Will a lounge stay open if the last flight is delayed?
Aug 18, 2022, 9:11 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 29
Will a lounge stay open if the last flight is delayed?
ANSWER: for this flight from SFO the lounge DID stay open until boarding had begun - an hour after the flight was scheduled to depart. The First Lounge was available as well, and we were able to grab some food before we flew. All and all a smooth experience.
Flying out of SFO tomorrow, Friday Aug 19th on BA286 in First. The flight is already marked as Delayed and leaving at 20:19 vs the schedule 19:25.
My questions is will the Lounge stay open till that later time? It's currently scheduled to shut at 19:15.
We were thinking of doing dinner in the First Lounge around 19:00 so we could maximize our sleep on the now-later flights. Will they just operate the lounge at the posted hours?
Thoughts?
Flying out of SFO tomorrow, Friday Aug 19th on BA286 in First. The flight is already marked as Delayed and leaving at 20:19 vs the schedule 19:25.
My questions is will the Lounge stay open till that later time? It's currently scheduled to shut at 19:15.
We were thinking of doing dinner in the First Lounge around 19:00 so we could maximize our sleep on the now-later flights. Will they just operate the lounge at the posted hours?
Thoughts?
Last edited by nateinuk; Aug 20, 2022 at 9:33 am Reason: Updating with results
Aug 18, 2022, 11:00 pm
#2
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 423
The people who work in the lounge will have their families, friends and other plans waiting for them when they finish at 19:15, and because your flight is delayed, it unlikely that they will want to stay and work extra so you can stay in the lounge longer.
Aug 18, 2022, 11:44 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Krakow
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Posts: 5,919
I suspect that, if the flight is delayed 1 hour and it is a BA lounge, it is likely the lounge will remain open a little longer.
Others with more recent experience of delays at sfo will be able to give an answer based on what happened when their flights were delayed
Aug 19, 2022, 1:10 am
#7
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Posts: 63,804
It is down to what a station can handle, there isn't a firm rule on this. At some places they can't keep a lounge open late because staff have children, pets, elderly relatives to get back to. At other times, if it is known in advance that the departure is going to be delayed then staff may well be agreeable to flex their rotas around, indeed may prefer it to their original rota. I do know SFO has stayed open for at least some recent A380 late running. So there is some attempt to do this, it doesn't always work.
Aug 19, 2022, 1:17 am
#8
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gatwick, UK
Programs: UA *G, BA Silver
Posts: 1,673
Also, I don't know if the First Dining part of the lounge is open yet – it was closed last time I went through, but that's a while ago. Maybe someone can post something more up-to-date here.
Aug 19, 2022, 2:30 am
#10
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Wild Wiltshire
Programs: Demoted to gold, Cats protection
Posts: 3,455
A couple of weeks ago, the lounge reception at PHL was telling the lady in front of me that because the flight to LHR was delayed until after 1am that the lounge would be open until about midnight and would probably be empty for a good few hours yet. (predictably when I showed my card and BP I was told the lounge was full and directed to the nearest open AA lounge in the next terminal ho hum)
Aug 19, 2022, 5:09 am
#12
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 217
The staff in the lounge might welcome the overtime !
Aug 19, 2022, 6:38 am
#13
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: QF, TK, VA, SQ
Posts: 695
On Wednesday the BA lounge at LGW Closed both sections on time (F at 1900, J at 2100) despite delays caused by the weather.
Thankfully we boarded about 2130 so it wasn’t much of a hardship, but the staff made it clear the space was closing and I think it’s fair enough.
the one thing I just do not understand is why airports wait so long to allocate gates. I get that it can’t be done all the time long in advance, but the gates at LGW were about 25% occupied after 2000 on Wednesday, yet they waited until 2109 to advise the gate meaning a plane load of people then had to queue to get into the gate area before boarding. 🤯
oh well. At least we flew!
Thankfully we boarded about 2130 so it wasn’t much of a hardship, but the staff made it clear the space was closing and I think it’s fair enough.
the one thing I just do not understand is why airports wait so long to allocate gates. I get that it can’t be done all the time long in advance, but the gates at LGW were about 25% occupied after 2000 on Wednesday, yet they waited until 2109 to advise the gate meaning a plane load of people then had to queue to get into the gate area before boarding. 🤯
oh well. At least we flew!
Aug 19, 2022, 9:29 am
#15
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL
Posts: 843
Flying out of SFO tomorrow, Friday Aug 19th on BA286 in First. The flight is already marked as Delayed and leaving at 20:19 vs the schedule 19:25.
My questions is will the Lounge stay open till that later time? It's currently scheduled to shut at 19:15.
We were thinking of doing dinner in the First Lounge around 19:00 so we could maximize our sleep on the now-later flights. Will they just operate the lounge at the posted hours?
Thoughts?
My questions is will the Lounge stay open till that later time? It's currently scheduled to shut at 19:15.
We were thinking of doing dinner in the First Lounge around 19:00 so we could maximize our sleep on the now-later flights. Will they just operate the lounge at the posted hours?
Thoughts?
My personal tactic is always to eat in the lounge then go to sleep as quickly as possible. The portions are tiny (the burger thing is about a quarter the size of a US burger) and the QR-code based menu is far harder work than talking to a human, but it works well enough.