OW Sapphire traveling on QR, but refused access at EDI BA lounge
Dec 27, 2025 | 3:42 pm
#16
Join Date: May 2003
Location: DEL
Programs: Mucci du Miel d'Or
Posts: 2,495
I was there today, GGL flying CE. The agent, friendly enough, took quite some time to decide that I could enter. It could be one of the above reasons, but I would be unsurprised if it was just an ienexperienced agent.
Dec 27, 2025 | 3:53 pm
#17
Join Date: Aug 2022
Programs: United GS 1MM, BAEC GGL, IHG Diamond, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 918
I'll be on QR middle of next month and will be headed for the BA lounge. For UA flights if i'm on the early one i will stay at the Hampton and have a proper breakfast there.
Dec 28, 2025 | 9:22 pm
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2022
Location: Kanto area, Japan
Programs: QAPC Gold, BAEC
Posts: 38
Maybe I'm missing the obvious, but I can't see from the OP's post what the agent did or did not say apart from telling the OP that they should head to the dedicated lounge, which happens to be the practical information that is most helpful in this case.
In this case, I personally think the agent would be right not to pro-actively volunteer undue details. Imagine how awkward and prone to misunderstanding the conversation would be otherwise:
Agent: I'm sorry, on a Qatar ticket, you should go to the Plaza Premium lounge. You would be eligible in principle but we are worried about capacity issues
Passenger: Are you kidding me? The lounge looks empty
Agent: Sorry, I know it does but we have a list telling us how busy the flights are and we expect the lounge to fill up progressively
Passenger: Can I see the list?>
Agent: No, I'm sorry, it's confidential
Passenger: Then why should I trust you? And what if it doesn't fill?
Agent: We can't take that risk
Passenger: But my flight is at 12, how likely is it the lounge will fill up that quickly?
Agent: What if your flight ends up being delayed or cancelled?
Passenger So why did you say yes to the lady who came just before me?
Agent: Because she was flying BA
Passenger: What about the one before? I saw he had a boarding pass for the Qatar flight too
Agent: Yes, but he was a BA frequent flyer / an Emerald member / etc.
It just doesn't help to go through the details of an internal thinking process. Best tell the passenger where to go which is constructive. If they insist, I suspect the agent would just mention it is an exemption/capacity issue hoping the conversation doesn't drag on, but in many ways, you would hope that the conversation ends after step 1 and not to have to make a passenger feel that they are not so important, which could come across as rude.
In this case, I personally think the agent would be right not to pro-actively volunteer undue details. Imagine how awkward and prone to misunderstanding the conversation would be otherwise:
Agent: I'm sorry, on a Qatar ticket, you should go to the Plaza Premium lounge. You would be eligible in principle but we are worried about capacity issues
Passenger: Are you kidding me? The lounge looks empty
Agent: Sorry, I know it does but we have a list telling us how busy the flights are and we expect the lounge to fill up progressively
Passenger: Can I see the list?>
Agent: No, I'm sorry, it's confidential
Passenger: Then why should I trust you? And what if it doesn't fill?
Agent: We can't take that risk
Passenger: But my flight is at 12, how likely is it the lounge will fill up that quickly?
Agent: What if your flight ends up being delayed or cancelled?
Passenger So why did you say yes to the lady who came just before me?
Agent: Because she was flying BA
Passenger: What about the one before? I saw he had a boarding pass for the Qatar flight too
Agent: Yes, but he was a BA frequent flyer / an Emerald member / etc.
It just doesn't help to go through the details of an internal thinking process. Best tell the passenger where to go which is constructive. If they insist, I suspect the agent would just mention it is an exemption/capacity issue hoping the conversation doesn't drag on, but in many ways, you would hope that the conversation ends after step 1 and not to have to make a passenger feel that they are not so important, which could come across as rude.
Dec 29, 2025 | 1:46 am
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist and Ambassador: The British Airways Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Diam, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 33,203
In short, rules are simple to explain, but informal processes on how to arbitrate potential exemptions are not, especially when they rely on information which, by nature, is not (and cannot be) accessible to users in the way it is to staff.
So the practical take away is - there is no change of rule and you are still very much eligible to access the lounge unless one of the exemptions applies, and since you are in a way at the bottom of the priority order, there is always a risk that it may. If you prefer the BA lounge, you really should ask again next time in a similar situation though knowing that if there is a case for an exemption, you'll probably have to take the staff's word for it. Many other times, you'll just be let in as hoped.
Dec 29, 2025 | 2:05 am
#21
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: UK/Australia
Programs: UA2MM, QF Platinum, VA Platinum, BAC Bronze, Volare Executive Club
Posts: 2,729
I'd have to say that I'd be rather miffed as a OWE at being denied access to a One World lounge, well, QR excepted. Never had that problem with *G (and lifetime United Club).
