PHL Lounge - Which one
 

The website says QR uses the BA lounge in PHL. However, the BA site says it opens at 4pm. There is a QR 10:30am flight. Does this flight use the AA lounge or does the BA lounge open?

Thanks

The BA lounge is open for the QR flight in the morning.

I noticed that your a PC Platinum member. This entitles you access to BA's First Lounge and the Club Lounge.. You can also use AA lounges as well..
PC Platinum =Emerald on OneWorld

Per OneWorld website..

https://www.oneworld.com/ffp/lounge-access


British Airways Galleries Club Lounge / First Lounge

Access for eligible customers traveling on any oneworld member airline.
Access to First Class Lounges is restricted to Emerald members or those travelling in First Class
Access: Business Class / First Class / Sapphire Tier / Emerald Tier
Location: Concourse A / After Security
Opening Hours
Sunday24 HoursMonday24 HoursTuesday24 HoursWednesday24 HoursThursday24 HoursFriday24 HoursSaturday24 Hours
Note: Open Daily: 07:00 - 11:00 15:00 - 21:45

I was a BA Gold card holder for 10 years until I finally gave up a few years ago, tired of being treated like dirt. Best decision I ever made - good riddance. However there are some days where BA finds a way to irritate me even when I am not flying with them!

QR Platinum flying J on QR from PHL, the only lounge choice is BA. First off they initially refused my access to the First side and argued that I should only go to the Business class side. After pointing out that OW Emerald should be allowed in First, they finally let me in.

However once in there, I was informed that the hot food is only for BA passengers and that I can only have the snacks (chips, sandwiches, etc.). I find this to be very cheap behavior on BA's part, plus the fact that it lessens QR's J product.

In this case I blame not only BA for doing this, but also QR for accepting a sub-par lounge experience in a OW partner lounge. I think I would feel less annoyed if there was no hot food in the lounge at all, rather than the separate treatment BA vs QR.

:td:

I don't know why this upsets you so much. There is not different treatment BA vs QR. BA First Dining is explicitly only for those traveling in F on BA. Everywhere. Always has been like that. Always will be like that. BA Gold card holders do not get access. As a OWE who has politely asked and, without pushback, been granted access to the F side (which does have slightly better sandwiches, snacks, cheeses, wines, etc. than the J side), I found it perfectly acceptable.

That would be like walking into the AA Flagship Lounge as a OWE on a business class ticket and demanding access to Flagship First Dining. If you're upset by it, then it's only because your expectations about what you are entitled to are out of line with reality. As a longtime, BA Gold card holder, you should know this about First Dining in BA lounges.

What's more, IMO the food options onboard QR J are far better than anything one is likely to get in an airline lounge on the ground, with the possible exception of AA Flagship First dining, for which you wouldn't be eligible even if AA had it at PHL.

The PHL lounge is quite something special to be sure.. AND it is a very good example to show that BA is sometimes SUPERIOR to QR.

I arrived on a QR flight the other day connecting onto AA when the BA lounge was open... as BA gold we were of course able to use the First side.. which had champagne :-)
no F dining.. ok.. but then very nice food from the Club buffet on the other side. variety of hot and fresh made meals. plus snacks.

14 days later on the return it was the QR lounge... and the first side was closed.. and the food part was closed.. leaving only snacks!! (tasty sandwiches at least) and no champagne.
Even the staff apologized that the BA times are better :-)

complaining on a high level... well.. more pointing out.. than complaining

What I think is subpar is the fact that as a QR J passenger and OWE, there is no hot food available in the lounge, period. Regardless if it's F side or J side. I don't mind going to the J side if there is food there. So ignoring the F lounge issue, in which kind of lounge does a OWE passenger NOT get hot food simply because the guest is not flying the airline of the lounge? For example, if I go to the UL lounge in CMB as a QR passenger, they are not going to tell me "oh the hot food is for UL only, sorry you cannot have it because you fly QR". And if I go to the QR lounge in BKK as a MH passenger, QR is not going to restrict some menu items for MH passengers.

Who else but BA does this kind of thing? Not that BA is the only issue here, I think QR should have negotiated a different kind of arrangement as well. The question is not what is the onboard product, QR is light years ahead of BA but that is not the point I am raising.

Not at all. Last time I went to a Flagship Lounge, not only there was plenty of hot food available, but also AA did not tell QR passengers that some food options were not for them.

:confused:

When was that? I was told in no uncertain terms that I could not have hot food either on the F side or J side in PHL. If I had been allowed to have hot food from the J side then I would not raise this issue at all.

