UKtravelbear

Shouldn't have been a problem as BA Gold (so One World Emerald) get access to AA flagship lounges.

Some AA staff get confused by the colours and don't always associate the coloured blob on your card indicating one world status and just see the colout of your card and AA Gold does not get flagship.

Showing your card usually works to put them right (though I did have to press my case to access flagship check-in at ORD)

thegrailer

Hi all
Can someone provide a reason why BA lounge agents refuse admission to the F lounge in ORD when 1) I am a OWE flying CX (e.g., not trying to gain access while flying AA domestic), 2) the BA F lounge is the OW lounge at ORD Terminal 5, and 3) the lounge was empty -- three people with no line waiting to enter. The lounge agent stated that she could refuse admission based on capacity control issues re some BA passengers might show up later on and she had to save a seat for them. There is no CX lounge and with the train out at ORD to Terminal 5, the AA flagship lounge isn't really an option (time constraints). Is there a saving seats rule that I don't know about? Is this common? I'm usually not connecting in ORD and my home airport doesn't have an F lounge but is this how BA runs its lounge admission policies?

Cheers -

UKtravelbear

yes it is quite common to use the 'subject to capacity' constraint to limit access. They know how many lounge qualified passengers are due on each flight and so make decisions based on that

Just because the lounge is empty at one moment in time does not mean it will remain that way.

corporate-wage-slave

One thing to bear in mind is the way that BA passengers tend to arrive in waves between 3 hours and 90 minutes to departure, and both ORD lounges are quite small. The F lounge has only about 24 seats in it, and if there is an A380 or 747 the full lounge syndrome is the norm. And you can't really kick someone out from a lounge with any elegance if a wadge of First Class passengers do turn up, never mind the legion of BA Emeralds. So depending on the time, this may well have been a valid reason.

Did they offer the other BA lounge? That's not much bigger admittedly.

As it happens, the designated lounge for Cathay is the Air France lounge, an arrangement made at ORD precisely because of the limited space. BA would ideally have a larger lounge there if they could but it's a very different airport management there, compared to (say) BOS.

thegrailer

Hi all -
I did not know that AF was the designated lounge - thanks for that tidbit. (Is it any good?)
Still not happy with the saving seats rule. If BA isn't going to allow OWEs into the F lounge, post that exception on the OW lounge access website. (as an aside, the lounge agent's nastiness got under my skin making this a larger mole hill).

Thanks all -
Cheers

corporate-wage-slave

Before the revamp the space issue was clearly shown in the website, now it isn't but it's not a new policy, or even restricted to BA. However see the long running thread about the PHL lounge for another example of this . The AF lounge is just along from the BA lounge, and is about 3 times bigger, with a similar thin long design and ramp view. It's not as good as the BA offering but better than no lounge at all. By all means let Cathay know of your experience.

gcuk

I'm flying down to Sydney in a group of 4, all pax on one PNR. I'm GGL, travel companions will be 2 silver and one no status.
We are switching aircraft in Singapore so we get to enjoy the A380. They are direct connections, no stopovers, and we are booked in the following cabins on one PNR, all marketed and operated by BA:

LHR- SIN J
SIN-SYD F

SYD-SIN J
SIN-LHR F

The different cabins are due to avios upgrade availability.

I'm not clear from the guide how this affects lounge access.

At LHR, we can all access GF due to my GGL card and the new 5 guest arrangement but would we be able to access CCR based on our onward F flight from SIN to SYD?

Likewise on the return, we would all get access to the Qantas Business class lounge in SYD. I could presumably take 1 guest into the Qantas First lounge, but would the onward connection from SIN in F allow access to the Qantas F lounge for everyone?

Vasco Pridat

Nice flight..

You are right about 5 in gf..
CCR will only be one guest for you as no one is flying out in f I assume.
There is no real qantas f lounge in Sydney unless the new one is ready yet? It's just a reserved seating area.
You can all use the ba ccr lounge in sin on your departure when u will be flying out in f. You cannot use this on the return as it is only for departing f pax.

gcuk

Qantas had a great F lounge in SYD. Hadn't heard it had closed?
We are First on our return from SIN.

Globaliser

I think that Vasco Pridat may have meant Singapore, where QF is building a new F lounge.

Vasco Pridat

LOL of course. Thnx globaliser.. My favorite airport codes that I mix up..

Syd and Mel have outstanding first lounges.
Singapore qantas lounge in my eyes is nothing special at all. Huge and crowded.
Nothing for special for emeralds.
They did make my first departure on qantas special tho where they actually greeted me at the entrance and walked me to that reserved sheeting where they serve the tables. So you get a lot of DYKWIA more feeling than actually any difference to j.
They do hold showers for their F pax. Which made it possible to use one as they are usually totally overcrowded when in j or card holder.
When will the new f lounge be ready? Suppose that will be great

HarryHolden68

It would appear that the enhanced guesting policy is being selectively introduced this holiday period. Over the weekend I received this from BA:

Dear HarryHolden68
"The best things in life are even better when they’re shared, so why not share the pleasure of our Glasgow lounge with your loved ones on 01 August 2019?
We’re delighted to welcome you and up to five guests to enjoy a moment of comfort and calm, so your holiday can begin even before you board.
It’s our centenary this summer, and this is our small gift to you. After all, we wouldn’t be celebrating 100 wonderful years without the brilliant people who make us who we are"

Nothing about the outbound from LHR a day earlier which is disappointing as I have a colleague and their daughter flying off on hols at the same time.
I will ask at the airport and show them the mail, but I take it they are judging based on expected loads at any time and complaints about F lounge overcrowding are a factor?

speed.skater

I didn't receive lounge access as a BA silver to the MAN BA lounge as well as the INV Aspire. That was on Logonair flights booked as BA code shares. In both cases, I was told a gold card is required.

Just reporting this as I've read somewhere on the BA forum a silver card should be sufficient (can't find the thread anymore).

Cat5 in the Hat

I had a similar email allowing me to kick start my holiday by bringing 5 guests in the lounge at TXL. I was flying home alone from a work trip. Nothing for tomorrow's family flight to LAX though.
A chat with someone in the LHR F lounge last week suggested that bringing the email and a polite word may yield something at LHR but don't bank on it. In their opinion I was targeted and therefore worthy of some leeway, which the lounge keepers were allowed to do nowadays... Fingers crossed for you.

KARFA

no that was entirely correct. For access you would have needed to be booked on a BA codeshare, on a BA 125-... ticket, and have a gold card. This is only for gold card/ggls, so unfortunately no access for silvers.