Glencky

Hi there, I wonder if the knowledgeable peeps on this forum can help me.

My husband and I are currently both BAEC gold. We've been silver for many years (through relatively regular travel, the odd bit of business travel, and careful selection of airlines to qualify for status, rather than very regular travel). The gold came about through a combination of the double tier points on holidays offers since the pandemic, and a spectacularly well timed purchase of bargainous first class seats to Singapore from LHR right when Singapore reopened!

We used to travel a lot with family before the pandemic and are just looking to restart this so are looking to book a trip with husband, me, his parents and my mum. So - two people with lounge access and 3 guests, which doesn't work. It's possible a friend who has silver status will come with us, in which case problem solved - 3 people with status and 3 guests. But if they don't, I was wondering about whether to upgrade just one of us to Club in order to all be able to go into the lounge at both ends!

I know it sounds weird but it'll make the travelling a lot easier and calmer, I think, with this group. It's only a 2hr flight we're looking at doing too so I don't think it matters if we have one person randomly sitting in Club!!

The question is - is this even possible? Can we upgrade just one person in a booking? If so, how - presumably not online but service centre only (but I guess as Golds we'll get through faster - isn't there a dedicated number for us)?

All help gratefully received.

Foofighter69

If you log into BA.com as a Gold and look up the executive club contact details you’ll find the Gold number there.

As long as your group booking isn’t a BA holiday booking I believe that you can call BA and ask them to split the bookings into 4 and 1, and upgrade the 5th person that way, obviously choosing to upgrade the person without status.

Someone will come along and correct me if I have got this wrong!

bisonrav

I believe you can only upgrade one cabin, so the booking would need to be in Premium Economy.

AJA_

For long haul yes it would need to be Premium Economy But for short-haul European routes you can upgrade from Euro Traveller (economy) to Club Europe ​​​​​​​I think OP mentioned a 2 hour flight which suggests European short haul.

AJA_

Another option is to ignore the BA lounge and just pay for the 5 of you to use the Plaza Premium Lounge at T5, assuming that's where you're departing from. And do the same at the other end if there is a contract lounge there Or just have a meal in the Gordon Ramsey Plane Food restaurant.

PGberkshire

remember you all will be in Galleries club, the silver lounge, not GF.

Cheaper perhaps to go to the seafood bars or ramsays and have a nice lunch?

Confus

It’s definitely possible to upgrade only one person on a booking. To do it in advance of travel you’d need to call to split the PNR first, but on the day of travel AUP (if available) would be possible for any number of pax on the booking without needing to formally split it.

Glencky

HI folks, thanks for all the responses - yes, it's short haul Europe so I should've said Club Europe rather than Club, and so it'll be only economy and business, no premium to worry about. Thanks for the helpful alternative suggestions, too. However, the aim is not really to get a slap-up meal and lots of drinks (as I know would be the aim for many). I can't drink alcohol for medical reasons, and nobody is a big drinker. We'll like a meal but the flights are annoyingly at 12.30 so lounge time will be a bit 'in between' for mealtimes. The main thing is we'll end up going to the airport earlier than husband and I usually would (we like to cut it fine!) so as not to stress out the parents or make them feel they have to rush (we're the kind who sprint through airports and escalators carrying hand baggage; less fun aged mid-70s). And if we arrive early, they won't want to wander around the airport so it's nice to have a calmer and relaxing 'base'. I should stress they're all perfectly mobile, just older and it'll generally be a much nicer start to the holiday with lounge access.
@PGberkshire - excellent point about which lounge we'll be in. I hadn't considered it. It's generated a lively debate between me and my husband as we're thinking through how this plays out. I must say that I'd had in mind that we'd all be in the silver (Galleries Club) lounge anyway since I've spent a lot of time in there so when I think T5 lounge, that's what I think (either of them). But of course, with Gold status, 2 of the party of 5 have First Class check-in at T5.

So first question is - will they allow the whole party to check in at First Class check-in despite the fact only 2 of us have Gold status and we're a party of 5? I have to assume so because it's a little strange if not. If so, we're debating whether we will end up in Galleries First 'by default' (although hard to imagine as this could be open to abuse a bit). To explain what I mean... do we end up 'automatically' in Galleries First after First check-in? meaning all 5 of us are just in there?