Interesting... first to make one thing clear:

there are TWO different lounges in PHL... one is the BA lounge.. and one is the QR lounge. its just not operating different facilities but the same rooms at different times - but still they are 2 lounges.

my second experience.. QR has booked the lounge (concierge wearing QR uniforms).. and obviously pays less so there plain out is NO hot food for anyone.

at the BA times (BA concierge) BA booked the lounge and offers great hot food for CLUB and a First side with champagne for gold and F dining for F pax...

the PHL BA lounge is kinda limited tho.. So I remember from the Airberlin times about 2 years ago even as OWE we were denied access as AB used a different (KLM?) lounge. I was pretty upset.

3 weeks ago in PHL as BA Gold there was no question we could use the PHL lounge for 3h waiting for AA connection (First side and food from CW - no F dining).

It could still be there rules because they are so small (specially the Club dining side) .. I just never like that they dont post there rules and make it clear! on the OW lounge page not even the opening hours are correct!

Maybe you went to the PHL lounge when QR had a different flight schedule and the QR flight was at a different time than the BA flights? In the last few months, the QR flight leaves PHL at 9pm. I was in the lounge at the same time as BA passengers, rather than QR operating the same lounge at a different time than when BA is operating the lounge.

If I had been in the lounge and there was no hot food at all for anybody, then I might think it's stingy, but ok fine same treatment for all. However in this case you have QR and BA passengers at the same time in the lounge, with BA passengers having hot food and QR passengers not. Regardless F or J. It is this kind of differential treatment which is not acceptable in my humble opinion, and is not in the spirit of an airline alliance.

I had a QR flight from ORD and from JFK earlier this year and could have hot food in the Flagship lounge.

This is not the first time I have seen this kind of behavior from BA. It reminds me of the now defunct BA lounge in YYZ where I used to have access to the F side, then later on they cut me off from F and only allowed access to the J side, then finally they flat out refused access even though I was flying Finnair and they told me to go to the third party lounge nearby. :td:

I dont know why. but I was on the same 9pm QR flight but there was no BA pax anymore. seemed like the BA was gone. QR sign outside.. QR uniforms.. and like I said I talked to a waitress and she said they just clened the hot food away and took out the QR stuff.. obviously QR wasn't paying as much as BA...

So Im sure ths is the deal behind the scene. BA has to pay for all.. and QR is greedy :-)... which doesnt excuse your situation. but I dont think BA is to blame too much. But I would have been totally peed like you and probably just conquered the buffet anyhow :-)

QR usually doesnt grant other OW members entry unless you are on a QR flight. Not even in Doha you can use there C lounge.

Things will get better at PHL with the flagship..

Well I see at the moment BA has flights at 18:45, 19:20, and 20:45. So the last one coincides with the QR flight.

Yes this issue can be partly blamed on QR, as I discussed with the nice polite chap from BA who is the lounge supervisor. I don't know what the negotiations between BA and QR were, but either BA is being unreasonable by cutting off food for QR passengers, or QR is being too cheap and does not want to offer a proper on the ground pre-flight experience. Given BA's behavior in YYZ I would not be surprised if BA has a role in this situation because I suspect it's not limited to PHL. Are OW passengers in BOS limited to snacks in the BA lounge as well? I think it's an issue there too. So why this kind of treatment in BA lounges but not in Flagship lounges?

QR grants lounge access to any OWE passenger in BKK if travelling in J, with no food restrictions...

I was not tempted to conquer the buffet against the rules, although it did cross my mind to pour myself a large glass of each choice of liquor in order to sample them all then go to my gate leaving the glasses 95% full :p

Well as in my case the lounge didn't offer ANY hot food at all.. it looks like thats what QR wants. I was "shocked", too.. because I arrived 2h early looking forward to a nice pre dining experience. (the sandwiches were superb tho) and disappointed.. BUT after all-- maybe it is their policy to say hey.. you experience a 14h flight with great dine on demand service.. take it.

and when BA has there whole "experience" set up at the lounge QR still says - but im not paying for hot food.. lol.. baaah then you dont get any :-)

Again, my point is that yo expected to be admitted to First Dining, when it is explicitly for BA F passengers. As a BA GCH, you should know this. It has nothing to do with hot food/cold food. It has to do with what you felt you were entitled to, when you were not. Maybe BA should provide hot food in the F side of the lounge. They don't. There is no published OWE benefit that entitles you to "hot food," through whatever source.

QR isn't placing restriction on you. BA Y/J passengers with a Gold Card can use the F side of the lounge, but can't use F Dining. BA Y passengers with a Silver card can use the J Lounge, but don't have access to the Pre-Flight supper.

On the J side, there is a buffet, and they have soups, etc.

Yes. And IAD, and ORD, and EWR, and YYZ. You're limited to whatever the lounge provisions for all guests. Only if you are in BA J, or BA F, do you have access to Sleeper Service pre-flight supper or First Dining, respectively.

And the answer is because they're different airlines who offer different things in their lounges? Why don't Flagship Lounges have spas? BA's Lounges do. Why doesn't CX have a sauna? AY does. There's no rule about what food lounges have to provide. They're not treating you differently from other passengers.