delfindo

Basically I'm gold, BF is silver and two relatives (urgh) flying with us long haul next week (all economy). I've not been to the LGW lounge, want to take BF to First lounge, but if I guest him does this mean I can't guest in one relative into Club/business lounge? I don't want relatives to miss out, given I told them NOT to buy cheapie lounge passes. But perhaps they should?!

I accept we'll all be able to go to Club/business lounge as a group of four, but would like to guest the Silver to F lounge.

Appreciate any policy confirmation on this, will tell them to buy lounge in advance if any doubt!

thanks!!

ThatT1Feeling

I think what you're trying to do doesn't work to the letter of the Ts & Cs, but if your silver friend were to swap their BP with another one of your group, then this would achieve it - you and your silver friend in GF and the other two in GC. It's probably not 100% as BA would like, but I am sure that bigger issues have happened with bending the rules into lounge access over the years..

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, all four of you can go to the BA Lounge Club area since you are allowed 2 guests. It's possible, if it's not too busy that the lounge agent may allow you to use the First section. However the Club lounge is BA's best lounge at this level anywhere in the network, with excellent seating arrangements and usually free flow champagne. As a group I'm sure you would have a good time socialising together there. The gap between Club and First is quite small, though First does get more and better hot food, available all day long. My suggestion is you don't turn up too early, expect to have a good time in the Club lounge. If you are lucky you may get all 4 in to First, but if not you can probably take the BF there and leave your relatives behind. Again you can't count on that, but personally I think that's daft, in some respects the Club lounge is better than First.

delfindo

CWS wow, great answer, and thanks too That1Feeling. I consider this question answered. We will proceed to Business and ask if we can nip into F, but agree it's best to get comfortable and they'll be happy anyway. Nice idea on the BP swapsies - that would work too

LTN Phobia

Personally, I would not ask to bring extra guests into the F lounge. In this situation it is two more people than the entitlement too. IMO one extra is too many, two is even more too many. Bluntly put I feel very sympathetic towards lounge agents who must be asked something like this all the time and it must get quite exasperating.

In addition, if I had been a travelling companion of someone with status and that person seeks more than what they are entitled to for my sake, I would find it quite embarrassing (regardless of the outcome), and that is a comment that I hear fairly often, so you might like to consider that too.

What has been suggested up thread regarding swapping BPs would have a consequence if you are caught (possibly results in loss of your Avios and status) so it's best not to do anything sneaky to avoid that kind of outcome, besides the morality aspect of it.

TyneTraveller

I don't think what the OP was initially asking is too far fetched.

I wouldn't personally ask for any more guests than entitled either and I also would advise against the BP swapping too. As already suggested, the club lounge is actually the better place to be in this case, so I would just head straight for there if it were me. If you really wanted to use the first facilities with the BF, I am fairly confident this will be fine provided the relatives go to the right and your intentions are explained at the reception. It's actually well worth a quick look in the first lounge though, especially if you have never been before.

Good luck whichever approach you decide

LTN Phobia

That theoretically won't work either though, because the OP will have used up his/her guesting privilege by guesting his/her BF into the F lounge, so he/she won't be able to guest another person into the Club lounge (i.e. guesting privilege for Gold isn't one into F lounge and another into the C lounge).

ratypus

having been to both - I'd just settle for the Club lounge - it's actually nicer in my view than the F lounge at LGW, and the mezzanine area upstairs can be especially quiet & cosy

the only real benefit of the F lounge I find is the sit-down dining options; but beyond that I think the Club lounge is possibly better than the F one at LGW so would just go for that to be honest

Geordie405

I actually wonder - just thinking aloud here - if the GCH guests their BF (the SCH) into the F lounge whether the SCH can then independently guest one of the other two passengers into the Club lounge? You would assume that in order to guest someone into the lounge that the person doing the guesting is entering the lounge as host under their own privileges. In the above scenario the SCH has been guested into F and logically cannot therefore also be the host for the purposes of guesting someone else.

I certainly know that when guesting my OH into the F lounge that my BP is scanned first, and then my partner's is scanned and linked as my guest.

Either way, I think LTN Phobia is correct and the only way there are sufficient guesting privileges to go round is for the GCH and SCH to each guest one of the other passengers into the Club lounge.

TyneTraveller

By the letter of the lounge bible I agree with you 100%. However due to the layout of the reception areas which are easily communicable between the two, I would find it extremely harsh if all 4 pitched up together, honestly explained the situation and were subsequently told their idea is a non starter.

Perhaps the real solution would be to politely suggest the non status guests do a bit duty free shopping or some such for 15-20 minutes, pop to the first lounge for a quick shifty around and drink, meeting back up outside and then guesting all into the club lounge for the duration........everyone's happy and no rules circumvented

EDIT: Ah apologies, I see your angle of thought now and you are right technically; it took a while on this freezing cold snowy evening!! If it was prearranged on entry (which I honestly think they'll be ok with doing) the way around this would be for the lounge agent in the first lounge to de-pre-board the SCH as the GCH's guest on exit, releasing them to guest one of the non status passengers into C. In reality, they would more than likely just attach two guests to the SCH on entry into C as is far less hassle for them to do this as an override. Now I think of it, there are also numerous other options available to input guests into the lounge system without attaching them to anyone.

gliderpilot

As a related query, are there any rules as to whether guests should leave the lounge when their host leaves? In the past I was hosted into a lounge by a friend travelling on an earlier flight and stayed in there after they left until my flight. If there are no specific rules, could the SCH and GCH guest the others into the C lounge and then visit the F lounge?

BertieBadger

Very happy to be corrected, but I think the system would recognise the difference in guest?

I'm in exactly the same situation in March, one GCH, one SCH and two non status friends. Mrs BertieB isn't delighted at missing the Flounge but we're not going to split the party, so GC it is. Might do GC B as we have a long layover.

gliderpilot

Thanks, yes you may be right there. Would be interesting to see.

stifle

Keystone

I tried something similar to this last year when I was a Gold and Mrs K was Silver. We had friends (no status) who were travelling to a different destination. We guested them into Galleries North, and then when they left moved over to the First lounge. The lounge guardian immediately queried us as the system showed we had been in Galleries North, and she noted that since I had guested someone into GC I shouldn't be guesting Mrs K into the F lounge. We explained our guests had left Galleries lounge to catch their flight and we were then allowed into the F lounge. BA's IT is sometimes better than you think!