[Anonymous]

[Isabel07]

I recently had a LHR-EDI flight and the ticket said business class. At T5 however I was embarassed as first, security check didn’t allow me into priority lane, and then I was denied access to the lounge! I was aware there is no Business class cabin (and consequently no business class service on board) but I cannot figure out what in my experience was actually different from travelling on an Economy ticket? Why did it say Business class, and how can you find out about tickets (or routes?) with “non-business service on Business-class ticket”?

Appreciate thoughts and input from the experts in this forum.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

This is what the BA website says about lounge access

https://www.britishairways.com/travel/uk-domestic-lounges/execclub/_gf/en_us

[flier74]

Isabel,

as you quite rightly say it is a one class service on BA domestic flights which shows as “C” cabin on Boarding Cards, this is back from the days when BA operated a “Shuttle brand” on certain domestic flights, while on International flights it is indeed Business/Club. However you can not buy a Business class fare as such on domestic routes, you can purchase fully flexible fares (Business UK) which entitles you to fast track and lounge access, but I suspect you were on a discounted fare which does not entail such privileges, unless you are a SIlver or Gold card holder for the lounge, or even bronze for fast track.

Some other Airlines print Business on the boarding Cards on the domestic flights, i.e QF or AA, which is due to the “C Class” acronym, which is slightly misleading. If you book through BA all it says is “Domestic” not Business while other providers wrongly call it Business Hope this makes sense and clarifies it. You were travelling in a Economy ticket for sure, whether it was discounted or in a lower booking class I can not say as I have not seen your booking, but I assume so, as otherwise you would have been allowed to use Fast Track and the Lounge, if you were on a full fare UK Business ticket.

[MartynSinclair]

How would security staff be able to identify “Business class” printed boarding class as being economy and deny fast track access.

With regards to lounge access, I too would find it extremely embaressing to be denied access with a business class stamped boarding card.

What your post doesnt explain is whether this sector was part of a journey including an International arrival.

[flier74]

Fast track access can be identified by the BAA staff in T5 when they scan the Boarding Pass. If it is on a mobile or a Boarding Pass printedd off BA.com then it says Fast track on there. All BPs get scanned by BAA staff before entering security and then they can see if it is not printed on there, whether the Passenger is entitled to Fast track or not.
Same goes for the Lounges in T3 and T5, the Ground staff scans them and therefore can determine whether Loinge Access is granted or not, which can still be rectified if you hold a valid Frequent flier card which entitles you to such should this not be in your booking.

[MartynSinclair]

Thanks flier74, so the marker are the words FAST TRACK rather than business class?

[NTarrant]

Interestingly when the MAN, EDI, etc were Shuttles the class was as Flier74 says was C, although ticketing in those days would have shown Y as the fare basis. C was the classification for “coach” and S was “standard” which is why Concorde was R rather than C for Concorde or S of Supersonic.

If a boarding pass is issued by another airline it will usually say what they term. I had a boarding pass issued by QF in SYD for FRA-LHR in CE which showed “Business”

[RogEdwards]

Lots going on here. The OP said it said Business Class on the Ticket not the BP.

There are differences between the Fare Codes used for the fare class – and the Cabin Class shown on the BP. These are the things that the security and lounge staff will have spotted.

The Amadeus and other flight booking systems all hold a series of descriptions for BA fare codes. J C D I and R fare codes all carry the description “Business Class (Except UK Domestic) – however some of the travel agents will only print out the shorter version of the description on the flight summary – which often just says “Business Class” hence the confusion.

I’ve been having to explain this to our accounts department for the last 15 years – even now they are always picking me up for apparently flying biz in the UK when I’m not.

All the fare classes on UK domestic routes whether J C D I R B H K L M etc all result in a “C” being printed on the BP. However as has already been pointed out whist this denotes business class on European routes it doesn’t on UK Dom and is a hangover from the shuttle days.

