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Someone nicking 20+ cans of beer from the F-lounge (got it on video)

Old Jul 5, 2017, 3:31 pm
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Beergate: A Summary

Two males were observed removing free beer (estimated to be c.20 cans of an unknown brewer) from the First Lounge (South) at London Heathrow's Terminal 5 on Friday 30th June 2017 between the hours of noon and approximately 17:00. The two men are white and probably have in excess of 1600 Tier Points.

200 outraged posts on an airline-related online forum then wasted at least 1000 man-hours of British industry at a cost of over 100 due to middle-ranking executives having not much better to do than comment on this feat of potential drinking whilst being flown.

Anybody with any news on this treasonable crime should not bother calling CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111. A reward of 6 cans of beer is available should the original beer cans be recovered.

Police are uninterested in talking to anyone in the vicinity at the time.

Any BREAKING NEWS on this front-page story will be added to this wiki immediately it happens
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Someone nicking 20+ cans of beer from the F-lounge (got it on video)

Old Jul 2, 2017, 3:43 pm
  #31  
 
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Originally Posted by our_kid
Personally I couldn't care less - good luck to them. I don't drink and there are many threads on here where people sit in the lounge for hours on end quaffing the LPGS (or equivalent).

More important things to worry about than 10GBP worth of lager.
I disagree quite strongly - I think there will be quite a strong correlation between those who think it's acceptable to steal a large number of beer cans from the lounge and those who cause bigger problems for other passengers, such as having no respect for the seat onboard (e.g. either deliberately causing damage to it or being indifferent as to whether they do). It's symptomatic of a whole attitude to property which isn't yours to do as you wish with - I'd rather they were sent somewhere else.
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Last edited by lost_in_translation; Jul 2, 2017 at 3:55 pm
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 3:55 pm
  #32  
 
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Say if both of them spent a few thousand on tickets, what's 20 cans bought in bulk, about 6? Maybe they just had about 20 mins or so in the lounge and felt they just wanted to get theirs money's worth!!!😬😬
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 3:58 pm
  #33  
 
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What is needed here is for the individuals concerned to be ejected from the BA Exec club and banned from BA lounges- I am not really sure that there is a realistic prospect of a criminal conviction, but IANAL.

Sadly, it seems more likely that if this event receives the traction and coverage that it is starting to show a hint of, it will provide a very useful cover story for changes to the way in which alcoholic beverages are provided in BA lounges.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 3:59 pm
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by our_kid
Personally I couldn't care less - good luck to them. I don't drink and there are many threads on here where people sit in the lounge for hours on end quaffing the LPGS (or equivalent).

More important things to worry about than 10GBP worth of lager.
Totally agree, some people just need to chill out and enjoy the start of their holiday. And if it's not a holiday just business, they probably haven't bought that ticket that qualifies them into the lounge anyway!
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 4:00 pm
  #35  
 
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Originally Posted by Finavia
Say if both of them spent a few thousand on tickets, what's 20 cans bought in bulk, about 6? Maybe they just had about 20 mins or so in the lounge and felt they just wanted to get theirs money's worth!!!😬😬
And if you only spend 99 on your ticket but getting lounge access thanks to being OWE, all you are allowed to drink would be a bottle of water?

Taking drinks and food from the lounge officially is VERBOTEN, but apparently 1-2 cans or a pack of crisps don't hurt anyone, especially in BOB-era. But people like them will make BA re-think the policy and make all food eventually offered in open containers/tap beer/coke/sprite only. Or make it a "served" area only.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 4:01 pm
  #36  
 
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I don't think 20 cans is going to brake the BA bank. Probably costs more in fuel to lugg 3x30kg bags across the Atlantic.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 4:16 pm
  #37  
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My take is they paid for a first class seat so they got the best of their fare! And wow, see something say something taken to a brand new level. Why have we become a police state. OP had a lot of time on his hands to take videos, this is not his job.

Last edited by djjaguar64; Jul 3, 2017 at 9:14 am
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 4:19 pm
  #38  
 
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Originally Posted by madfish
Cannot see the video, but wondered if there was also a printer nearby?
They did not have a large enough bag...
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 4:23 pm
  #39  
 
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Originally Posted by Prospero
Absolutely astonishing behaviour - decanting the contents of the refrigerator shelf into a duffle bag.

