TWCLAM

Dear All,

I spent some time in the new( ish) FCO BA Lounge yesterday so I thought i'd give a review. It was an interesting visit at time so here we go. Just before we get to the lounge itself some data points on check in and access. Being unable to get a late check out Mrs Clam & I decided to go to the airport anyway so we were at the airport and have access to aircon as Rome was baking. I had read that BA @ FCO often refused check in or bag drop before 2-2.5hours before the flight. We knew this and would've just found somewhere to bide the time as we arrived at T3 at 14:15 with a scheduled flight departure of 20:10 that was already delayed to 21:00. We had already completed OLCI via the app and approached the business class check-in desk to ask if a bag drop was possible and it was immediately fine and the agent even asked if we would like to go to the lounge immediately or had other plans. Access to fast track was offered without prompting and the lounge location explained. The agent we dealt with had everything completed in approximately 3-4 minutes and we were on our way to fast track ( which was directly in front of the BA / Iberia desks). FT Security was totally separated from normal security next door and we were through in 2 minutes most of that time being me putting my belt back on my pants.

LOUNGE: FCO T3 BA Lounge
Time Spent:05 hours 45. 14:45-20:20
Date: 13th August 2018
Power Cuts: Three

The lounge is well signposted from the main duty free area onwards and we found it easily. Located on the 1st floor up the escalators after leaving the main duty free shopping area and is next door to the Plaza Premium Lounge. Entrance was staffed at all times and no delay on gaining entry. Mrs Clam used the more traditional paper BP and I used the BA App. Upon entry you are met by the combination bar area and some tables and banquette seats off to the side. This bar has, according to the BA blurb at time of launch, a 'mixologist to make you a cocktail at peak times' although from our experience this was actually any random member of staff invariably lounging around who would make you 1 of three drinks if you asked but would prefer you made them yourself.

The split bar area is much wider than I thought between the two sides but thinking of wheelchair users this is a probably good design feature allowing ease of access for PRM pax with the surfaces also being reasonably low( just my impression although I am not a chair user myself). The selection of drink was pretty standard fare in the fridges but somewhat limited and low-medium quality spirits. The spirits were also arranged in an annoying metal tiered holder( not so good for any chair users) which no matter how hard you tried meant you'd be clanging the bottles off of each other or on the metal leaving a ringing sound in the air. I found the drinks in the fridges to be far from cold and needed to reach to the back to find one even remotely chilled. Fresh juice was a constant problem with no tomato juice to be found until requested. Food was basic but at least replenished frequently, four different types of meat/ cheese rolls and one veggie option, mixed salad, various pastries both sweet & savoury and a soup. Later there was a single hot food option of lasagne but nothing for the veggies. there was a coffee machine which did an okay espresso but not so good cappuccino. Our flight the BA2542 FCO-LGW was delayed by quite some time but the lounge staff were closing the lounge down, from around 20:00 onwards, and removing food & drink despite being aware of the delay and there still being quite a number of us in the lounge still ( stated closing time being 20:30) to the point that when I asked for some fruit juice I was told there was none available.

The lounge itself is of an okay size and throughout our stay i'd say the peak usage probably had about 80-85% of the seating used. It has four defined areas the main bar/ table seating area mentioned above a large open plan mixed seating area then two further smaller seating areas which look out over the apron with some great views for the Aviation Geeks amongst us. There were what I think are supposed to intelligent blinds which would move themselves but these soon broke. The lounge has excellent charging points located between each pair of seats and throughout the lounge in general.

Staff were generally really good being easily approachable and helpful although both Mrs Clam & I and other guests we spoke to found that we needed to be asking them for things more than you'd expect to have to.

ISSUES: I made a joke post whilst in the lounge yesterday asking for Euro coins to be dispatched when the power went out( to clarify this was lounge specific with both the main terminal building and the Plaza Premium lounge not suffering any issues). This was quite amusing however as this triggered an alarm it became quite tiresome after it happened a third time. It also meant that the fridges stopped working but even worse that the aircon gave out. We ended up having to move from our apron view seats because with the 'not-so-intelligent blinds' out of action even when the power was on it became quite muggy and humid within the lounge. The main terminal building was noticeably cooler and I found myself walking out of the lounge several times just to get some respite. One good aspect of the power outages was that the elevator music played way too loudly throughout the lounge stopped assaulting our eardrums for long periods.As the flight information screens died on the 1st power cut and were never rebooted there was at least a good excuse to be going on and out. For a lounge that is only a few months old the number of seriously stained seats was quite embarrassing & not a good look at all.

OVERALL: This being our 1st visit to the lounge I'm hoping that the continual power outages are an exception and not an ongoing issue. Definitely needed to ask for the basics more than should be needed. For such a new lounge the state of some of the seating and the overall look of the place was somewhat lacking and imho not up to the clever photo impressions given in BA's press release back in April. I've for sure visited worse lounges, both BA's and others, but for it's age I'd expect better even removing the power issues from the mix.