If you buy a full fare economy ticket on UK Domestic – which uses the J fare code- then it will also print out the words Business UK on the BP. This shows tat you are entitled to lounge access (but not Fast Track) .

It sounds like you bought a UK ticket booked into C D I or R which resulted in the Business Class ……. Except UK Domestic …. hence you thought you were in business class – but we’re denied lounge access because it wasn’t booked into J.

No wonder people get confused.

[RichHI1]

Sounds like BA should sort its booking system out to update to the current reality. Sounds apaulling to be denied Fast Track and bounced out of lounge. Hardly Fly to Serve?

[flier74]

Rich, not being funny but I don’t think it is agains “to fly to serve”
As others said it is a hangover from the pld shuttle service. You can buy tickets as cheap as chips if you do not mind me saying on BA domestic servies like you can with other carriers but of course they will not entitle you to fast track or lounge access unless you have a Frequent flier premium card. Same goes withvother carriers, but yes the likes Of Lufthansa offer a Business class on doenstics while BA does not. The bottom line is,cas others pointed out, you buy a “business uk ” fully flexible ticket and you get all e benefits, fast track and lounge, or you pay a discounted fare and you do not, simples.
And thanks edi-taveller and Ntaarant for expaining better what I was trying to say

MartynSinclair
Basically yes, if you print your Boarding Pass online or on a mobile pass and you are entitled to it the marker says FastTrack, for club Pax, silver, Gold and Premier card holders. If you print your Boarding pass at the self service machine or at the desk this may not state this, however when BAA scan your Boarding Pass prior to security in T5 the computer will determine whether you are entitiled to this service. There are occasions where the status was not uploaded to the booking and then by showing your card you still get granted acces to Fast track and/or the Lounge if you have the valid credentials
Hope this makes sense

[RichHI1]

Flier74, I do not disagree, you pay the full fare, you get the privileges. What is wrong is that the BP’s or tickets that say Business in short form are misleading. It is not hard to update your booking codes. I suspect the issue is that Domestic Business is not true Business as it does not have a separate cabin and that is why the situation has continued. Why do people always want to make apologies for BA? They do many things right but when they get it wrong they should fix it. Many many countries have first or business and coach on domestic flights and it misleads foreigners who are not familiar with BA’s historic quixotic approach.
Checked on website and it says lounge access but could not see fast track access.

[RogEdwards]

Rich – There is no Domestic Business class. It isn’t sold as anything other than Economy. However the full fare ticket – circa £600 round trip – grants you lounge access – thats’s all.

As I said above in my lengthy post it is likely the OP didn’t buy a full fare ticket – the travel agent confirmation might have said Business Class (Ex …then ran out of space for the full Except UK Domestic) – but the BP won’t have made any reference to Business Class. And if it didn’t say Business UK on the BP then it wasn’t a full fare ticket.

The whole issue of fare codes is confusing but the TA should have explained.

[RichHI1]

Edi-traveller I refer you to the BA website where it says “Flexible conditions (Business UK) “. It should not say that if there is no domestic business class. It is misleading to sell full fare coach class as Business UK.
I agree that if you purchase a full fare ticket you get the frills you go cheap you don’t.
My argument is with BA calling coach class in the UK “Business UK”. It is misleading. THey should call it Uk Traveller Plus or something like that as it is more akin to World Traveller Plus(Coach +) than it is to club class (Business). They should use simliar fare codes and have consistent terminology. What’s next Domestic New First with larger boiled sweet.
I remember business on BMI which was great with Cooked Breakfast, roomy seats, much better than the shuttle.

[NTarrant]

Rich, BA don’t call any domestic or economy cabin “coach”, that is an American term not or ever used in the UK or Europe.

The fully flexiable fare has been called Business UK for many years and lounge access is available even if you don’t have Silver or Gold BAEXC. However, the last time I was in Manchester it only mentions Silver and Gold at the entrance.

You have a cooked breakfast on domestic flights to EDI and GLA

[Author]

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