‘I’m sorry, BA has no priority access’
Oct 1, 2021, 3:03 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Location: UK London / Salisbury
Programs: BA GGL, CCR, LTG
Posts: 542
‘I’m sorry, BA has no priority access’
First business trip in a long time. Just returning from Berlin to London on a business class ticket. There is a priority lane at security which looks like it takes a maximum of five minutes to get through and the other security controls are looking like the best part of an hour of waiting. My barcode scan on the priority lane did not work & the airport staff said British Airways does not pay for priority. What exactly is the point of gold status and paying extra these days?
Oct 1, 2021, 3:15 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Falkirk, Scotland,VS Red, BA Gold, HH Diamond,UK Amex Plat
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First business trip in a long time. Just returning from Berlin to London on a business class ticket. There is a priority lane at security which looks like it takes a maximum of five minutes to get through and the other security controls are looking like the best part of an hour of waiting. My barcode scan on the priority lane did not work & the airport staff said British Airways does not pay for priority. What exactly is the point of gold status and paying extra these days?
Hi
Yes berlin is one on the airports with no fast track security for british airways pax as they do not pay for it as I experienced ( but expected from feedback here)
there are screens showing the length of queues at various checkpoints. I went to no 5 and was through in about 15mins. . This was about 10 sm on a Wednesday 2 weeks ago.The queues do seem to move relatively well .
at least ba have lounge access but I agree that given some of the ce fares being paid fast track security should be brought back where available esp as traffic is recovering
Regards
TBS
Oct 1, 2021, 3:26 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Location: UK London / Salisbury
Programs: BA GGL, CCR, LTG
Posts: 542
Hi
Yes berlin is one on the airports with no fast track security for british airways pax as they do not pay for it as I experienced ( but expected from feedback here)
there are screens showing the length of queues at various checkpoints. I went to no 5 and was through in about 15mins. . This was about 10 sm on a Wednesday 2 weeks ago.The queues do seem to move relatively well .
at least ba have lounge access but I agree that given some of the ce fares being paid fast track security should be brought back where available esp as traffic is recovering
Regards
TBS
Yes berlin is one on the airports with no fast track security for british airways pax as they do not pay for it as I experienced ( but expected from feedback here)
there are screens showing the length of queues at various checkpoints. I went to no 5 and was through in about 15mins. . This was about 10 sm on a Wednesday 2 weeks ago.The queues do seem to move relatively well .
at least ba have lounge access but I agree that given some of the ce fares being paid fast track security should be brought back where available esp as traffic is recovering
Regards
TBS
update
so about 35’ in total. That does to some extent defeat the point of having a lounge: if you don’t pay for fast track security many people, me included, will have no time to use it because of all the time spent shuffling in a lengthy queue
Last edited by brentford77; Oct 1, 2021 at 3:37 am
Oct 1, 2021, 4:10 am
#5
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC GGL/GFl, HH Diamond, BW Diamond, Virgin Voyages Deep Blue Extra, Blue Peter Badge Holder
Posts: 3,937
I think the challenge here as airports seek to recoup Covid losses, they are raising their costs for fast track, lounges etc. But I do agree it is annoying.
Oct 1, 2021, 4:31 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: TLV/ATH/LON/EZE/NYC/UIP
Programs: BA*GGL, A3*G, AF*P, VS*S
Posts: 1,011
Worth throwing in a complaint to BA about it as a Gold/CE pax. I know I wasn't the only one who wrote to them after experiencing the same at BLQ where neither the lounge nor the fast track were available a few weeks back, and it makes a big difference there as the lounge is before security and there's really nothing after the Schengen border, so you don't want to go through early or gamble on going late without it.
Luckily for me I have a credit card which gives me free lounge access and fast track but still... When I made the same trip again last week, BA had coughed up and both were included.
Luckily for me I have a credit card which gives me free lounge access and fast track but still... When I made the same trip again last week, BA had coughed up and both were included.
Oct 1, 2021, 4:46 am
#8
Join Date: May 2018
Location: BLQ 🇮🇹
Programs: BA GGL, Cartafreccia Oro
Posts: 197
Worth throwing in a complaint to BA about it as a Gold/CE pax. I know I wasn't the only one who wrote to them after experiencing the same at BLQ where neither the lounge nor the fast track were available a few weeks back, and it makes a big difference there as the lounge is before security and there's really nothing after the Schengen border, so you don't want to go through early or gamble on going late without it.
Luckily for me I have a credit card which gives me free lounge access and fast track but still... When I made the same trip again last week, BA had coughed up and both were included.
Luckily for me I have a credit card which gives me free lounge access and fast track but still... When I made the same trip again last week, BA had coughed up and both were included.
Oct 1, 2021, 4:48 am
#9
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: London, UK
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I travelled out of BLQ on the 12th Sep and both fast track and lounge were available for CE/Silver/Gold/GGL passengers.
Oct 1, 2021, 4:50 am
#10
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Oct 1, 2021, 4:57 am
#11
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: A3*G,BA Silver
Posts: 2,010
I remember BA has closed the lounge in TXL months before the airport closed and they did not offer any alternative.
Oct 1, 2021, 7:47 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2018
Programs: TK*G
Posts: 172
I went to the lounge at BLQ with LH flight and *G card but they told me that LH did not renew the lounge payment and they did not let me in. Moreover with a newborn. F...!!!
Oct 1, 2021, 12:30 pm
#13
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: London
Programs: MUCCI; BAEC Lifetime Gold; Marriott Bonvoy Emeritus Titanium; Hertz#1, Avis President’s Club
Posts: 3,214
As I am going to Berlin in a couple of weeks I raised this point on the BA Twitter feed. According to them there was a system problem with access to Fast Track but those in CE and GCH etc SHOULD have access to Fast Track at BER....
Oct 1, 2021, 12:34 pm
#14
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I think it is if the airline pays the airport authorties for the use of the priority lane then the airline would determine who is allowed ( ie apparently BA has not paid for the use of the priority lane yet). I do not think individual pax can pay.
Regards
TBS
Oct 1, 2021, 12:35 pm
#15
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Interesting as the check in agent said that BA had not paid for access ( this was last Wednesday so I suppose things could have changed)
Regards
TBS