Lounge not part of Club Europe fare
Sep 2, 2022, 2:47 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
Programs: BA Gold, Caribbean Miles Silver, Club Caribbean
Posts: 235
Lounge not part of Club Europe fare
I made a complaint about the lack of lounge facilities on evening departures at CDG.
Below is the response, exact words from BA.
Is this a joke, as a Club Europe passenger and Gold, I am not entitled to lounge access because it is complimentary service and not part of my fare? 🙄 Should there not have been a voucher in the place of lounge access?
Below is the response, exact words from BA.
"As an airline, we certainly realise that lounges are a key benefit and that our customers value their use. Unfortunately, lounge access is not guaranteed, and this is stated on ba.com. Access to our lounges is a complimentary service, and this means that it doesn't form any part of the price of your Club Europe fare."
Sep 2, 2022, 2:54 pm
#3
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,804
THere are many routes, including some longhaul services, where there is no lounge access at all. Admittedly usually to more obscure locations rather than Paris. Sometimes there are vouchers, often there isn't any provision. So I'm not surprised by the reply. It was fairly well known on this forum that AA closes early afternoon. Hopefully CDG will get a better provision at some point. If you wanted to really make the point, then you could probably take it further via the small claims system, with an uncertain outcome.
Sep 2, 2022, 3:15 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
Programs: BA Gold, Caribbean Miles Silver, Club Caribbean
Posts: 235
THere are many routes, including some longhaul services, where there is no lounge access at all. Admittedly usually to more obscure locations rather than Paris. Sometimes there are vouchers, often there isn't any provision. So I'm not surprised by the reply. It was fairly well known on this forum that AA closes early afternoon. Hopefully CDG will get a better provision at some point. If you wanted to really make the point, then you could probably take it further via the small claims system, with an uncertain outcome.
The lack of facilities was not mentioned at booking or at check-in. I do think at least BA could have at least done that. I'm not always on Flyertalk so missed those posts unfortunately.
Haha. Definitely won't bother fighting then.
Sep 2, 2022, 3:40 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2005
Programs: BA GGL & GfL, AA LTP, Marriott (sigh) Ambassador, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,234
i have noticed that sometimes i am charged a "Lounge Access VAT" which i presume is only for select destinations? if i were paying a tax on lounge access for a certain ticket, it would be hard to argue lounges are not part of the offering.
Sep 2, 2022, 4:05 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Krakow
Programs: BAEC Silver, Miles and More(FTL), IHG(Platinum), Accor, HHonors(Diamond), SPG, Hertz Five Star
Posts: 5,919
I made a complaint about the lack of lounge facilities on evening departures at CDG.
Below is the response, exact words from BA.
Is this a joke, as a Club Europe passenger and Gold, I am not entitled to lounge access because it is complimentary service and not part of my fare? 🙄 Should there not have been a voucher in the place of lounge access?
Below is the response, exact words from BA.
Is this a joke, as a Club Europe passenger and Gold, I am not entitled to lounge access because it is complimentary service and not part of my fare? 🙄 Should there not have been a voucher in the place of lounge access?
As corporate-wage-slave will attest, for many years BA refused to pay my local airport for access to its perfectly acceptable, open, lounge. No alternate provision was made either.
Sep 2, 2022, 4:48 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Anywhere
Posts: 6,576
This is just frustrating CYA legalese. Basically by designating it as a "complimentary" service, they take it away as an entitlement, even though it's ostensibly marketed as such, so you don't have the right to sue them, even though the price of your ticket and / or loyalty most definitely has taken into account the cost of this service.
Sep 2, 2022, 4:52 pm
#9
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: UK - Hampshire & London
Programs: Mucci de Guardian des Celliers des Grands Crus 1e Classé, plus BAEC.
Posts: 2,734
I sympathise with the expectation of a lounge at CDG, but there is never a guarantee on any route, with BA, or with AF, KLM, LH etc.
Business class does not equal 100% lounge access.
Business class does not equal 100% lounge access.
Sep 2, 2022, 6:39 pm
#11
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: RTW
Posts: 677
No doubt it is there in the small print, but some qualification in the above mentioned headline product description (along with the partial Club Suite caveat) would be more honest.
Despite the possible but unmentioned justification of product cuts in hard times, the reply to OP (implying that anything more than a seat on the aircraft is "complimentary" and therefore its absence can't be questioned) is borderline insolent, IMHO. But hey, this is BA 2022 and it's a neat way to dismiss all those pesky complaints. I just hope this wheeze doesn't catch on at McDonald's the next time my Big Mac is missing the cheese.
Despite the possible but unmentioned justification of product cuts in hard times, the reply to OP (implying that anything more than a seat on the aircraft is "complimentary" and therefore its absence can't be questioned) is borderline insolent, IMHO. But hey, this is BA 2022 and it's a neat way to dismiss all those pesky complaints. I just hope this wheeze doesn't catch on at McDonald's the next time my Big Mac is missing the cheese.
Last edited by Bullswood; Sep 3, 2022 at 12:36 am
Sep 2, 2022, 6:41 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: JAX
Programs: Ex-BA/AA/CP/LY staff, BA Executive Club Blue, IHG Diamond, Marriott Silver, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 3,587
I've never seen or heard of this. Can you give an example?
Sep 2, 2022, 9:08 pm
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
Programs: BA Gold, Caribbean Miles Silver, Club Caribbean
Posts: 235
I have absolutely no idea. When I booked my ticket on ba.com lounge access was advertised as a benefit of booking Club Europe. Don’t see why as a customer I need to check oneworld + flyertalk to find out if lounge access is available if BA advertises it.
Sep 2, 2022, 10:02 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,815
I believe there has been a discussion about this before:
Lounge access hidden in ticket price?
But see these various tax rulings:
https://www.globalvatcompliance.com/...vat-treatment/
https://www.uktaxmobile.com/tis/dtp....0?OpenDocument
Lounge access hidden in ticket price?
But see these various tax rulings:
https://www.globalvatcompliance.com/...vat-treatment/
https://www.uktaxmobile.com/tis/dtp....0?OpenDocument