firstlight

With apologies to Monty Python, after our first year of GGL (both Mrs firstlight and I) I figured it would be interesting to those of you trying to get GGL to list the benefits we've received and what was useful and what was not, hopefully we can bust a few myths.

The good points:

Jokers / space releases:
Really helpful in allowing you to sleep 355 days before the flight you want to take. No midnight adventures. We've used a joker /avios for our Greece summer holiday (5 of us) - while there might have been avios availability for some flights there was no availability on the convenient times and dates we wanted to travel in high season. First class avios tickets on popular redemption destinations like the Maldives or Singapore have been easy. Being GGL enables you to redeem large quantities of avios - we've got through about a million avios in the last year on flights; we would not have been able to do this otherwise.

Guest List priority telephone line
It's a myth that you always get answered on the first ring, we've waited up to 15 minutes at busy times but that's because the agents are prepared to spend a lot of time with every customer to fulfil their needs. The agents are very helpful and also will talk to the BA holidays team for you which has been a godsend when there has been disruption causing BAH to be inaccessible.

Partner cards
Giving a silver card to people who are not frequent travellers has proven a joy for us. For one recipient it enabled them and their partner to select seats and enjoy the lounges at T3 LHR, Finland, Japan and Australia for a holiday. They were incredibly grateful; as frequent flyers we sometimes forget that for many others lounges (including T3 lounge hopping), free seat selection and more avios is really worth having - not just on BA but on other oneworld airlines.

Welcome and upgrades
GGL does not automatically result in your path to the plane being strewn with rose petals, nor does it automatically result in profuse welcomes and upgrades for every flight. We have found upgrades (both at the gate and onboard) and offers of drinks are more frequent in short haul than when we were gold, but for long haul there is very little difference as we normally travel in J or F and golds are generally welcomed there anyway.

Service recovery
If you have a problem on a flight and put in a complaint the response has been pretty immediate in our experience, most likely within 24 hours - which is a lot faster than most seem to get.

Concorde room
The food has generally been better than Galleries First although recently maybe not quite so great, and the drinks selection is certainly better, but the thing that makes the CCR good for us are the friendly staff who over the last year have come to know us, as we go into the CCR every chance we get. Being able to have a full meal before flight even for avios funded ET trips has been great for us and the friends, relatives and work colleagues we've been able to take in there.

Hilton Diamond membership
The $15 food and beverage credit has proven useful and we were upgraded to a suite during one trip. Definitely useful if you stay anytime at a Hilton property.

The not so good points:

Blatant sexism at the Concorde room entry
Many times the BA staff member at the entry has assumed that Mrs Firstlight is my guest rather than being entitled to enter in her own right. I'm not a rampant feminist but it really is unacceptable that the agents behave in this fashion in today's world.

Special Services
You might get the impression that GGL people get whisked from Concorde room to the gate by limousine and are escorted on short connections by a BA employee specially allocated to clear a path for you through the airport. This does not happen (at least for us) and we found out there are several levels of GGL - we are at the lowest level so special services doesn't exist for us.

Priority email line
There's no real point having a priority email line if you have to provide so much personal information over an unsecure connection. BA need to improve this so you can send a secure email to them like many other companies do.

Special treatment on partner airlines
There's no difference we have found being GGL on partner airlines; you are a bog standard oneworld emerald with treatment as such (for example being group 2 on American Airlines long haul flights)

So is it worth going for? Our opinion is yes, I've requalified for another year starting today, initially with the reduced TP level of 2250 but subsequently 'properly' with more than 3100 TPs. If all things go right in my travels over the next 12 months - and now BAHolidays extended the double tier points offer, maybe I'll get another year at GGL.

golfmad

Just a small point of disagreement on the Priority email. I love it and have no problem providing the information to them. In fact, I have a template set up in my mail client with it already prepopulated. Sending a message to them is quick and easy and usually elicits a fairly speedy response. Great for account admin tasks.

I've never experienced the sexism but then I'm a middle aged man so why would I? For the avoidance of doubt I'm not saying it doesn't happen.

