Lounge Access for GCH not flying BA
 

Looking at the lounge access database page the picture of the tiers implies that a gold card holder or above can use lounges (First/Galleries/Terrace) but not have to be flying on BA marketed or operated flight but the guest does?.
Is that the correct read?

No - that benefit was enhanced away a couple of years ago

Both the GCH and the guest need to be on a oneworld flight. Are you looking at this?

Yes, I was looking at the picture in the first post, but having now read the whole way down it does say by status that GCH/Emerald and Guest must be both travelling on a one world flight.

That was the day my slavish devotion to BA came to an end. Of all BA's 'enhancements' that was the one that pi**ed me off the most.

I think I used it once or twice when I flew KM, so I was hardly a regular user. It was disappointing and I would think that the number of GCH who used this benefit regularly was probably quite low.

I think it might be higher than you suspect. At LGW they were keeping details of which flights you were on and I remember seeing quite a lot of entries on their list; most of them seemed to be with an orange LCC. We certainly took advantage when flying to LPA.

Yes, it was quite disgraceful that BA put a stop to people flying on a £30 Easyjet ticket drinking copious quantities of booze at BA's expense.:rolleyes:

LGW was specifically the issue. The problem was at school holidays and in particular skiiing time. On one occasion every single seat in the First lounge was occupied, with BA First passengers unable to enter, due to the large number of Gold cardholders travelling Easyjet to destinations also served by BA. The previous EDI lounge and GVA also had a bit of an issue too. It was made worse by the fact that LCC plus skiing travel tends to dictate an early arrival at the airport, so people spent a long time there. You may think it would be better to make rules for the handful of affected lounges, but at the end of the day BA didn't want to subsidise people using their larger rival.

Just buy a fully-flexible business class or First Class ticket, check in, use the lounge, then rebook your flight for a later date.

Simples.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/lufth...each-time.html

They could have kept it for GGLs only :p :D

I appreciate you were annoyed about the change. It was all before my time flying so I only know of it from what is discussed on here. Are there any other frequent flyer schemes that gave similar open doors lounge access? It does sound like a benefit which was never really sustainable in the long term.

I didn't think that GCHs were allowed to use the First lounge at LGW? I seem to remember turning left out of the lift and not right when using this perk?

GCHs have access to First Lounges where available when they travel.

The open-doors policy did not restrict Gold Card Holders to any lesser subset of lounges.

While continuing to allow passengers, with minimal economic significance to BA, to be guested into BA's lounges. :rolleyes:

If your explanation is the sole reason for BA's 'enhancement' why didn't BA withdraw the facility at, for example, LGW only?

BA's 'pi*s-off your most loyal customers' policy is breathtaking.