sparkswillfly

Hi,
We're travelling to Athens on 1st September, I'm a BAEC GOLD member and I've booked us front row seats. Does anyone know if ALL of (me plus my wife and teenage daughter) will be able to use the First lounge? I know that normally it's just the member plus one guest but I've read somewhere that Business Class are now allowed into the First lounge? Did I read that correctly and would you expect all three of us to have any confusion by staff at the First desk and special security and entrance?

Oh and (I've tried to read through the many posts) what is the experience currently like. At table service, no Eggs Benedict I ready, shame that's my favourite.

Thanks

theultimateflyer

I don't think so, Galleries Club is open though - all should be eligible if CE. Table service in GC too, scan a QR code on each table to order and food is brought out to you (rather quickly in my experience).

corporate-wage-slave

The usual rule is Gold plus one guest. Two guests is the benefit of a higher card than Gold. The check-in staff may exercise discretion on this, but the rule is "plus one". One of your party would have Galleries Club access, as you imply.

The First lounge is open longer hours than Galleries Club so depending on timing and circumstances, it may be possible that Galleries Club passenger to end up in the First lounge anyway. However my understanding is that BA is seeing a relatively high proportion of Silver, Gold and Club passengers passing through LHR and so GC is being kept open for longer than originally planned. By September I think GC will be open fulltime, but that's just my guess.

However the gap between GC and First lounge is now very small indeed, there are some differences but in the context of a family trip I doubt many travellers would notice, unless they were very picky. GC has had an almighty uplift in service, So if you and your family did end up there, you wouldn't suffer too much.

mikeyfly

No, Gold plus one. The three of you will be able to use Galleries. Lot's of details on this and it's access on the main thread :

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...firmed-30.html

sparkswillfly

Thanks for the reply, with table service I'm sure it won't make much difference which lounge we're in, I wouldn't know a vintage champagne from a regular anyway.

sparkswillfly

Great reply, thanks - yes we're certainly not fussy fliers and I've seen both lounges so many times it didn't really matter to me so the GC will be fine for us. I suppose I should have said but one of the other important things I was considering was that we'd benefit from the dedicated Fast Track security. I have pictures in my head of 2 metre socially distant security queues snaking out the doors of T5.

mikeyfly

If you look at the weekend's threads, there's been 30cm not-socially distanced queues snaking out the doors at T5 !!

corporate-wage-slave

1 September is a Tuesday. In which case, as things stand, you will be able to socially distance and be through security in minutes no matter what channel you use. Obviously you'll get a sharper view of this when you get near to the date of departure, but normal Fast Track is probably going to open up soon, I suspect.

xPositor

Nor do BA

HarryHolden68

TBH until the BA Burger returns to the menu in GF, there is no difference to me

TWCLAM

There may of course be an exception to this under the new 'pay us enough and get lounge access anyway' deal being offered by BA. Give them £1k + pr person and use the lounge for up to 3 hrs before flight even if flying down the back without even being a BAEC member

ademanuele

Agree, bring back the Eggs Benedict and also Burger and chips please BA!

bafan

There’s still a marked difference in the food offering tho, isn’t there ?

kdhurst380

There is a difference in the dishes on offer, probably more substantial in the morning when in GF you can order a full English, but in GC its a bacon roll with soggy hash brown, but by no stretch of the imagination marked throughout the rest of the day.

I note that the champagne in GF is also the same Nicolas Feuillatte they serve in CE!

BrianDromey

Those are complete figments of the imagination. While people tend to leave a bit of space, its nothing like 2m! Its also slightly bizarre to leave 2m in front and behind you yet be looking into the face of the person either side of the Tensa barrier!
Security queues aren't too bad at the moment, the real pinch point, as far as I can see, is check-in. The document checks seem to take an age, T5 and T2 just are not set up for such high proportion of in-person check-in.