RAK and BA. How late can I arrive at airport?
Jan 12, 2018, 5:42 pm
#16
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: London Stratford, E7
Programs: BAEC Gold! Thanks to FT
Posts: 3,378
I was going to suggest Tangier too! Can't see dear old BA running two services a day there though. The trick to relaxing lunches in RAK is to find somewhere with a terrace or upper eating area, some may like Café chez Zaza, or Naranj (10 minutes from the Jama'a).
Joking apart the the train station is quite an ornate building and has an incredible tiled mosaic in the square outside.
Jan 13, 2018, 4:19 am
#19
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,804
Jan 13, 2018, 4:25 am
#21
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: London
Programs: BA - Gold for Life, CCR & GGL; IC Spire Elite Ambassador; Diamond Hilton Honors; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 6,720
Jan 13, 2018, 4:29 am
#22
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,804
Jan 13, 2018, 4:31 am
#24
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: ±38,000 feet
Programs: LH HON, BA GGL, AF Plat, EK Plat
Posts: 6,428
eu261 let’s you abandon the journey if you gonna be more then 5h late into rak, so you can request return to lgw under similar class and refund of the fare
Jan 13, 2018, 4:31 am
#25
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,804
And that is also correct, so long as the OP can maintain why arriving into RAK the next day won't serve the purpose of the trip. The evidence stacks in the OP's favour here.
Jan 13, 2018, 4:40 am
#26
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Scotland
Programs: not a lot
Posts: 1,774
Departed from RAK last Saturday (6th January) afternoon travelling CE. No mobile boarding pass option. No print your own boarding pass option. Have to collect boarding pass from check in counter.
100+ metre long lines snaking across forecourt just to enter the terminal building. Thirty minute wait to get into the terminal building through the slow initial security check
No one in front of use at BA check in but luggage belts down so no one able to check in or have boarding passes issued for about 20 minutes even if no luggage to check. Check in lady said the luggage belt system was new and always breaking down.
Travelling in CE or with silver upwards status gets you fast track exit customs, security and passport control which is slow just not as slow as non fast track which looked horrendous.
Once through passport control another line to join for another official to check you have a exit stamp in your passport after the passport check you've just completed ! The whole airport is a bureacrats dream.
From getting out of a taxi to sitting in the lounge took 1 hrs 25 even with fast track and we weren't trying to hang around.
They were also selecting about 50% of passengers for further security check (bags opened, electronics checked, bag checked with a swab, shoes swabbed etc) at the gate with only two staff doing this very slowly.
100+ metre long lines snaking across forecourt just to enter the terminal building. Thirty minute wait to get into the terminal building through the slow initial security check
No one in front of use at BA check in but luggage belts down so no one able to check in or have boarding passes issued for about 20 minutes even if no luggage to check. Check in lady said the luggage belt system was new and always breaking down.
Travelling in CE or with silver upwards status gets you fast track exit customs, security and passport control which is slow just not as slow as non fast track which looked horrendous.
Once through passport control another line to join for another official to check you have a exit stamp in your passport after the passport check you've just completed ! The whole airport is a bureacrats dream.
From getting out of a taxi to sitting in the lounge took 1 hrs 25 even with fast track and we weren't trying to hang around.
They were also selecting about 50% of passengers for further security check (bags opened, electronics checked, bag checked with a swab, shoes swabbed etc) at the gate with only two staff doing this very slowly.
Jan 13, 2018, 5:03 am
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: LHR GVA HKG TLV PVG JFK
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 3,952
This is not a back to back it is (was...) a 7.5 hrs on the ground (5 hrs outside airport) day trip (not a MR either) for the Marakesh Formula E race (work related. I will likely miss the purpose). Single PNR
current estimation is arrive RAK 2.5hrs late so 2.5hrs net on ground
current estimation is arrive RAK 2.5hrs late so 2.5hrs net on ground
Jan 13, 2018, 5:39 am
#28
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: London UK
Programs: BAEC Silver,, Oman Air Gold
Posts: 747
RAK
I had my first trip to Morocco last week. I’m glad I went early to the airport as this is what I faced
It was one of four queues to get into the airport. As others have said fast track security isn’t very fast and you also have to fill in an embarkation card for departure.
What I didn’t know was that you also show your Passport to the security persons - mine had already gone through the scanner in my manbag so I had to ask in French for the “tout petit sac noir là-bas...”
The handling agents are Royal Air Maroc but despite only having handluggage I had to queue for a boarding pass and the lounge invitation. The map to the lounge on the back is useless. It leads to a lounge that isn’t there so by luck I went into the RAM lounge to ask where - from memory - Lounge Onda was. To my relief they said it was the correct lounge!
It was one of four queues to get into the airport. As others have said fast track security isn’t very fast and you also have to fill in an embarkation card for departure.
What I didn’t know was that you also show your Passport to the security persons - mine had already gone through the scanner in my manbag so I had to ask in French for the “tout petit sac noir là-bas...”
The handling agents are Royal Air Maroc but despite only having handluggage I had to queue for a boarding pass and the lounge invitation. The map to the lounge on the back is useless. It leads to a lounge that isn’t there so by luck I went into the RAM lounge to ask where - from memory - Lounge Onda was. To my relief they said it was the correct lounge!
Last edited by CoweyB; Jan 13, 2018 at 7:26 am
Jan 13, 2018, 10:28 am
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: LHR GVA HKG TLV PVG JFK
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 3,952
Even though I had a BP went to desk and got a fast track BP (OWE in Y) but could not give my differnt PNR colleague FT (computer gives it)
No problem on 2nd hand filled lounge invite (useless lounge)
overall lines were not that long, but that is luck, but many stops in the process, many PP checks.
My trip was in vain. Cheap ticket so not too confern. Are there rules to define trip in vain?
(due to weather issues. Crew was great)
No problem on 2nd hand filled lounge invite (useless lounge)
overall lines were not that long, but that is luck, but many stops in the process, many PP checks.
My trip was in vain. Cheap ticket so not too confern. Are there rules to define trip in vain?
(due to weather issues. Crew was great)