OWTraveller

Hi,

im currently ba silver although it expires in a few weeks. I have never been through terminal 3 lounges!!!

having read about them, really want to before I loose status.

i found a cheap one way ticket to a destination that goes from t3. I was thinking about buying the ticket, and coming back ezy - but then you could just miss the flight / leaving airport the same day and enjoy the lounges?? Or am I crazy.

has anyone done this before or can advise?

many thanks!!!!!

LondonElite

You won’t be hugely popular with terminal security, but you can do this. You may get follow-up from BA when they see you accessed three lounges in a row during an all day bender with an unflown cheap one way. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure this one out.

OWTraveller

Thanks LondonElite.

ive has it before where I have had to leave due to a work emergency and get taken out. They were normally understanding.

re ba, that could be said for a cheap rt fare that comes back following morning or same day. Not as if I am on a fully refundable ticket and cancelling just before the flight. Fare still paid, when I say cheap... it’s ba cheap... so £120!

KARFA

It’s entirely possible to do and, unlike T5, landing yourself in T3 and going out via immigration is pretty easy.

EDIT: I would suggest you have another look since I think a one way fare in ET for £120 is actually quite expensive. I would expect you should be able to find something around half that price at least.

Misco60

Exactly how cheap is this "cheap" ticket? And how far do you live from Heathrow?

Why not just buy a couple of bottles of very good bubbly at Lidl and drink yourself into a stupor in the comfort of your own home? For the full experience, you could also buy bread and sandwich fillings and prepare a buffet before opening the first bottle, and invite some random strangers in off the street to put their feet on your coffee table while Skyping their grandchildren.

()

corporate-wage-slave

Welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum OWTraveller, it's good to see you here and this is a good place to find out how to keep your Silver card!

In essence it is do-able, but I'm not sure we should be encouraging this. I've no doubt that this would be considered an abuse of the system, even if not that serious in the grand scheme of things. But if internet forums starting to push it then at some stage the will be restrictions brought in and these may well impinge on those who don't abuse the system. One example of this was the ability of status holders to get free drinks and snacks from Starbucks in T5C. This was stopped when it became apparent - not least in this forum - that some people were deliberately stocking up in T5C even if they were not departing from there. There were other factors too. Now I don't think you'll be dragged off to Wormwood Scrubs, but maybe a better approach is to actually fly to one of the many interesting T3 cities in Europe, perhaps using one of the day return tickets available at weekend, you would also get better value from your Silver card.

OWTraveller

And what would ba do... let’s say I was travelling out with ba for lounges to (idk) Prague or Vienna and coming back on EZY.

if you had a family emergency or work emergency and had to leave, you’ve still paid fare and as long as you tell ba desk they’ll off load you and flight won’t be delayed..???

___________________________
I was just thinking through in my head different scenarios.

at the moment I’m looking at coming back ezy anyway as return on ba is extortionate!!!

LondonElite

BA will know you didn’t board your flight but managed to visit Galleries, AA, CX, and QF lounges. Do this a few times and you might find they don’t want you in their club.

Misco60

OP: have you now significantly edited your first post? I'm sure that in the original version you said you had no intention of flying, but now you're saying you might?

Either way, you might find a better outward fare by adding a return at some distant point in the future.

OWTraveller

I had intention of flying back just by ezy. My question was hyper the tical. In that rather than spending £££ on a separate return and hotel you could enjoy the terminal and then go home.

only came into my mind as I recently got cancelled on t5 and after spending the day in lounge had to go home!!!

GlasgowBlue

I enjoy spending time in airports and particularly airport lounges as much as the next person but I’m struggling to see the logic that would justify this.

As has has already been mentioned, why not tie it into a day trip or even one night stay at a European city you fancy seeing? Or surely you could find a nice bar in London and enjoy some drinks and snacks in lovely surroundings for not much more than your train fare in and out 9f Heathrow.

corporate-wage-slave

£120?! BA will get you to Boston for that, there are better options. I don't know your dates (etc) but here is the very first one I tried, I've no doubt there are cheaper options. The fare was available on other services to BCN that day, so if you wanted more time in BCN that would be possible on an earlier departure. The city centre is about 40 minutes from the airport on public transport, under 30 minutes in a taxi.

Note you are only allowed 5 posts in your first 24 hours on Flyertalk.

snaxmuppet

The lounges are nice to be in when travelling... they make the journey more pleasurable and less stressful... but do you really want to spend money just to visit them? Honestly? I can think of a lot of ways I could spend £100 or so without stretching BA's goodwill. I'd buy a bottle of LPGS for £125 and enjoy it relaxed at home.

You say this is hypothetical but I have a sneaky feeling that you are actually thinking of doing it

muscat

Assuming you are based in London, for £60 you could have “3 courses for £60, inclusive of two glasses of sommelier-selected wine, water for the table and tea or coffee, with petit fours.” at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley. Then possibly head for a similar deal at another restaurant for the full lounge crawl experience.

likethis

As someone in T3 Qantas lounge right now, I can only echo others’ suggestions this is unlikely to be worth the time and cost for you.

Yes it’s nice having some “free” food and drink in quiet(ish) surroundings - but only as part of a journey.

The worst aspect of the plan is going through security unnecessarily - personally I find the experience ever more lacking in dignity, for both staff and passengers alike.

But, if you really want to do it, I honestly don’t understand how it would impact BA if you’re paying for a flight.