darrencobb

Can any ft'er tell me if theres a lounge at nairobi please ?? Im travelling back in club on BA65 next thursday and as the flight is at 0030 a lounge and a shower would be nice. Thanks in advance darren cobb

Alwaysfly

Yes but forget the shower and perhaps a seat before 11pm. The lounge is shared with a number of airlines and it was overfull when I was there about 6 weeks ago. It emptied a bit around 11ish but still not a pleasant place to be for any length of time. Food and drink basic. Not aware of showers but others may know more. It was also a long way from the boarding gate (and the check in). Also be aware that there are two security checks ( scanners) at the gate. One of the airports own and a second by BA one after that so security queues are longish. Best to board late if you are in club as there is only a small waiting area after security.

mikeyfly

Have a look at Post 7 in the Lounge Wiki

BA Lounge Database | Africa

darrencobb

Thanks for the info. I was expecting a bit of chaos so im now prepared.cheers

Globaliser

Although I haven't been following it, there may be some more information in the more recent posts in this thread: Replacement BA Lounge at NBO???

Finkface

Unless something has changed drastically, do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. Trust me, it isn't worth it. Here is my recent experience. https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28861138-post61.html

And it is a looooong way from the BA boarding gate, which was even more nightmarish. We were in F and stood in the premium boarding line. The agent manning the general line scanned all of them through first, leaving the premium line standing there for 15 minutes. When we finally got into the cattle pen that is the waiting room, there were no seats. It was nowhere near an F experience.

darrencobb

Ha, sounds great then. I wont tell mrs cobb and let it be a little surprise !!

NoahVail

The Turkish Airways (*A) lounge past Gate 4 (in the newly constructed area) is a Priority Pass lounge as well, if you have that option. I used it a few times in September. It's a nice lounge with good facilities, a nice respite from the crowded waiting areas.

speedbird001

I have also used it with Priority Pass and it is much better than the other choices. However, allow a solid 10 minutes to get to the BA gate. Also, the BA gate has its own security to pass through (again).

DrBernardo

Used the new Turkish lounge in Nairobi the other day, and thought it was OK. Got there just after the majority of LH passengers had left (c2200 ish) and it was fine, with lots of empty seats. I guess getting there before most of the LH and EK (?) passengers would work as well.

As for the walk, it's no big deal, as going to any of the cafes airside involves a fair walk from check-in and to gate 10... And you don't need a lounge invite - just the boarding card is fine. I've tried to attach a few photos below of the lounge entrance, for posterity. Sorry if they're too big! Note BA isn't listed outside the lounge as being entitled to use it, and it sounds like the check in staff weren't exactly proactive in letting customers know.

For reference, since I haven't seen it mentioned before, BA have an early check-in (2-3 desks open) from 1930, then main check-in opens at 2130 (this for the W17 schedule where the flight leaves at 0030).

Should you arrive before 1930, there are now also a couple of OK coffee/snack/dining/WiFi options landside at the terminals themselves (no need to go to the Ole Sereni any more). Nicest one I saw was the Paul Caffe coffee bar/pizza/snack cafe outside at the very beginning of T1A (KQ/KL), from where it's only a minute's walk to T1B when BA opens its doors.

Oh, and mobile boarding passes are now accepted as well!

internetplumber

I got to the Turkish lounge at ~22:30 last Tuesday evening (for the 00:30 flight on 06/12), and whilst it was busy, Mrs Internetplumber and I found a couple of seats next to each other and had a couple of glasses of fizz. The display changed to 'boarding' at about 23:30, and the queue for the gate security wasn't too onerous (although this was a midweek flight and not full). I'd been expecting much worse, and I'm sure when it is busier it can be much worse, but it was adequate for us.

kellytoronto

We land on PrecisionAir from Zanzibar around 18:35 on a Saturday. Does anyone know how that would work on two separate tickets? Do we need to reclaim our checked bags and go to those "early checkin" desks, or is there an airside transfer option? Also - anywhere near the airport we could find something decent to eat and stretch our legs?

Grumpyflyer

PrecisionAir will book your luggage through to London from Zanzibar if you ask. Once you arrive in Nairobi you go through the transfer gates and walk for what seems for ages through the terminal to the Turkair lounge where they will let you in (1st/Business and other eligible pax) with either a boarding pass or by using the app.

corporate-wage-slave

A great set of observations there, Grumpyflyer, welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum, it's good to see you here and I very much hope that we will see plenty more of you too. Welcome on board.

kellytoronto

Just to close the loop, Precision Air did indeed through check our bags ZNZ-NBO-LHR-YYZ and they all arrived promptly. We also left the airport to the new Hilton Garden Inn NBO airport. We exited immigration(no visa fee, for some reason,) grabbed a cab, and were at the hotel within 15 mins of exiting the plane. We then left the hotel 90 mins prior to departure. This had let the kids rest in the room while we had drinks in the lobby, they then joined us in the restaurant for a fine dinner.

As luck would have it, some changes I had made (involving splitting our PNR) made checkin dicey at T-62 mins, but we made it with enough time to spend ~30 mins at the departure gate. We didn't even head to the lounge, but could have in retrospect.