LHRagain

Great news. Sounds positive!

wenzlydale

I used the IAD lounge on 29/6 and was told the same 'we made a mistake in letting you in before' story.

I emailed 'Priority' the day after, complaining about the rebranding to FD and the total lack of notice. I was phoned by BA some 24 hours later and got the same positive 'vibe' that a lot of people had complained and that this decision was being reviewed.

I made the point that the CCR/FD lounge at IAD had never been more than half full when I had been in it, so my presence was not denying F passengers the opportunity to dine.

I still feel that there is a lack of clarity around, as I asked about DXB and SIN and was told that CCR card holders were only entitled to access CCR lounges in LHR and JFK.

On a much more positive point, I had also complained about BA not being a TSA PreCheck airline and was told that this was in progress and expected to be completed by the end of 2017

camdentown

So stepping back and looking at IAD there is now only one lounge available for premium card holders - which is the Club lounge. This is one of the poorer ones in the USA in my opinion. The bar is awful, the quality of wine is mediocre and there is no champagne. The Club pre-flight dining is also particularly poor compared to ORD and JFK (the menu may be the same , but the quality isn't).

BA really do seem to be loosing the plot ...

Tobias-UK

Out of interest, which other BA operated lounges have you used?

LHRagain

Was in the IAD lounge last week and there is no update on the CCR situation. They are still claiming it is First pre dining only despite the sign outside the door saying Concorde Dining.
All in all this is pathetic from BA. How to annoy their most frequent travellers...when there is absolutely no need to do so.

CCayley

Good to hear BA are keeping firm on this point, and it is perfectly right to deny first class dining to CCR cardholders, since meals are an aspect of air travel where class of travel determines entitlement and status is irrelevant.

Do those CCR cardholders who think otherwise also demand to use the loos in the First Class cabin even when they aren't flying in F? There's no logical difference between these demands ...

AdBoy

Like Gold Card holders demanding to use the 'First Wing' and the 'First Class Lounge'?

Gomac

Exactly, or silver card holders using the business lounges when flying Y.

Tobias-UK

But there is a logical difference. CCR Cardholders travelling in any class are entitled to use the CCRs at LHR and JFK where they are permitted to enjoy pre-flight dining in the Concorde Dining Rooms at both. IAD has been branded a Concorde Dining Room ergo it is not unreasonable for a CCR Cardholder to believe they should have access.

That said, the official position is that CCR Cardholders do not have First dining privileges at any First or Concorde Dining Room (except at LHR and JFK) unless they are travelling in First.

Often1

BA has made far to many minor distinctions across its system and that has led to damage to both its premium brand and to its top elite brand, e.g. F & CCR (if not Gold).

Ultimately, BA is faced with space restrictions which it does not control (IAD is a good example of a location where expansion is likely out of the question).

The question then arises as to whether it maintains an F or F+others and whether that differs at LHR, JFK, BOS, IAD, and as time passes elsewhere.

The question of how this affects CCR flying in <F is irrelevant. If in F, the CCR does nothing more or less than the ticket itself.

crazyanglaisy

Utterly ridiculous that this hasn't been resolved yet. Do BA really think that their average F class traveller is more valuable to them than their average CCR cardholding traveller?

Flexible preferences

I'm not sure if it is the individual 'average' that counts. Another question for an airline with limited resources at outstations might be 'Do BA consider their F class passengers, as a whole, CCR or not, more valuable to them than their CCR cardholding travellers who are travelling in a lower cabin?'

our_kid

The wonderful class system rears its head. What right do you have to make such a sweeping judgment?

Tobias-UK

It is resolved. Only F passengers are entitled to pre-flight dining in the Concorde Dining Room at IAD.

Rubecula

The Boston lounge solves the problem by putting toblerones on the table saying First dining.