My husband and I have only 2 experiences of this. The first time, we were actually travelling First Class to Singapore and of course we went straight through to the Concorde Room. The second time we were travelling short haul economy (or possibly business, can't remember). Having gold status, we checked in at First Class check-in no problem, and then were mentally expecting to end up in the Concorde Room since we hadn't really thought about the 3 different levels of lounge in that lounge complex. I started to twig as we walked through and sure enough, we were turned away from the Concorde Room and directed to Galleries First. Which of course next to Concorde was a disappointment! We felt it is only a slight 'upgrade' from the Galleries Lounge. But hey, it's all good and we had never really aimed to get Gold anyway so no complaints from us.

But all of this happened because we were expecting to go to the Concorde Room so headed that way. We have a feeling our boarding passes didn't get checked after check-in to get into the Galleries First lounge which kind of implies if we can check in at First Class check-in, we'll all end up there by default? It's a bit shady I suppose... but as I say, we're not likely to be the last of the big drinkers and eaters, more the people who try and find a comfy seating area!! so I wouldn't feel too bad if this is how it works.

But now I'm wondering if we're not going to be able to use the First Class check-in, which would be disappointing.

I know I'm now asking a different question, but it'd be handy to know!

And it's making me rethink the business upgrade for one person, too. Seems little point in doing this in advance if it stops that person using First Class check-in (which I'd forgotten about). Could either try and upgrade on the day if there's one available, then we all either end up in Galleries First or Club depending what's possible - or leave it and we all just head to Plaza Premium, as AJA_ has suggested - having at least had a smooth and easy check-in for the parents!

More thoughts gratefully received from all you knowledgeable people!

mikeyfly

You can all “check in” at the First Wing, but the five of you won’t be able to go through security and into Galleries First, you’d need to go through fast track security and into Galleries North or South.

Backofthequeue

There’s no harm asking on the day, however you’re only entitled to guest one passenger through security. You’d not end up in GF by default. In my experience this is rigidly policed. Either four of you would use first wing security and one via normal security, or all five would be through normal security. You’d not all be entitled to Fast Track, unless one had upgraded to Club, not that security is particularly slow anyway.

Glencky

Hello Mikeyfly and Backofthequeue - this makes sense and I can understand why this is rigidly policed. It's all rather irritating but totally fair, sadly!

It's such a shame. It'd be really great if it was possible to buy passes for occasional additional guests - even if the price was punitively overpriced, just to enable situations like this without prompting abuse/ overcrowding or undermining of other status members' benefits.

Koru Flyer

While everyone has different priorities, I think you are over thinking it. A lounge is just a nicer waiting room, and for probably the cost of the upgrade or lounge access you could have a good time at plane food or other establishments. Or just sitting in the terminal chatting about what you will do on the trip.

I am in the all sitting together and travelling together camp.

KF

Ldnn1

Personally I think your plan is a good one, provided you can get a reasonable price for the club upgrade (say < £100) or can use avios for it.

Effectively you’re paying to get lounge access for 5 of you together, by paying for one, so in that context it makes sense.

As suggested above you can all use F checkin and then there’s absolutely no harm in doing that and then asking at First Wing security if you can all go in through there. If the answer’s no then fine, you just use Fast Track and go to GC. Have that as your expectation. If the answer’s yes then you’ve lucked out and can use GF.

orbitmic

I understand the desire to upgrade one non-status pax to all have lounge access, but have you also thought of what you are losing by doing so?

First, most obviously, you get to all wait in lounge rather than in a cafe etc at LHR but it also means one of the parents will be travelling alone in C whilst the other four are all travelling together.

Will the person separated from the group be ok with that? Also will it not be a diplomatic trick to pick one of three parents for special treatment and not the other two especially if you are the ones paying for the upgrade?

Second, you can upgrade one person only in a group of 5, no problem, but you can’t have people with different booking classes in the same booking. So what will happen is that when you upgrade one, your booking will be « split », with a new booking (separate from the rest) made for the person upgraded. That person needs to be one of the non status pax (as you wouldn’t resolve the lounge conundrum otherwise) but suddenly, they will lose the benefits associated with your gold card. I don’t think the luggage will matter but specifically, whilst you could choose seats for everyone on your booking, they will no longer be able to get free seat assignment (and you can’t do it through tcp as you are in separate cabins now) so they will have to pick whatever is left at olci.

you say you want this because you’ll be there earlier, and I suspect it’s the fact to be « within touching distance » of being able to all be in lounge which makes this tempting, but whilst I can fully see why, once you start thinking of the details, I’d question whether this will prove worth it for 1hr or 1hr30 or so in a lounge rather than a cafe (remember your flight might always leave from b or c gates in which case if the parents are as you describe they might want to leave the lounge super early to be on the safe side!!)

Confus

All good points, but an addendum is helpful - this only applies if upgraded in advance. If AUP no formal split is required.