[trippleF]

Coming back to the original thread, lounge access is still quite important to most people, even though it might be crowded (or missing cookies you can take away, from another thread). And there are quiet areas – go to the computer terminals in LHR T5 for example!

[Janbeegee]

I am BA Silver but flying economy soon. I’m aware I can use the lounge and Business check-in at Heathrow but unsure about fast-track security since I assume that this is not in the gift of the airline? – any views gratefully received, many thanks

[Andrew66]

Hi Janbeegee, You can use fast track if flying in First , Club World or Club Europe , also you can use fast track if you are BAEC Gold and Silver plus one guest , also priority boarding too at the departure gate .

(Info on BA.com under airport information )

I’m not sure about T5 as its all BA but fast track in essence is a gift of the airline in that they pay the airport operator for their passengers to use those lanes , it’s up to the airline which status passengers they allow to use it .

[Cedric_Statherby]

The debate about family access to lounges is one I have seen comment on before. The airlines though are reluctant to concede it, even when the lounges are otherwise almost empty (I once tried to get wife and daughter into a BA lounge on a Saturday morning – gold card status, empty lounge, absolutely no chance).

I would willingly trade my right as a gold-card holder to take one guest into the lounge, every time I fly (say 100 times a year, and on 90+ of those I am travelling alone so don’t use the guest privilege) for the right to take family members into the lounge perhaps 3-4 times a year.

Why cannot the airlines give each card holder a certain number of lounge-entry tickets to be used whenever one wants? If this was in place of the “1 guest” rule it might even end up with less lounge usage – but it would be infinitely more appreciated by anyone travelling with a family.

[SwissExPat]

@millionsofmiles…

Note that Swiss/LH are doing a 2013 promotion which will see you get/retain Silver status (which once earned is valid for 2 years!) if you fly 30 sectors in 2013.

I have done 24 already in 2013.

Silver gets you lounge access and an extra bag plus priority check in at Swiss/LH desks…. Not bad eh?

[IanFromHKG]

Cedric, you need to pick your airline. Some explicitly allow family access, others don’t say they do it but in practice they do. I am CX and have *always* been able to take my family (memsahib + 2) into the lounge, even though their rules don’t explicitly allow this (I am allowed two guests)

[Cloud-9]

Several points have been raised here. I used to live in Australia and got a very good corporate rate for the Qantas Club (AU$400 for 5 years or something similar). In those days you were permitted to take non-flying friends into the lounge (domestic flights only), and were sent 10 or 12 guest passes for this privilege. You were also entitled to take a flying guest in, but I cannot recall if that used up one of your guest cards.

I have used the QC card for lounge access for a fellow adult and my son – when he was still of primary school age. This only worked in Australia (QF) and UK (BA/QF). In other countries, only two pax were permitted to the oneworld lounges: which meant the 7 year old got the chance of free booze, whilst the other adult had to wander the airport shops!

[Author]

Posts