holders.

angatol

.....

orbitmic

Absolutely and completely legitimate. I was just suggesting it is not very usual as most people prefer to enjoy the 90% discount and most airlines are effectively willing to block an empty middle seat if the flight is not too full.

clubman

Have to say that at T5 at least, i've never had a problem getting our 3+ year old in as well as my better half way after she was 2, I remember one lounge lady (most definitely not a dragon...) at the Flounge say "Oh, she doesn't look over 2 to me" and then wink at me, when she very clearly was! (she's way over the average hight for her age)

But, I have never come up to the lounge thinking it was my right to take them both in and always been very polite when asking fully willing to accept if they said sorry but no can do.

orbitmic

I think your and LondonAndy's point on this is crucial, I think that anyone going there with a guest + young child claiming entry as an entitlement would be very likely to be rebuked (and very legitimately so in my view should I add). When you ask it as a favour, my guess is that things go back to sunrisegirl's earlier point. If you are there at a pretty empty time, the lounge is fairly quiet, etc, lounge attendants may well let you in; but if the lounge is very busy, lounge attendants know that it is a period of school holidays with lots of families with young children asking the same privilege they would in my guess be more likely to say no. As long as someone is happy to gracefully accept the answer whether it is a 'yes' or a 'no', i'm personally not shocked by them asking.

mkjr

i would just go in and load up on some snacks for you and "ONE" guest and leave. surely, one can not suggest this is inappropriate. maybe put a bottle of champange and two glasses into your purse also. or a bottle of wine that you and "ONE" guest would have consumed in the lounge.

sunrisegirl

Silver. Is he quiet - I can only deal with quiet children!