Holiday lounge access changes
Dec 15, 2017, 8:22 am
#76
Join Date: May 2014
Location: BRU
Programs: BA GGL, TK E (*G), ITA exec
Posts: 4,070
It was the First Wing mention, and the fact that the same mail is addressed to GCH & GGL, that started my doubt. I didn't read well the last part, of course. My mistake 
No big deal, though. The kids have they own GC access anyway, so we will go there. I'm curious to see how many people will be in GC Nord on the 24...
No big deal, though. The kids have they own GC access anyway, so we will go there. I'm curious to see how many people will be in GC Nord on the 24...
Dec 15, 2017, 8:41 am
#77
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Brighton, UK
Programs: BA Gold, IC Ambassador, HH Gold, SPG Gold, Fairmont Platinum
Posts: 3,166
For those looking for BA to be flexible with families, this indicates that that is on the agenda. However, what is offered is far from sensible.
Five guests just seems ridiculous and at Christmas where many if not most flying in premium cabins will be paying for it themselves, making the lounges more crowded is no business winner.
Restricting GCH to GCs seems sensible and reasonable (although BA already put away the decent wine at holiday times). For many GCHs though, family may already have lounge access through CE or CW fare.
In my view vouchers that can be used throughout the year would be more sensible. Give out say five vouchers per GCH and ten per GGL then charge one voucher per guest in GC or two for GF.
Five guests just seems ridiculous and at Christmas where many if not most flying in premium cabins will be paying for it themselves, making the lounges more crowded is no business winner.
Restricting GCH to GCs seems sensible and reasonable (although BA already put away the decent wine at holiday times). For many GCHs though, family may already have lounge access through CE or CW fare.
In my view vouchers that can be used throughout the year would be more sensible. Give out say five vouchers per GCH and ten per GGL then charge one voucher per guest in GC or two for GF.
Dec 17, 2017, 11:16 am
#78
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Glasgow and Asia
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hotels.com Gold
Posts: 510
Well I only check my personal email every three or four days. So I only saw this after I left LHR-GLA yesterday. On entering the first wing for the first time (I normally only transit thought LHR) I was confused by the conversation in front of me with a family of five or so. One member was saying.... "so we can check in here but we need to go to the other queue to drop our bags off" and go to the lounge? I'm not sure if that was the correct scenario but I suspect it was the new "rule" etc etc.
Dec 17, 2017, 11:34 am
#79
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
If we choose to give Gold / Silver to someone other than our family member and then want to bring more than 2 family members into the lounge, then it's our own doing.
We already have right to bring 2 guests with the GGL, so for most people it shouldn't need more than 1 Gold card to have been handed over to a family member as it covers 5 already then. That still leaves 2 Silver cards free to give to colleagues or whatever.
Plus there is the possibility of 2 people given 'free' Gold at a time depending on the membership year anyway, as we get one per year and it can be valid up to 2 years. That adds another 2.
Having said that, under the current system of allowing up to 5 guests, it gets even more silly - 5 guests for GGL, 5 guests for each of the GGL's 'free' Gold card holders, given to different people over 2 years = up to 15 guests for one GGL. Now that is really getting daft.
I am firmly of the opinion that GC should NOT be used as a "Gold with lots of guests" lounge. That would be a good way to put off those who have paid for revenue CW tickets. With the on-board hard product not being the best, BA needs to give them really good ground experience IMO. However, if they allow GC to suffer overcrowding by Gold's accompanying guests, then I do not think this would be commercially sensible.
As you say this is the season when self-funded travel happens, and they do have a choice. An excessively crowded lounge may just turn them off.
Now, what would be even worse though is for anyone who is normally entitled to lounge access through status or ticket is turned away from the lounge because of overcrowding due to this 'up to 5' policy. That has the potential to severely annoy people. Hopefully it won't happen, but it could. I'm pretty hardy in terms of putting up with travel annoyances with gritted teeth but I would be very annoyed if it happened to me. Luckily that is purely hypothetical as I will not be anywhere near LHR over the holiday period, and besides since the very bad experience due to disruptive fellow passengers on multiple flights over Christmas period I have a "No BA long haul Policy" during the holiday period. This is not within BA's control but it only seems to happen on BA so I choose not to share the cabin with their clientele on long haul flights over that period...