Outside / Orientation Shot


Entrance to lounge


the 'FCO BA Blurb Table'


Cheap Wines


Meat Lasagne



Snacks and our travelling companion "Sec Duck"


Bottom shelf liquor


Musical Spirits Holder


Your three cocktail choices


Poor Seating ( more the standard than the exception unfortunately)


Apron Views

TWCLAM

Just a quick apology that I didnt realise I had the watermark active when snapping away.

Boyfrombiot

Hello, thank you for this review. Your mention of PRM prompts me to ask how access is gained for wheelchair users. Mrs Boyfrombiot is wheelchair bound and she had to endure the slow stairlift to the previous lounge.

Cheers
Steve

xPositor

I was last in FCO when I was a smoker, just under two years ago, and was pleasantly surprised (as a smoker) that the lounge had a separate smoking area. For those that do smoke, is there still a smoking area available?

Ancient Observer

There is still a smoking area upstairs at FCO, (non-lounge) but I did not go in to the lounge.

TWCLAM

Boyfrombiot Not a problem. If in a chair then reaching up for the spirits because they have a metal bar on each tier might be slightly awkward but staff are milling around most the time & were friendly & approachable so could assist. There is a standard lift down a corridor behind the lounge but you wouldn't know about it I dont think. I'd asked about getting a stroller up to the lounge level ( curiosity rather than need) and there is another lift further down the terminal that could be used to to the lounge. mezzanine level

There is no smoking area in the lounge however there is one located directly next door and popping in and out isn't an issue. We flew from gate E14 and there was a small smoking room next to the gate. I got the impression smoking areas are spread throughout the terminal. As a smoker myself I made plenty of use of the facilities especially as the flight was delayed. Should also mention there are no showers or even toilets in the lounge but there are some toilets just across the way. If you look in the 'outside/ orientation' picture they're below the massive screen. Both male & female toilets had PRM cubicles however they require a keycard and have a sign inviting users to seek staff assistance for access. In the UK there is the radar key system I looked for a matching logo but didn't see one so unsure if you can access them without staff assistance. I'm sure they probably match some international standard but i'd hate to advise without knowing for sure.

I did have a couple of short videos but they're in MP4 format so I cant upload them but I think the pictures cover most of the place but more than happy to answer anything anyone thinks of & I didn't mention.

Prospero

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stevebintley

Thought I'd add a comment to this, since while I'm sure many people have passed through over the years today was my first time here and it's one of my favourite lounges in the network now!

No power cuts. The music isn't overpowering. The stained seats have obviously been replaced / cleaned and the whole place is spotless. Alcoholic drinks aren't currently self service, but the QR ordering is very fast. There are still some random seats with 'do not sit here' applied, but there's plenty of seating to prevent this being restrictive. The menu beats the Heathrow lounges, with an extensive list of hot and cold dishes with the pizzas being very filling and the sandwiches sizeable. fco.yourmenu.cloud if you want to look. Sat in the far corner plane spotters have one of the best views I've come across (limited by the aircraft serving the airport admittedly) and it's a constant hive of activity out there.

A business section with working printer and nice desk to sit at, lots of fridges full of bottled soft drinks, electric and USB sockets at pretty much every seat, nice decor, climate just right....I could go on but ultimately I've had some very relaxing hours here today!

VSLover

agreed, it is a beautiful lounge with great views over the tarmac. food and service excellent. i have been thru here 4 times this spring before travel really started to pick up so may be biased, but at the rate BA continue to cancel flights, it should remain pretty calm for a while longer!

vintagepilot

In the BA lounge now - thank goodness for one world rules as the QR lounge is closed. Still a few odd ‘do not sit here’ signs, which take no account of pairs travelling together, but food and service all excellent.

CKBA

Seats still a but stained and still quite a few with 'do not sit here' - somewhat reducing number of seats available.


However, once you battle your way through (fasttack) security, e-gates (which do UK, US... etc passports), duty free area and arrive at the lounge, it is pleasant enough with good apron views and at-table service.

choosethedrew

Mortadella, radicchio, spritz - looks divine, even if a little grubby! Let's hope this continues to fly under the shareholder return radar.

olouie

egates work for US passports again? That wasn’t the case a few weeks ago. Would be great since the agents have zero service skills.

speedbird66

I used the FCO lounge last week - mid-morning and I was working, so I can't comment on the alcoholic options available. As others have noted, there are seats with great runway views, and the area for working is excellent, I managed to get plenty done. The whole place looked spotless and the staff couldn't have been more proactive, helpful and friendly - one saw me struggling with one of the coffee machines and offered to make me a (superb) coffee behind the bar which he brought over and served at my table. Good selection of pastries, meats, cheeses, fruit, yogurt etc for breakfast. There was also a slightly odd selection of hot food in individual pyrex dishes (lasagne, green beans, sliced potatoes among other things). Despite it being a strange selection, it was all delicious. The only thing I could fault about the place was that there are no toilets internally, so you have to use the ones in the terminal which are a short distance from the lounge entrance. Taking everything together I was really impressed, and there seemed to be plenty of space available despite my flight having a maxed-out CE cabin (back to row 13 on an A320) and being very status-heavy (group one was huge, but they were all legitimate as the gate staff were very diligently turning away anyone who tried it on).