We do get the CK treatment on AA from time to time most recently at CLT and whisked to a connecting flight that I would not have made otherwise. Have also received the BA special services from time to time although not recently. Maybe I'm slipping down the pecking order too eek.

pjh981

I have sadly witnessed sexism across the BA Network - when travelling with Mrs pjh981, if I approach the desk first I'll frequently be asked if Mrs pjh981 is my guest. However, if Mrs pjh981 approaches the desk first - I rarely get asked if I am her guest as it is just presumed I (as a man) have status. It is quite stark. Some training would be appropriate!

zen100

Not having to pay the �35 for changes or cancellations on reward flights, or Avios hotel/car bookings.

I didn't realise how useful this would be - as I will now just make booking on a whim while there is availability, knowing it can be cancelled/amended for free. And I have saved a lot when prices dropped - just cancelled and rebooked.


Jokers / space releases:
Really helpful, but the whole "it's with Revenue Management" is getting out of hand. I've "lost" multiple changes due to RevMan taking too long (over a week) and the availability is gone.

TTmex

I travel a lot with my wife and have noticed this, but it's certainly not unique to BA. I experienced it similarly on JAL (quite a macho culture in Japan for sure) where they assume I'm the status holder. Wife has had silver for a few years. My mother gets it in different places too. Both her and my dad are Dr. and he gets referred to as Dr. [Name] and then she gets called "Dear".

firstlight

I agree its good not to worry but of course by having the �1 plus avios option BA have really neutered this benefit as you can keep your avios and only lose a �1 for a cancellation

zen100

Good point, but the �1 option is terrible value if you do need it . It may be possible to swap it out for a better value closer to the time once you're sure you want it, if availability is still there.

Also I've saved more on cancelling/amending Avios Hotel/car bookings.

orbitmic

Totally agree. In fact, being able to get support by email is one of my favourite aspects of GGL in terms of support, as it is, generally, my preferred communication mode for pretty much everything! Sure, the list of info to provide is silly, but I know it by heart, so put it at the top of the email and that's it.

By contrast, for instance, contrary to the OP, I have very little use for jokers since I mostly use my GUFs to upgrade so in F, it basically opens up the same class anyway, and in J I rarely need to go beyond the I that GUFs allow.

Telecasterman

Fwiw
BA have in recent months put in extra resources and training into serving GGL /. You First./ Prem..The team is exclusively based at Manchester and also separately the Gold line.

golfmad

I find the jokers useful for others. If I want to fly my wife or kids somewhere on Avios they still come in really handy. Like you though, I tend to use GUFs to upgrade revenue tickets and keep those tier points rolling in.

Stormbel

I've been a lowly Silver for many years but do appreciate the benefits.
​​​​​​At times I read the services Gold and GGL get and think that some should be available to me! A few seem basic but that's a conversation for another time!

Fly2Where

Do you mind share your source on this? This will be a game changer, at least for me. I am tired and sick of GGL phone line from XXX country. Just so happen today, I asked for AA reference number, the agent has NO clue why a ticket has two reference number, first he tried to tell me to call AA. I told him it's much easier to get it from BA since I booked with BA, while I am "teaching him", he said it's not possible, so I gave up. I had talked to GGL line in the last month of so numerous times, never encourter agent from Manchester. Is there a special time to call?

Greenpen

GGL has done nothing at all for me but I don�t criticise as status, at a significantly lower level, I value enormously. Quite happy to give way to my elders and betters!

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, it's the case that extra recruitment is going on at both Manchester and Newcastle, and with it training, and total numbers are going up in the UK. The BA careers website will confirm this. A greater proportion of calls should land in the UK by year end. I would wonder why you need to call that often, I think my call rate is below 1% of flights with Self Serve usually working for me, but still, if you call before 20:00 hrs UK time you should get GGL in Manchester.

(and the AA PNR is normally visible in Seat Selection).

gcuk

Going back a few years but Mrs gcuk and myself were in the first class cabin on South African Airways. A male cabin crew member was distributing newspapers. He gave one to me but ignored my wife. As he moved away my wife said �excuse me� but before she could complete the request for a newspaper he replied �oh I�m sorry madam but we don�t carry magazines on this flight.

Not a mistake he was likely to make again.