Lounge access at T5
 

I am travelling to IAD to BOM, connecting in LHR (T5). From IAD to LHR, I am flying in business & then LHR to BOM is premium economy. I have a couple of questions:
a) Since I am travelling on business into LHR, would I have access to T5 Galleries lounge in LHR?
b) I do attain Silver status with the IAD to LHR flight. I need 140 tier points which this flight gives me. But I believe it does not get applied to my account right away (takes a day or two). Has anyone had this situation? Would like to know the BA staff at the lounge handle this

Appreciate the response

a) Yes, just make sure to keep your old boarding pass.
b) Not exactly relevant for lounge access (see a), but your status should change within 2-3 days. (Provided you meet the 4-flight minimum)

Thanks for the response.. Will make sure I hold on the boarding passes then.. ;)

So in answer to your questions, and in addtion to theultimateflyer's comments:

a) Yes you do get access to the GC lounges, there is a GC North and GC South in T5A, and a GC in T5B. Bear in mind this access is not based on the oneworld connecting flights rules which wouldn't be applicable here since they cover connecting long haul from or to a domestic/short haul only. The access is based on BA's more generous rules which allow an inbound CW passenger with no lounge access oneworld status connecting on to a Y or WT+ long haul flight to access the lounge based on the inbound flight. Here is a copy of an old BA handbook which explains the policy:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7...2520manual.jpg

b) Generally points take at least 24 hours to post (more if from an outstation) and your status takes at least another 24 hours to update from one tier to another. You would not be silver when you land in LHR, or indeed when you land in BOM. However, based on the positive answer to a) there isn't any need to worry about this since you will get lounge access regardless of not being silver.

That a image is over 6 years old (it predates t5). I would hope for the best, expect the worst.

I think the main problem is from or to domestic when connecting to or from a CE flights, especially where the booking is an RFS. The OP is inbound in CW and this seems to be less of an issue - there seem to be fewer reports of lounge access incorrectly being denied for this situation so I would not suggest that the OP expects the worst.

So Paul, you say that based on experience or because the image is old.

I get the point about expectations.

Ba lounge agents are a law unto themselves. They once threatened someone arriving off an AA-F flight with arrest when she tried to get into GF. The domestic debacle is well known here too.

You're relying on Ba rules for access - one world rules only allow the incoming class to be respected when flying onward in short haul.

Oh and where are my manners. Welcome to te Ba forum, the biggest and best in the whole of flyertalkium. Forgive the brief welcome, I'm writing on a phone, should be trying to sleep, and have to be at the airport in less than 6 hours.

Paging CWS...

Is this only true at heathrow?

According to the above, if I arrive at TXL on a Club Europe flight and am getting on an Air Berlin flight (any class) then I should be able to use the lounge in TXL. Is this true as the "manage my booking" lists lounge access for the BA flights but not for the air berlin flight

Welcome killerrock
 

Oh yes, welcome killerrock, welcome to the BA Forum, welcome to Flyertalk and thanks for the interesting question. I hope that you will enjoy being here and that you will continue to post. This particular combination of flight classes is perfectly rational (bed at night, seat during the day) but it's perhaps unusual so it would be interesting to hear your experiences.

My suspicion is that you would be allowed access, if BA metal, since you do have Arrivals lounge access, and it would be a bit daft to use the relatively expensive Arrivals lounge (expensive to BA that is) if the relatively inexpensive Galleries Club was closed off to you. Certainly you would need to show both arriving and departing boarding passes. Under oneworld rules, however, you definitely would not have access.

Knowing the TXL lounge, that would not work. They let BA Silver cardholders in for AB flights under sufferance as it is, since the AB lounge is actually the Air France lounge upstairs.

Thanks for the welcome folks. Appreciate the response CWS. I an suprised that the policy is not clear on this, as I guess this must happen often. Given the depth of experience on this site, was hoping to find folks who have been thru the grind.

Is it that bad? I have a couple of AB domestics coming up starting in TXL, and I'd definitely take the nice BA lounge over any AF lounge or AB "exclusive waiting area" any day ...

The Air France lounge is arguably better, it's not so decrepit that's for sure. Golds and higher seem to be welcomed, Silver and non BAECs are often invited to go upstairs to Air France. They know they need to admit BAECs so it's not a high push, but I've seen it happen and staff have explained it is due to payment issues internally within the airport. The Exklusiver Wartebereich is luckily barred to BAEC members!