[Papillion53]

RichHI1 – well amaze you it may – but if you’re lucky enough to grab two First Class returns Scotland – Australia for saving up my Tesco Clubcard points and paying for only taxes and fees and using the DH Amex companion ticket, then hey a few hours in any First Class Lounge at LHR is wonderful! And that’s the total time – by the time we have a late lunch, spa treatment (we hope), read (I get very little time to have the peace to do that at home LOL!, and so on, before you know it we’ll be sinking into that First Class seat!
Thanks VK – no other “status” I’m afraid here, but sounds like T3 will be fine. I did have a look online at the Lounges and searched everywhere for the answer to my question on the ba.com, to no avail so I just googled the question and here I found this esteemed forum!

Thanks all for your responses 🙂 – looks like we’ll have to wait for the return to enjoy the Concorde Room but what a way to end a fabulous trip! Now please don’t burst my bubble! LOL!

[MartynSinclair]

If you have a First Class ticket you are entitled to use the Concorde lounge in T5 for a T3 departure on the day of travel. You have to have access to the T5 lounge complex, which could be possible in the circumstances you describe.

[Papillion53]

Hi MartynSinclair

Well that sounds positive – thank you. I did hope that as we had First Class tickets we would have access but didn’t know if if was logistically possible through T5. We would of course be airside at T5 coming in from EDI.

Thanks 🙂

[VintageKrug]

Martyn, to my knowledge, it is not possible to gain access to T5 airside after Flight Connections unless your flight is departing T5. Though both airside, arriving and departing flights are segregated.

You will be turned away at the desk and sent to the T3 channel.

papillon will have Concorde Room (and the other T5 lounges) access, as well as both T3 (AA, landside) Arrivals Lounge and T5 Arrivals Lounge (BA, also landside) on the return sector, but it’s vital you keep hold of your BP to access these lounges.

[MartynSinclair]

“it is not possible to gain access to T5 airside after Flight Connections unless your flight is departing T5”

You just need to be creative…….

On the odd occasion I fly F to BKK with an ex Europe ticket, I am able to re enter into the T5 lounge complex before transferring to T3.

[RichHI1]

papillon53 please do not take any offence as none at all was meant. There have been many threads on the subject of lounge access and I know access to the Concorde Room and lounges is very important to many posters.
I am afraid I am getting too old and too jaundiced by frequent air travel and I always try to minimize time in check in and conenctions as I associate work with air travel. I am normally figuring out strategies on hwo to get clients to think stategically, asbtract pricniple from detail and convince their managers to implement strategy in the interst of the company not their historic goals. So when someone wanst to spend time in an airport it genuinely does surprise me. I guess if you are not bound to travel very frequently then the novelty and the fcat that it is a pleasure trip probably make it all very different. At LHR I tend to only relax once the wheels have left the ground as delays and overcrowding so often threaten my conenctions. Good luck to you and enjoy your trip. i would ask You FIrst if it is possible to use the airside transfer to access the Concorde room (or you could try BAA and say you want to shop, that is after all their specialist interest.
Shame you are flying via SIn as I have to admit to loving the CX first lounge at HKG.

[VintageKrug]

Yes, I am aware of the route which rather took me by surprise once, but probably best not set out on a public forum, it wouldn’t be great to be arrested for trespass before a flight to SYD….

[MartynSinclair]

We must take different routes.

As an air side pass holder at LHR, I would not enter any area when travelling as a passenger that could remotely be considered as trespassing and I would certainly not use my pass to enter T5 when travelling as a fare paying passenger. Forget trespassing, I would lose my job and even the Concorde Lounge is not worth that much.

Bottom line with this is that as far as I am aware, the holder of a BA First class ticket is entitled to use the Concorde lounge. I have looked, but am sure you will find it if it exists, for a reference that the flight has to be a T5 flight, but cant find one. The creativity is finding a way to be in T5 legitimately on the date of travel and at a time that allows you to enter the Concorde lounge. It is possible to do with a little creativity.

