tedhl

As a BA Gold (plus CX DM and QF Plat, although it shouldn't matter)...I was just refused access to the BA Lounge at BOS while flying CX (in paid J). The reason is, "the lounge becomes a CX lounge only at 21:45". I said, I'm not trying to access the "CX lounge", I'm accessing the "British Airways Lounge" during its official opening hours ("Daily: 05:00 - 08:00, 10:00 - 13:00, 14:30 - 01:00").

It's literally...BA Gold refused access to BA Lounge while flying oneworld. nothing related to capacity - the lounge was at most less than 50% full when I looked...

HMPS

Sorry to hear you were bounced.

Elsewhere I read those traveling in J on QR are eligible to use this lounge.
True or false ?

tedhl

in fact, I was there like shortly before 21:00, just only 45 mins earlier than the 21:45 time she said that the lounge would "become a CX lounge" - didn't even give such a flexibility (if they really believe they can make up this rule).

I already didn't have much faith in lounge food and already spent the previous hour in Legal Seafood downstairs to have a nice glass of sangria + clam chowder + lobster roll...if I knew it's such an hassle to go into the lounge I would have just stayed in the restaurant for another 45 mins...

corporate-wage-slave

The Cathay flight departs at 01:45 hrs, and so the BA lounges stays open beyond the last BA flight as part of an arrangement with Cathay, for which Cathay pick up the tab. By the sounds of it the agreement spans a 4 hour period. If there were no BA services then a 4 hour lounge availability period would be common/unremarkable. There are some multi-user BA lounges where you would be refused admission if you arrived too early. It would have been better if they had just let you in, but BA are within their rights to restrict access in peak times, and the airline is able to set a time for that. Now I can't see in your post what time you tried to enter, but (a) there may be BA services for which they need seating later, that lounge can get very busy and (b) they may have simply set a timetable based on usual peak patterns and you're on the wrong side of it. Either way, they are allowed to do this. You could complain to Cathay about this if you think 4 hours is too short.

Qatar's lounge in Boston is the Air France lounge, which isn't very good, and my suspicion is that anyone using the BA lounge will be asked to go to that lounge instead on capacity grounds, which is allowed for under the oneworld rules, given their flight leaves in the middle of the BA services.

tedhl

9:45 pm was the time it "becomes a CX lounge" (per the agent's language). I went slightly before 9 pm when they're still mostly (or only) serving pax flying BA. Lounge was at most half full at that time (and capacity constraint never mentioned as the reason - it's only that "it's not yet a CX lounge"). I saw pax were preparing to board soon afterwards already so there's no more peak time or needing seating afterwards. and the opening hours is clearly marked as "14:30 - 01:00" with no closing in between.

again, I'm not sure if I should be complaining to CX. CX did pay for 4 hours already. it's BA refusing its own BA Gold member (despite traveling on oneworld/CX), access to its own BA Lounge being managed by its own BA staff. and refusing/neglecting my request to show her the rules or to talk to some other people in the lounge (later on I found out there's indeed some more "knowledgeable" people in the lounge).

to her argument that "it's not yet a CX lounge", my response was always, I'm not trying to access the CX lounge (which operates 21:45-1:15). I'm trying to access the "BA lounge", as a BA Gold. It's clearly a "BA lounge" at that time when I tried, from all angles...it carried the BA Lounge name, taking in BA pax (or, more exactly, pax flying BA), managed by BA staff. and they're refusing its own BA Gold (and, if that matters at all...I in fact did have BA Gold on my BP too, it's not even a case when I'm flying CX with CX DM in system, but just showing BA Gold card separately).

HMPS

I fail to realize the Lounge Dragon's assertions & decision. Perhaps you should write to "powers that be" to either have the rule book at the desk or have the agent produce a senior staff on duty within a reasonable time.
Will be interesting as to what / which cut & paste letter you may receive

allturnleft

Flew from Boston last night
Loved the new lounge.
Flying first it was a little odd to be the only one in the dining area; it felt a little like being on display but didn’t feel too disimilar from dining in concorde room at JFK
A bit amusing when a guy tried to sit down with friend in the area ;He was told he was not flying first so couldnt stay . ‘But im a gold card holder’ he said; he was politlely told again it was for first passengers only
‘What is the point of being a gold cardholder he said!

Boading straight from the lounge was a nice touch

HMPS

What time was your flight ? How was the Business Class crowd in numbers ? Thanks

BOStonTravels

Was this a female staff member who spoke to you in a rude, condescending way (easily apparent to anyone who has interacted with her)? If it was I am sorry for you, she shows clear traits of a personality disorder. This staff member is not someone who can be trained (or for that matter make many gains developing interpersonal skills even if they had good intervention). They should be fired.

PleasureFlyer

I flew from BOS to LHR on Monday 23rd October and was in the lounge from around 18:15hrs and it was "standing room only!" The lounge was really extremely busy with folks rushing around to get food from the buffet and nowhere to sit in the main area.

The First Class dining section had a couple of spare tables which was just as well because the food I enjoyed was truly great; scallops and sea bass cooked to perfection. It was some of the best food I have ever tasted in any lounge anywhere in the world.

That set me up for 1A and 5 hours kip.

allturnleft

I was on the 21:30
Clearly the lounge must get backed for the earlier A380 flight
Its such a short flight that it mase sense for me to fly at a more natural sleep time and pre dine

sts603

Its a very nice lounge (with the best of the CW pre-flight suppers I've had) but it was bordering on standing room only before a high-J sold out 747 flight this week. What's the status of the rumored expansion (or the return to original design specs)?

corporate-wage-slave

I don't think that is going to help much, since that spec basically said that there would be a DXB style Concorde room in the area by the current First Dining space and towards the front desk (apron side, other side from the main walkway in). So this may take perhaps 20 people away from the mêlée but the numbers in the new lounge are quite something. The funding has now been found for it and I think it comes online next year.

In fact this is one of life's mysteries: the new lounge is what, twice, three times bigger than the previous lounge, though they have been clever to hide it the seating is quite condensed, and yet is seems much busier that the previous set-up. OK there is now an A380 in the mix, but it seems there has been a bit uplift in premium travel on that particular sector. Or the new lounge means people are arriving much earlier than before. That or the previous dungeon (I now know it wasn't in the basement!) was so unattractive that many people didn't bother.

sts603

As a CCR holder, I would still be quite happy to have a separate space in this lounge. I somewhat resent as a CCR/GGL in J I have no different experience from an SCH in Y and even if I was in F, I would only get table service during the meal.

corporate-wage-slave

Yes I guess if there was a Concorde room then that would be good, but given the IAD situation we can't be sure it would be open to CCRs or even Prems, it may be First only. However I don't really buy into the rest of your sentiments, the actual food, wine, décor, variety of seating, amazing view of Boston, apron (etc) is so good that I for one don't try to see this in relativist terms. The overcrowding is the one downside, but it only lasts for 30 minutes and it's not as though there is standing room only (even if some people may need a gentle hint to move their luggage....). If Silvers in World Traveller get the same treatment, so what?