BA offering Galleries Lounge Access for Holiday Bookings in Y and non exec members
 

Just seen this special offer on BA.COM

Start your holiday with free airport lounge access.

Spend over £1000pp (Short Haul) or £1500pp (Long Haul) on a flight + hotel package for 7+ nights and get complimentary access to the Galleries Club Lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 5. Available for travel between 3 September and 24 December 2020 (inclusive).

Based on two people travelling, book a minimum five days in advance, available for LHR T5 destinations only (please check FCO guidance)

I think they've simply extended this offer as it was initially made end of July for August using the same conditions. Maybe whilst numbers are low they're assessing it on a month by month basis and using it as a USP/ marketing tactic with the hope that showing ppl the lounges whilst they can get away with it might tempt Y pax to upgrade in the future or at the very least it's a way to differentiate themselves a little / justify their pricing against competitors.

I'm flying next friday so upon arrival in GS i'll shout out a 'hands up if...' poll and try to gauge the uptake. I'm sure nobody will mind dulcet tones bellowing across the place at breakfast time :D

Maybe you could do a poll of Clubcard tourists in there while you're at it. Kill 2 birds as it were...

As a fellow John Lewis aficionado i'll be exercising my DYKWIA rights to demand i'm moved to the CCR Terrace if I find a single Clubcard holder in the GS lest I catch something. Clubcard indeed, we'll have the f********* Aldi mob in there next, saints preserve us!:eek:*

* One also allows Tesco's to deliver to his house and is being sarcastic.

I’ve got a BA holidays booking for the end of October for family of 4, we’re already in CW so get access to Galleries Club, as a Gold card holder I could Guest 1 person into Galleries First. Any idea if I could use this offer to get everyone into Galleries First. Should I call up BA holidays or the Gold line or just ask on the day? Also what’s the current rules on using the F Wing? Is it OK for all 4 of us to check in their then go through normal fast track if we don’t have First lounge access? Thanks.

F wing is as normal. You can use F checkin and then it's normal fast track through your CW booking. I can't comment on how the BAH offer could help you to all get into GF but it seems to be quite a stretch to me to think that this offer of GC access could be upgraded to GF - you never know though :)

I think that is a bit of a stretch, and there is no fast track at the moment either. Not that it makes any difference, you should be through in a few minutes however you do it. I don't think calling up will help, all they could do is put a note on the booking and that may or may not get read, but when you check in at The First Wing you can gently ask if it's busy. I would expect a decline, you're asking for something well beyond the entitlement.

Will I be able to wear my cloth cap in there?

Yep, that's what I thought and I normally wouldn't have even thought to ask. It's just that if BA are giving non status passengers traveling in Y lounge access I thought there might be some extra flexibility for GCHs in J with their family. Anyway I'll ask very politely at check in and expect the answer to be no. Thanks :)

Any idea on what might happen in my situation.

6 of us travelling together. 4 adults. 1 x 3 year old. 1 x 1 year old. Between us we have a gold card and a silver card. Under normal circumstances that's not quite enough to get us all in the lounge (unless the agent wavea my 3 year old in).

Just booked a holiday for the 6 of us. Meets all the criteria for free lounge access (over £1000 each per adult etc). BUT the infant and child bring the average price down. I can see in the T&Cs that infants dont count in the calculation. But what about children? I could have split this booking into 2 to absolutely gaurantee lounge access (as only actually need one booking for 2 ppls to be eligible) but didn't to avoid an extra transaction.

Now worried that won't be able to get the family in due to technicality that could have been avoided by me splitting booking. Is there any way to tell from the booking if Lounge access has been triggered?

Aye lad...as long as you leave the sheepdog outside.

For that I’d call BAH and ask the, to clarify. Strictly speaking you don’t meet the T&C and if you say no and the pricing is still the same if you say ok, well I’ll cancel and rebook if you are within the 24 hour cooling off as that will be a lot of admin for them when they could just say yes. Unfortunately if you take a FTV that will need to be used by the pax named in the booking so you wouldn’t be able to split it.

Good, he can look after t' ferrets

If the T&Cs specifically exclude only infants, then my reading is that children are included in the £1000 per head calculation and as such you do not qualify for lounge access under the offer. Unfortunate in your case as the 3 y/o is just over the age limit for infants, but the line has to be drawn somewhere and should be enforced IMHO.

You could try speaking to BA Holidays or just take everyone to Plane Food.

Alternatively, forget the offer and ask at the lounge entrance if they can make an exception for the 3 y/o and everyone gets access by virtue of your Gold and Silver cards. I have my own views on rule flexibility in this regard, but agents have been known to allow the above.

I was going to say, I'm usually in the category of discouraging people from pushing their luck, it puts ground agents in a difficult position, even if they get it all the time. But since you just have one kid, just over the age limit, and two shiny cards, then if it is a quiet period I would in that circumstance be optimistic, and ask whether you can all go in. By all means ask BAH if they can do something, I wouldn't do the split the transaction argument, and 24 hour cooling off does not apply to online bookings, but it may be you can ask them to put a note on the booking at least. Equally in my experience with a group that large at least one person will prefer to go shopping anyway.