Anyway, if BA lounges become an environment that is excessively conducive to working for whatever reason, I will have no choice but to stop flying BA until the airport provide work desks in general departures areas as the primary purpose of a lounge for me is somewhere to do some work before boarding the flight.
Last edited by LTN Phobia; Dec 17, 2017 at 11:41 am
Dec 19, 2017, 3:39 am
#80
Moderator, Hertz; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: KRK
Programs: UA 1MM, BA GGL, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond and others
Posts: 12,689
I was able to confirm that the guesting does work for ccr if you have a CCR Card, BUT in the fine print everyone that your guesting would need to be on the same itinerary. Ymmv of course.
Dec 20, 2017, 1:56 pm
#81
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Nottingham, England
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 968
yes I could and I chose not to. I gave it to a colleague who travels 20+ times a year but normally in Y. Please re read my post. I am not complaining about lack of access and I didn’t seek access to anything I’m not entitled to. I’m highlighting a) a new policy has been implemented and b) implementation has been poor. Not communicated to beneficiaries (silver exec club holders and above) and staff charged with implementation don’t understand what it is they are to implement
Dec 20, 2017, 4:00 pm
#82
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: London
Programs: plenty - ggl, ccr, etc, etc.
Posts: 1,704
All sounds like yet more desperate poorly thought through 'we must do something' gimmicks that can backfire badly.
Do we have to assume that any marketing talent BA did have had left and the new ones are really employed by a competitor and on a mission to destroy any brand equity left? Sort of feels like it for sure.
Dec 20, 2017, 4:31 pm
#83
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Glasgow / London
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 3,457
Please explain - are you suggesting that you can bring multiple guests into the CCR under this rule? That doesn't seem right...
Dec 20, 2017, 9:48 pm
#84
Moderator, Hertz; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: KRK
Programs: UA 1MM, BA GGL, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond and others
Posts: 12,689
With the holiday lounge access policy, I asked a lounge agent and she confirmed that as a GGL with a CCR Card that I can bring in the additional guests as long as we were all on the same PNR
Dec 21, 2017, 1:01 am
#85
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,871
EDIT: were you in F by any chance?
Last edited by KARFA; Dec 21, 2017 at 1:10 am
Dec 21, 2017, 2:01 am
#86
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Singapore
Programs: BA Gold. KrisFlyer Gold
Posts: 732
Dec 21, 2017, 2:54 am
#87
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: DUB/ORD/SIN/PVG
Programs: EI AerClub Concierge, EK Gold, BA Gold, BD Gold (Retired), HHonors Diamond, Bonvoy Lifetime Gold
Posts: 2,923
I was in Y on an RFS on Tuesday and was able to guest both my parents and my sister into the CCR under the special Christmas arrangements. Very generous, though imagine there will only be a very limited number of travellers who benefit as they checked the 'same PNR' criterion carefully. So, no big CCR flyertalk Xmas knees up, sadly!
Dec 21, 2017, 11:10 am
#89
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: LHR GVA HKG TLV PVG JFK
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 3,940
I'm lost why BA is seeking to incentivise potential customers who actually pay for premium cabins but won't like the overcrowding to find different nonBA carriers at Christmas.
All sounds like yet more desperate poorly thought through 'we must do something' gimmicks that can backfire badly.
Do we have to assume that any marketing talent BA did have had left and the new ones are really employed by a competitor and on a mission to destroy any brand equity left? Sort of feels like it for sure.
Dec 21, 2017, 12:09 pm
#90
Moderator, Hertz; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: KRK
Programs: UA 1MM, BA GGL, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond and others
Posts: 12,689
I was in F but she clearly informed me it was the holiday rules and it's due to the GGL + CCR.
My email I received does NOT state GF or club lounges. It says I can bring in 5 people into the lounge.
"To make your festive flight even more special we're delighted to extend lounge access at London Heathrow and London Gatwick to up to five of your guests when you travel with us until 13 January 2018"
I got CCR card. I can guest in 5 people on the same PNR til 13/01/2018 into the CCR.