I’m sure their journey from the lounge to their eventual boarding gate will have been captured on CCTV.
I do hope they gave all that beer to the whole ET cabin as a 'Robin Hood' move!

All jokes aside, I think what they did was over the top. If someone takes a few cans of coke and some crisps for their BOB flight, I see nothing wrong with that.

If BA really wants to crack down on this, all they have to do, as mentioned up thread, is simply ban cans and make it all draft, including the cokes!
And place crisps into large plates, not leave packets of them to take!

Very simple solution.
With BOB, unless BA changes their offerings, this is bound to happen.

I also feel that it is not up to the OP to 'Police the lounge', it is up to BA's staff to deal with the issue, and at the same time prevent it from happening in the first place.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 4:26 pm
  #40  
 
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Originally Posted by YuropFlyer
And if you only spend 99 on your ticket but getting lounge access thanks to being OWE, all you are allowed to drink would be a bottle of water?

Taking drinks and food from the lounge officially is VERBOTEN, but apparently 1-2 cans or a pack of crisps don't hurt anyone, especially in BOB-era. But people like them will make BA re-think the policy and make all food eventually offered in open containers/tap beer/coke/sprite only. Or make it a "served" area only.
I spent 55 once +9000 avios on a same day return HEL > LHR. It was for a 40 point tier run. Spent all day in CX/BA lounge eating and drinking. Didn't take anything out of the lounge but I sure consumed more than 20 cans worth of food and drink! 😬😬😬
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 4:32 pm
  #41  
 
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Going by some of the comments condoning the activity I wonder if the culprits are among us.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 4:42 pm
  #42  
 
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Witnessed similar behavior in the Aspire lounge in Edinburgh a few weeks ago. Group of 6 removed approx 16 bottles of beer from the display stuffing them into carry on bags just before they left. Reported it to staff but they didn't act on it.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 5:03 pm
  #43  
 
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Originally Posted by Discus
Visited F-lounge at LHR T5 Friday afternoon. We noticed two persons grabbing a lot of beer and putting it in their bags. They had some round trips to the bar and even stopped to get more when leaving (all within 3-4 minutes) They noticed me filming, but looked like they couldn't care less. Guess they nicked 20+ cans and 5 bags of crisps.

Showed the video to the lounge manager immediately, and he was speechless and he (and some more staff?) left the lounge to go looking for them. Don't know the result.

Based on the behaviour on these men, I guess it is not the first time. So look around. Managers office is by the entrance to the F-lounge. The staff at the front desk or in the cloakroom will probably be the best to notice and act fast.
Originally Posted by Discus
These guys did both! This was the third(!) beer-run!
If I had witnessed this, it wouldn't have taken me three beer runs to determine my course of action. Either move on it or deem it unworthy of involvement. But most likely, I wouldn't wait, let them make off with the loot, and only then report it.

Had they not left, how many more runs would they've made before you reported them? Or had you already decided to let them leave first?

Originally Posted by IAN-UK
Gosh! I hope you're getting a glow of righteousness spreading this around.

While I view the behaviour of the two as deeply tacky, I can't get as worked up about it as some have; and I am uneasy and uncomfortable about the role of the OP in filming the shebang and then running off to the lounge manager with it.

I'd have been mildly shocked to witness the audacity of the actions filmed, but I can't work up any moral outrage by that sort of tackiness. Nobody was hurt, no-one was in danger: I'd have got on with my own life.
For me, it's either take action or not even pay attention. But allowing three different runs for a total of 20+ cans and only moving on it after they leave...well, why bother? At that point they've gotten away with it and the damage is done and I'd only feel worse for revealing it to others that I actually allowed them to get away with it.

Last edited by Grog; Jul 2, 2017 at 5:09 pm
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 6:07 pm
  #44  
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Originally Posted by ahmetdouas

Very simple solution.
With BOB, unless BA changes their offerings, this is bound to happen.

.
How do you know they were travelling in short haul economy? They could just be taking it because it's there.
This sort of behaviour has been reported on here before....well before Percy Piglet was even born.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 6:10 pm
  #45  
 
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Originally Posted by madfish
Cannot see the video, but wondered if there was also a printer nearby?
Hahahahahahahah ^

I remember that, a brilliant if somewhat subtle reference!
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