[Travellator]

Off Topic Canuck

I quite like the breakfast on arrival into HKG. Usually am on BA25 in CW. Its one of the flights I manage to get some sleep on – so what nicer after a nights sleep than a full English ! However bizarre that appears !

[nibbler]

@Peter19

I had to complain about the ice cream on Saturday. it was all semi liquid; don’t know if its the kids on holiday or the freezer…

[MartynSinclair]

The bad news is the delicious salmon fish cakes are no longer…

But the good news is previously discarded fresh salmon is back albeit in a slightly different format.

Spent a wonderful half hour or so yesterday by the whiskey bottles chatting to a very knowledgable (and apparent whiskey expert) Scotsman, discussing the bottles. Decided the return of the JW Blue into the lounge is a non event…. and Beckhams new Haig blue “whiskey”, is in the wrong place…..

Happy days indeed….

[Swissdiver]

Martyn,
Missed you by few hours since I was more thinking coffee and orange juice when I passed by yesterday…
Beyond the whiskeys, the Grand Crus of Bordeaux disappeared as the good champagnes did…

[nevereconomy]

I can well go along with the comments of both the complainers and those who do not think that the lounge is of primary importance in the travel experience. However BA does have probably some of the very worst Business and First cabins in the industry, so what else is left to recommend them? The service, too, is no longer something that can excuse other shortcomings and the FF program has little to offer – so if the lounges now are downgraded, then there is no longer a reason to choose them.

[esselle]

I am still at a loss to understand why BA lounge staff continue to refer to something they have christened “white champagne”. All champagne is white, unless it has been coloured by grape skins or a red fruit juice, at which point it becomes rose.

So there is champagne, and rose champagne.

Where do BA staff get the “white” from?

[rferguson]

I’ve used the T5 First lounge three times in the past two months and each time the same issue really peeved me off – the attitude of the staff when trying to order something from the a la carte menu.

Each time i’ve sat there patiently in the dining area menu in hand hoping someone would notice and approach me. Nope. So I politely ask a staff member who will be doing everything possible to avoid any eye contact with customers if I can place an order. I will usually receive a brusque ‘im busy, will come back to you’ and generally this will not happen. So I will ask a second person if I can order. ‘What is the soup of the day?’. Reply – ‘I don’t know. It’s labelled on the buffet’. OK…..The order will be taken and food delivered with a face and attitude like the staff member has just served up their own kidney.

The ‘eat/order anywhere’ a la carte system just doesn’t work. It would be better to have a proper designated sit down area dedicated to a la carte and with staff approaching customers.

I get this isn’t the ‘real’ first class lounge and more so a OW Emerald lounge but I think you should offer a service and do it properly or just don’t offer it at all.

[openfly]

To rferguson and anybody else with a lounge-problem in T5….the new manager who took over from Sam is just as receptive to problems. Ask for Giovanni….he needs the feedback instantly, so the problems can be addressed at the time.
Obviously it keeps the staff on their toes if this happens.

[rferguson]

Thanks openfly.

I noticed they’ve installed these iPad-ish terminals around the lounge asking for feedback. I certainly gave mine.

[FirstClassWannabe]

All those who criticise the BA lounges should try the American Airlines Admirals Lounge at JFK. Crowded, little seating, NO food, 2 drink vouchers and a tip jar. BA lounges are miles better.

[openfly]

@rferguson Yes, those “iPads” were installed a couple of months ago.

According to Sam, on his leaving day, tongue in cheek, the complaints have dropped considerably because passengers either don’t know what they are for, can’t use them or they are too complicated. Having removed the visitors book for written comments, BA and Baxters now think that all is well!!

The visitors book proved to be too accessible to express complaints….

[RonBrown]

All I can say is Virgin Clubhouse, so much better.

[MartynSinclair]

Well it’s not all that bad in T5 today… Salmon fish cakes are back ON! the fresh salmon remains ON as well!

A very nice selection of whiskys… JW blue is back as well… staying though with the Glenlivet 18…

Poor me… have to suffer 4 hours in here next Sunday as well….

[BA4ever]

Hello all!

After a year I found meself in London and I departed from T5 with BA so I spent almost an hour in the lounge.

Gotta say, I was rather disappointed. There was no clean table so I sat in one with glasses on it. I tried to get the attention of a waiter but they were all busy fetching champagne.
When I walked in they still had sandwiches on display which looked rather grim and stale. I had coffee and waited to see if the hot food would be better.
Soon enough, the hot food was served, although the sandwiches weren’t removed.
There were jacke? potatoes, baked beans, rice, some sort of bolognese sauce, a vegetarian curry, a green curry and some penne pasta. Both the bolognese and the green curry were vanished in a couple of minutes.
I opted for a jacket potato (with butter that I took from the soup counter), some coleslaw and a piece of cheese. The potato was more boiled than baked, the salad was OK.
Almost all wine bottles were empty and the white wine wasn’t chilled enough.

While I was there, nobody emptied my table from the previous glasses.

The loos were also disappointing, although I guess this is a matter of who went there before me. There was hair everywhere and although there were two members of the cleaning stuff around, they were busy fighting and not cleaning.

I think that the lounge is still the least pleasant part of flying business with BA. I am very happy that I didn’t get in there hungry, LOL!

Another thing that made a very bad impression was the reception staff. No “welcome” when I went in, no “have a safe flight” when I exited. In both occasions, I said “hello” and “goodbye” first and then they replied. BA must do something about their ground staff. Most of them are rude and incapable of doing this job.

[esselle]

Which lounge?

[Author]

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