Gatwick arrivals lounge access
Feb 5, 2008 | 1:41 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: TX Panhandle
Programs: EXP AA 5.7MM, Diamond HHonors, a bit of Marriott, a bit of United, a bit of this and that
Posts: 737
Gatwick arrivals lounge access
Sorry if this has been answered before (and I am sure it has), but the search feature of this website is anything but helpful.
We will be arriving at Gatwick in about 10 days coming on American Airlines from the US, traveling Coach. Gatwick is our final destination. I am OW Emerald, my wife OW Sapphire. Will we have arrivals lounge access in the BA lounge? It's my understanding that that's the only OW lounge in Gatwick, correct?
Thanks, and feel free to send me to some earlier post.
We will be arriving at Gatwick in about 10 days coming on American Airlines from the US, traveling Coach. Gatwick is our final destination. I am OW Emerald, my wife OW Sapphire. Will we have arrivals lounge access in the BA lounge? It's my understanding that that's the only OW lounge in Gatwick, correct?
Thanks, and feel free to send me to some earlier post.
Feb 5, 2008 | 1:53 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Madrid, Spain & Santiago, Chile
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 3,181
I haven't used that lounge but this is what britishairways.com has to say about it:
British Airways' Arrivals lounges are available to:
* Executive Club Gold members who have arrived on a British Airways or Qantas longhaul flight.
* Arriving passengers holding a ticket booked in Club World or FIRST.
* Executive Club Gold members who have arrived on a British Airways or Qantas longhaul flight.
* Arriving passengers holding a ticket booked in Club World or FIRST.
Feb 5, 2008 | 5:33 pm
#3
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
Posts: 19,593
Absolutely no access. Upon arrival you are segregated -- must go landside, unless you have onward boarding passes. Without a connecting flight, security will not let you through to reach the lounge. If you do manage to talk your way past security somehow, the ultra diligent BA lounge dragons will not let you in. Arrival lounges are not an Emerald benefit. If you had flown AA into LHR, where AA has an arrivals lounge land-side, you would still be denined free access (paid access is available for GBP50 for the 2 of you, much like an AC day pass); but AA has no such lounge at LGW.
Feb 6, 2008 | 1:14 am
#4
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Roses, Costa Brava, Spain
Programs: Seniors Bus Pass, lots of old plastic claiming to be precious metal
Posts: 512
Absolutely no access. Upon arrival you are segregated -- must go landside, unless you have onward boarding passes. Without a connecting flight, security will not let you through to reach the lounge. If you do manage to talk your way past security somehow, the ultra diligent BA lounge dragons will not let you in. Arrival lounges are not an Emerald benefit. If you had flown AA into LHR, where AA has an arrivals lounge land-side, you would still be denined free access (paid access is available for GBP50 for the 2 of you, much like an AC day pass); but AA has no such lounge at LGW.
Unfortunately for the OP, "Arrival lounges are not an Emerald benefit". (The QF exception to this is a result of the BA/QF sharing agreement for UK<>Oz.)
Feb 6, 2008 | 9:24 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: TX Panhandle
Programs: EXP AA 5.7MM, Diamond HHonors, a bit of Marriott, a bit of United, a bit of this and that
Posts: 737
Thanks for the advice--much appreciated. We'll take a wet sponge and some paper towels along to make ourselves presentable. 
At least we can have a departure quaff before flying back to the US.
At least we can have a departure quaff before flying back to the US.