LTN Phobia

It's only a nice waiting room. Not worth getting too worked up over, and even GBL isn't that nice (although it's nice enough, it's not as if there is a spa inside or anything).

layz

Is this definite? I thought it was just a rumour and one that seemed unlikely because of the awkwardness of dealing with Irish arrivals unless T5 had already been designed for the possibility.

When arriving from Ireland you're supposed to pass through customs but not immigration. Although when arriving into T1 last time 'customs' was just a phone on the wall - but they have a different reclaim belt to the true domestics so customs officers can easily monitor it if required.

sigma421

There's soup, (delicious) cake, crisps, cheese (not great cheese I'll give), nuts, cookies, shortbread, fruit and olives. I really don't see what's missing here (and indeed the only other thing that you'd get upstairs outside of breakfast time is some fairly poor sandwiches). In the mornings theres also Pains au Chocolats, a fairly decent cereal selection and porridge.
It's a one hour flight leaving from a terminal which is going to be demolished in 18 months which BA didn't plan to be in. At least you're in the lounge! I (and I'm sure others here) used to have to kill hours and hours in Gate 8 (or even worse Gate 5) without lounge access with only a Costa Coffee and WH Smith for entertainment.
It's not Galleries First and it's never going to be but with the exception of the lack of showers and poor wine selection it's pretty much what BA used to offer to those flying domestically (or common travel area-...ly) before Terminal 5.

lorcancoyle

Edited to add: I stuffed up the quote below - apols (bloody app, grr)

Incidentally, my MMB screen for a LHR-DUB (BA flight number) in October says

The plot thickens![/QUOTE]

Tried using a printout of that to get into GBL a month of two ago - didn't work, but said they'd flag problem....

lorcancoyle

Breakfast offering is woeful - the pain au chocolat are about a 1 in 3 chance based on recent experience. Not even something as basic as toast available... Given the GBL issue isn't security I fail to see why food offering isn't aligned

LTN Phobia

Breakfast offering was weak even at GBL anyway.

rossmacd

I would rather eat any breakfast item available in the London Room, instead of those vile bacon rocks currently available in T5 Galleries Club.

kt74

^

Why are people assuming this is BA/bmi's fault? As I understood it, the policy had more to do with BAA than BD. No point getting into a hissyfit with the lounge ladies

When T1 had separate Domestic/Ireland and International areas, you couldn't use the International lounge when flying domestically, and vice versa. What's the difference now?

It's a 1 hour flight, for which the average economy fare pre-tax/surchage is probably sub-£50. What do you expect? Virgin Clubhouse? Booze and crisps is plenty - why are you turning up at the airport early enough to do anything else anyway?

Habemuspapam

The point, folks, is consistency.

When an airline advertises certain privileges at certain elite tiers, one shouldn't have to guess and research every eventuality. Being denied access to what amounts to a J+ lounge as a GCH just isn't acceptable. It's not arrogance, it is an earned privilege, and being made to feel second class with that amount of spend is simply crap.

Rant over. Had two lovely flights today with great crews. I'll dwell on that for awhile.

Shanagarry

I have to brave the T1 outpost more frequently than I would like because - to answer kt74 - I need to connect through a European hub to travel to most long haul destinations from Ireland, and that hub is usually LHR for me. So while I wouldn't be fussed about a lounge in advance of a short hop from London, a pleasant lounge would be very welcome when I have to hang around for a connection after getting off an overnight long haul flight.

layz

In that instance (as you have to clear immigration and pass through security at LHR anyway) I'd spend some time in the T5 arrivals lounge. There's a decent breakfast buffet and plenty of showers. You can then get the free HEX train to T1 closer to departure, you can then just spend a short amount of time in the London Room.

matthandy

Some people are never satisfied. For years people complained that BA didn't fly to Dublin, now that they do, more complaints! Do people really expect the transition from BMI to BA to happen overnight, with BA T5 style lounges suddenly popping up at T1? All of this fuss for a one hour domestic flight....

Markie

I am off to DUB this afternoon and fully expecting the 'full' BA domestic T1 poor experience!

clubman

Only if he/she travel CW or F which they may well, but we don't know that...

LTN Phobia

Exactly, and it's not as if it's a dire lounge with absolutely nothing but water and beer.

Maybe some people haven't been to some of the 'worse' lounges and have their expectations too high?