[Papillion53]

RichHI1 – No offence taken – just me being excited and of course it’s very much a pleasure trip so no rush – the DH just rolls his eyes! And it’s his special trip to celebrate his BIG birthday! LOL! He’s a bit like you as he travels much more than I do on business but not so much through LHR as it’s easier to go AMS – USA from here.

I will contact You First and ask the question – yes shopping at T5 is very good especially for we girls! – much better than getting arrested! And as Vintage Krug has said we can definitely enjoy a short respite there on the way back.

We’ve been there before (after arriving from JFK) and we were invited into the Concorde Room with great aplomb by the very nice ladies on the desk and they enquired if I wanted a spa treatment and went out of their way to get me an appointment, so I was one very happy bunny then – so no big deal (she says crying in her gin LOL!).

Thanks everyone – you’ve been very helpful.

MartynSinclair – I will try to be creative on the day – legally!
And I’ll post back here when I’ve spoken to You First.

[VintageKrug]

Forgive me, Martyn, I wasn’t aware you had an Airside Pass – I wouldn’t imagine this is a normal thing for most passengers to have in their possession.

Do ask YouFirst to book you a Cabana, and if you’ve lots of time you can always check out the Arrivals Lounge in T5, yet another Elemis Spa and the infinity baths (so named not so much because you can overflow them without causing a flood (though you can do that), but rather because they take so long to draw with T5’s low pressure plumbing).

[LuganoPirate]

Papillion, I’m just wondering how much you had to spend at Tesco’s to get enough miles for two free F tickets to SYD? Enjoy the trip anyway with or without T5 lounge access.

[MartynSinclair]

07/02/2012 20:30 GMT – nothing to forgive!

When travelling as a fare paying passenger, the pass is not with me. Your previous post suggested that my route into T5 could be a trespass and result an arrest. I wasn’t sure which “route’ you were talking about.

As you are clear about work relationships, I too am clear that I would never do any thing that would jepordise my work, any security issue or be interpreted as a being criminal.

However, we all have knowledge of “advantages” and as long as it is used sensibly and legally, there is nothing wrong.

[Papillion53]

LuganoPirate – too much my DH would say! LOL! Seriously I saved all the Clubcard vouchers and exchanged them for bamiles and only did my grocery shopping at Tesco (well with the odd escape to M&S.) We both also use a Tesco Mastercard (more points!) and the DH has a BA Amex which also gives bamiles (of course they’re all avios now) and we simply pay for everything with either the TescoMC or the Amex. The Amex of course was wonderful with the companion ticket offer, otherwise I’d still be saving, as no way going all the way to Oz in WT!
I was quite focused on getting the target miles I have to say and think I was lucky to get the seats when we wanted them. And right now if you exchange your clubcard vouchers you’re getting extra miles, so I’ve now started my saving for our next big trip. So for a non-frequent flyer I think I did very well, even if I say so myself! LOL!
Thanks for your good wishes LuganoPirate 🙂

VintageKrug – a Cabana – now that sounds rather naughty!? Don’t think we have enough time … next time we’ll have to arrive and fly on from T5! Thanks for your advice.:-)

[MartynSinclair]

There was a question asked recently are airmiles worthwhile.

Your post above papillion is superb, well done and enjoy the holiday.

[Papillion53]

MartynSinclair – Thank you Kind Sir!

Oh yes airmiles are worth every penny! LOL! I read that post and was smiling rather smugly to myself whilst I read it – I’m afraid I don’t get so serious that I work out the cost per airmile – crazy! They don’t cost us anything – I’m just happy when the Tesco vouchers arrive and I convert them and up my (oops I mean our – that’s the royal we in play again!) balance goes! But it does pay off and the number of people I tell about this way to “save” for a Premium cabin and they just look at me as if I’m mad – aaah not so mad as to be stuck down the back of an aircraft! Last time we flew was in another airlines PE and paid for it – now that’s a tale for another forum, only suffice to say never again!

I’m enjoying this forum – you’re a great bunch – thanks!

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