Bad news - BA's NCL lounge reportedly to close permanently
Sep 10, 20, 1:29 am
#61
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London, UK
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Originally Posted by alex67500
The difference with LBA is Leeds isn't that long a train ride from London. It will be even shorter come HS2 if they branch off to that line. NCL is much further so the time saved by flying is much bigger for now.
Places like SXB lost all their Paris flights when the TGV came along, and AF now codeshare with rail to get people to connect long-haul via CDG (I don't know if you collect XPs though). If and when HS2 starts, I'd be surprised if MAN still gets many flights. Of course it would be even easier if HS2 extended to LHR and LGW via Thameslink but that may yet happen.
Places like SXB lost all their Paris flights when the TGV came along, and AF now codeshare with rail to get people to connect long-haul via CDG (I don't know if you collect XPs though). If and when HS2 starts, I'd be surprised if MAN still gets many flights. Of course it would be even easier if HS2 extended to LHR and LGW via Thameslink but that may yet happen.
I do think it is a mistake not to open the MAN lounge sooner than 21Q2 though, there are flights, it would encourage J travel and profitability and help the recovery. It could be operated at reduced hours and is large enough that social distancing isn’t an issue. I know many who have switched to the train because of the current experience including lack of lounge.
Sep 10, 20, 2:06 am
#62
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: Hilton Honors, SPG, BA GOLD
Posts: 499
Originally Posted by gw76
Are they regular users of the lounge?
Sep 10, 20, 3:09 am
#64
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
I hope those based in the North East and other regular users send in complaints to BA about this. I appreciate that BA is losing millions of pounds every day, and things will perforce have to change, but if BA cuts off their own legs they are asking not to be able to walk again.
Thank you for getting in touch with us.
I'm sorry to hear of your concerns regarding our lounge at Newcastle airport and the frequency of flights.
Please see the link below showing that our lounge in Newcastle is only temporarily closed and no final decision has been made on this yet.
https://www.oneworld.com/airport-lounges?location=NCL
We're working hard to ensure we have the correct measures in place to open our lounges while keeping both passengers and staff safe.
The extraordinary nature of coronavirus, and the rapidly changing situation across the world, has meant we’ve cancelled an unprecedented number of flights. Safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we continue to liaise closely with global health authorities and government agencies on behalf of our customers. This situation will remain under review and we will continue to provide regular updates. As with our lounges, no final decision has been made on future schedules at this time.
We do appreciate that you have a choice of airline, and hope you’ll choose us again in the future.
Thank you for getting in touch with us about this. If there are any other issues I can help with, please use the blue link below to contact me.
I'm sorry to hear of your concerns regarding our lounge at Newcastle airport and the frequency of flights.
Please see the link below showing that our lounge in Newcastle is only temporarily closed and no final decision has been made on this yet.
https://www.oneworld.com/airport-lounges?location=NCL
We're working hard to ensure we have the correct measures in place to open our lounges while keeping both passengers and staff safe.
The extraordinary nature of coronavirus, and the rapidly changing situation across the world, has meant we’ve cancelled an unprecedented number of flights. Safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we continue to liaise closely with global health authorities and government agencies on behalf of our customers. This situation will remain under review and we will continue to provide regular updates. As with our lounges, no final decision has been made on future schedules at this time.
We do appreciate that you have a choice of airline, and hope you’ll choose us again in the future.
Thank you for getting in touch with us about this. If there are any other issues I can help with, please use the blue link below to contact me.
Sep 10, 20, 3:20 am
#65
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Originally Posted by layz
Has anyone else received a reply?
But many thanks, D, for posting your reply.
Sep 10, 20, 3:27 am
#66
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Glasgow
Programs: BAEC Gold, Sixt Platinum, HHons Diamond
Posts: 922
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
But it's interesting about "no final decision" when the BaxterStorey staff are definitely in consultation for redundancy.
Sep 10, 20, 3:29 am
#67
Join Date: Jul 2014
Programs: BAEC, VS Flying Club
Posts: 479
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
But it's interesting about "no final decision" when the BaxterStorey staff are definitely in consultation for redundancy.
Sep 10, 20, 3:36 am
#68
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
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Posts: 14,806
Originally Posted by GumshoeW12
If the statutory consultation with staff is still ongoing, they’d be on very dodgy ground legally if they confirmed it at this stage!
Sep 10, 20, 4:29 am
#71
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Singapore
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 695
Great lounge. It'll be such a shame if many or all the BA outstation lounges close and we get shipped off to the pay per use option instead. I've just sent in my note of disappointment to the GGL email address.
Sep 10, 20, 7:40 am
#72
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,911
Originally Posted by DYKWIA
HS2 may knock 30 minutes off that, but you still end up at Euston.
As for regional lounges, we would do well to remember the economics involved. Stations with other oneworld flights in the same terminal will be a revenue stream to BA, which may (or may not) tip the balance in favour of keeping a lounge. That’s MAN and EDI hopefully sorted. The latter is also a different category entirely given the huge volume of flights. ABZ will (in my opinion) be saved by the petrochem industries - flights may be smaller in number and load but there are times it’s a high-yield route... plus JER saved by the tax exiles and a very supportive airport authority.
By that logic, my ‘danger’ list would be GLA.
Sep 10, 20, 8:29 am
#73
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Scotland
Programs: BAEC - Silver | Hilton Honors - Gold
Posts: 158
At this time, I think putting “logic” and “BA” in the same sentence when it comes to cuts would be foolhardy.
They will swing the axe regardless of how it affects passengers. I would expect that all domestic lounges are under threat apart from those at LHR (potentially even one of those, in the long term)
EDIT : Operationally I am not sure what the cost of running a lounge is, but in terms of the bottom line, I am sure closing them would have a significant cost saving.
They will swing the axe regardless of how it affects passengers. I would expect that all domestic lounges are under threat apart from those at LHR (potentially even one of those, in the long term)
EDIT : Operationally I am not sure what the cost of running a lounge is, but in terms of the bottom line, I am sure closing them would have a significant cost saving.
Last edited by Jambon87; Sep 10, 20 at 8:38 am
Sep 10, 20, 10:23 am
#74
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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My reply from BA was not a copy / paste of layz's response, but it amounted to the same thing: the NCL lounge is temporarily closed, and there hasn't been a decision on permanent closure.
Sep 10, 20, 10:29 am
#75
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 21,415
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
My reply from BA was not a copy / paste of layz's response, but it amounted to the same thing: the NCL lounge is temporarily closed, and there hasn't been a decision on permanent closure.
