[FormerlyDoS]

I found their response to be complacement.

As others have said, post hoc action is useless.

Looks like Airport Angel for me, next time.

I’ll be presenting my PP at Landvetter (GOT) tonight, will post how I get on.

[MartynSinclair]

How do we know that the poster posting under PRIORITY PASS is actually Priority Pass and that they have the authority to post on behalf of that company?

If anyone is posting in a company name, I think it is only proper that there is verifcation from BT that they say they are who they claim to be.

Otherwise I can see handles appearing in all sorts of names..

[LuganoPirate]

I too am a bit concerned. I think I’ll put off joining till this is resolved. One visit more or less to the lounge at George won’t make a lot of difference and at JNB I’ve the much nicer VS lounge courtesy of Swiss F.

[NTarrant]

I agree Martyn, it would really be better if PP contacted BT and they posted the response, that way BT have a contact and we can be sure that the response is real.

[Charles-P]

Speaking as the person who started this thread I agree completely with Priority Pass getting a fair opportunity to respond.

Regretfully I have yet to receive any response from them to my email of complaint and others I know who have complained their cards were refused have had a mixture of being ignored or getting a ‘standard’ response with the usual corporate speak that failed to address the specific complaint.

Perhaps BT could contact the company directly and ask for a response that could be printed here ?

[BusinessTraveller]

Firstly we can confirm that the screen handle PriorityPass is indeed an authorised spokesperson for the company. Business Traveller alerted the thread to Priority Pass when it first appeared, in case they wished to respond.

We will let the company know that there has been further discussion on the thread, and should they wish to respond further, either under the PriorityPass screen handle, or through us, we’ll post it here.

[Charles-P]

Clearly they are in no rush to do so.

[PriorityPass]

Thank you for all your comments and feedback. We are sorry to hear that a small number of members have been refused access – Priority Pass membership provides access to over 600 airport lounges worldwide, regardless of which airline you are flying with, your class of ticket or membership to frequent flyer programs.

However, there are occasions when a member might be denied access to a lounge, some common reasons for this are:

– The member is not in possession of a valid Priority Pass membership card – the lounges in the program are owned and operated by third party organizations and hence admission to the lounges is upon presentation of a valid membership card only.

– In the U.S., members who hold a Priority Pass Select card or who receive their membership through a U.S. Financial Institution are not permitted to access all participating United Club and Copa Club lounges in the program. This is due to a conflict of interest between their financial sector partners and ours, unfortunately. These exclusions are clearly communicated to all affected members at time of joining and noted in the Lounge Details on all our Lounge Finder services to ensure members know which lounges they cannot enter.

– The lounge is full! While we have longstanding relationships with the lounges in the program meaning that during times of restriction, our members are generally not affected, there may be times when the lounge is at capacity and so they refuse entry. It happens very rarely, but it is therefore possible for a Priority Pass member to be turned away due to space constraints. Obviously passenger comfort and safety is a top priority for the lounge operators.

As already stated, Priority Pass is under no circumstances in financial difficulty. We continue to add lounges to the program to ensure that our members have access where they need it most. We fully intend to investigate the reports that members are being denied access to participating lounges due to ‘financial reasons’ (according to the lounge staff) with the lounge operators in question, and ask that affected members send details of their experience (lounge name, terminal, airport, date of visit, approximate time of visit, number of guests present, the name of the lounge staff if known), along with their Priority Pass membership number to <a href="mailto:[email protected]“>[email protected].

We provide worldwide membership support 24/7, so if a member is having a problem entering the lounge, they can call our Membership Services team any time, from any location.

Martyn – I’m sorry to hear that our Membership Services team failed to follow up with you when promised, and have asked that they contact you asap today to assist you.

Charles-P – Again, I’m sorry that you have not had a response to your email of complaint. If you could provide your email address or forward your email to <a href="mailto:[email protected]“>[email protected], I will follow up with our Membership Services team directly to ensure your complaint is resolved.

It is not always appropriate for us to respond to individual member queries on a public forum, so we strongly encourage members to get in touch with us directly on the rare occasion that they experience any issue with their membership or with a lounge.

[MartynSinclair]

Well done for the more comprehensive reply and for BT’s confirmation. I have already had an email from Priority Pass and have suggested they call me on Monday, when I will hopefully be back in the UK.

I could be bloody minded and use the PP access lounges over the weekend just to see if I am let in!

[FormerlyDoS]

As promised, yesterday, a field report.

Used my PP to access the Menzies lounge at GOT last night, no problem.

[Dennis0705]

Hi

I have been refused access on 3 consecutive weeks to the Lounge in Leeds/Bradford Airport. This week, I was standing beside another couple who also had been refused access on 3 occassions. I have paid the annual subscription for full access. I now understand from their small print that they can deny access when full. This is understandable in exceptional circumstances but should not be the norm. The girl at the Desk shouted out across the Queue, we are not acceptiong Priority Pass Cards Today!. This all feels very wrong and abusive. When you are being refused it feels insulting. Has anyone else experienced the same problem. I am planning to take a class action if there is sufficient evidence of abuse. Let me know.

[MrMichael]

Dennis, why not just go the small claims court route if you think PP are taking the P? A class action seems rather extreme.

[MartynSinclair]

Dennis, could you actually see whether the lounge was full. Seems very strange to sweepingly target Priory Pass for an entire day..

I would in the first instance, call Priority Pass – they can be very helpful..

Please let us know…

[FDOS_UK]

I’ve noticed this happening a lot at MAN recently and the problem is that the lounges seem to have generated a lot more business and no longer always have the space to accommodate PP or Airport Angel.

There is no point talking about suing anyone, lounge access when using PP is space available and there is no recourse if denied entry.

No 1 lounge is now charging £5 to guarantee PP members entry, by booking ahead.

I am thinking of changing my PP deal to a lower subscription level, when it comes up for renewal, so I still get good value.

Here are the PP T&C extracts that apply:

1. All participating lounges are owned and operated by third party organisations. The cardholder and accompanying guests must abide by the rules and policies of each participating lounge and the cardholder accepts that registering for a lounge does not guarantee continued access. The cardholder accepts that the Priority Pass group of companies has no control over the lounge operator’s decision whether to admit any cardholder, the number of people allowed in any lounge at any time, facilities offered, the opening/closing times, the length of time which cardholders may spend in the lounge and any charges payable for extended lounge visits or the personnel employed by the lounges. The administrators of Priority Pass will use reasonable endeavours to ensure the benefits and facilities are available as advertised, but the cardholder accepts that the Priority Pass group of companies does not warrant nor guarantee in any way that all or any of the benefits and facilities will be available at the time of the cardholder’s visit.

12. The cardholder further accepts that the Priority Pass group of companies is not liable for any loss to the cardholder, or any accompanying guests, arising from the provision or non-provision (whether in whole or in part) of any of the advertised benefits and facilities.

[LuganoPirate]

Interestingly my bank in S. Africa who give their private clients free membership of PP, have now as per Nov. 1 changed to another provider. I wonder if these problems have anything to do with that change?

[Author]

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