Allow me to cross EDI off my list and substitute it with GLA.
Allow me to cross EDI off my list and substitute it with GLA.
Jan 1, 2026 | 11:43 pm
#22
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 743
The same thing happened to me today. This must be a new policy.
The agent was very apologetic but said only Gold can access the BA lounge in EDI when flying Qatar. Business and silver being sent to Turkish lounge which is pretty mediocre, especially for food.
BA Lounge looked dead as this was 5am in the morning fwiw, so not a capacity thing but a broader policy.
We were 2 silvers and 2 non-status passengers in J on QR. Didnt have the energy to argue at that time in the morning. I suspect if I had just started scanning the bps myself they would have worked.
The agent was very apologetic but said only Gold can access the BA lounge in EDI when flying Qatar. Business and silver being sent to Turkish lounge which is pretty mediocre, especially for food.
BA Lounge looked dead as this was 5am in the morning fwiw, so not a capacity thing but a broader policy.
We were 2 silvers and 2 non-status passengers in J on QR. Didnt have the energy to argue at that time in the morning. I suspect if I had just started scanning the bps myself they would have worked.
Jan 2, 2026 | 2:08 am
#23
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: West Lothian
Programs: BA Club Silver, EuroBonus Diamond, IHG Platinum Elite, Qatar Privilege Club
Posts: 659
I was admitted on Christmas Eve at 05:00 as a OWE. I was directed to TK lounge by the check in agent but told her I would be going to the BA lounge. I was the only person there for about half an hour.
Jan 3, 2026 | 9:00 pm
#25
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: SIN
Programs: A3 *G, QF WP, BA Silver, AF/KL FB Plat, SK EBG, Bonvoy Gold, IHG Gold
Posts: 1,349
Very strange, is this a capacity/timing thing? For the early morning crush?
The EK flight at night contracts the BA lounge iirc so they definitely do have capacity at parts of the day to take more people elsewhere.
The EK flight at night contracts the BA lounge iirc so they definitely do have capacity at parts of the day to take more people elsewhere.
Jan 4, 2026 | 11:49 am
#26
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Glasgow or London or elsewhere
Programs: BA Gold for Life, Lufthansa Senator, SAS EuroBonus Diamond, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 231
The same thing happened to me today. This must be a new policy.
The agent was very apologetic but said only Gold can access the BA lounge in EDI when flying Qatar. Business and silver being sent to Turkish lounge which is pretty mediocre, especially for food.
BA Lounge looked dead as this was 5am in the morning fwiw, so not a capacity thing but a broader policy.
We were 2 silvers and 2 non-status passengers in J on QR. Didnt have the energy to argue at that time in the morning. I suspect if I had just started scanning the bps myself they would have worked.
The agent was very apologetic but said only Gold can access the BA lounge in EDI when flying Qatar. Business and silver being sent to Turkish lounge which is pretty mediocre, especially for food.
BA Lounge looked dead as this was 5am in the morning fwiw, so not a capacity thing but a broader policy.
We were 2 silvers and 2 non-status passengers in J on QR. Didnt have the energy to argue at that time in the morning. I suspect if I had just started scanning the bps myself they would have worked.
The thing that annoyed me is that there wasn't any attempt to say the lounge was busy - he was just automatically quite rude upon seeing the Finnair boarding pass. I stood up to him (politely) and was allowed in without having to prove my BA status (which obv you could tell from my Finnair boarding pass, though he hadn't really read it before he came out with his aggressive opening - he just saw it was a Finnair pass and went into his aggressive spiel). I was entitled into the lounge (as any BA Silver or Gold or OWS or OWE or OW Business or First traveller would be) and it wasn't anywhere near full.
Feb 2, 2026 | 6:53 am
#28
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 743
Feb 2, 2026 | 8:27 am
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist and Ambassador: The British Airways Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Diam, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 33,203
- They may very well let everyone in on some light usage days/times.
- They may refuse entry to all those who should go to another lounge by default if extremely busy times are expected
In other cases where they may be enough room to allow some people in beyond the default users but where it may not be possible to allow everyone who wants, in:
- Premier and GGL will likely trump every other non default user
- BAC card holders will take precedence over other One World eligible card holders
- For BAC, Gold will take precedence over Silver, and for other One World, Emerald will take precedence over Sapphire
- F and J flyers will take precedence over W and Y flyers
- Short time users will likely take precedence over people arriving hours before their flight.
So in short, if you are One World (non BAC) Sapphire travelling in Y and arriving quite early, you are the first one to be said no, if you are a BAC Premier flying in F on a partner which normally uses the TK lounge, you will be let in in the immense majority of cases.
Feb 2, 2026 | 8:27 am
#30
Join Date: Aug 2022
Programs: United GS 1MM, BAEC GGL, IHG Diamond, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 918
I do not want chicken sausages or various halal food when i'm in EDI.