Bits: Plaza Premium lounge in Terminal 5, Hilton sale on, 10000 new Avios seats

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• Talay says:

  14 Jun14 June 05:19

  OT Apologies

  We are a family of 3 and have the two adults booked onto a 241 Amex over Xmas. However, we need to change that to 1 adult and 1 child.

  My understanding is that you cannot, under any circumstances, get the name changed, even when within the same family group.

  I also understand that there is no guarantee that BA will release the 2 seats immediately back to the pool for redemption.

  Thus, aside from taking a chance that they do release them back and timing it so that it is cancelled at say 4am UK time by using a foreign call centre to reduce the possibility of someone else beating me to the booking if they are released back, is there any other viable option to consider ?

  • Tracy says:

    14 Jun14 June 06:19

    Any reason you can’t phone up and book the child onto the same flight – explaining that the child will be accompanied by adults on the same booking?

    • Talay says:

      14 Jun14 June 13:20

      Could do and the logic was to use the 241 to save on the higher adult fares and pay for the child separately but first, I don’t want to fly BA as they haven’t updated their 8 abreast in Club (no first) and the child cost at £2,612.87, when added to the £1050 “taxes” already paid and 165k Avios used doesn’t make sense versus the alternatives I have open.

      If we swap out one adult and put in the child the cost is still the £1050 plus 165k Avios but I can fly on a separate (better) carrier for less than the £2,612.87 child cost !

      Alternatively of course, we can get back the 165k Avios and £1050 (less 2 x £35) and go elsewhere.

      In truth, booked in haste when T355 and don’t fancy the “bang for buck” of a poor BA Club (largely for me !) over 12 hours.

      Wife and child going to try BA Club on another 241 in a few weeks as a trial as they would prefer direct but having reviewed the seating more, I simply won’t fly that configuration.

      • Catalan says:

        14 Jun14 June 16:09

        Which better carrier will you opt for? Do tell

      • Anna says:

        15 Jun15 June 04:10

        Don’t forget the voucher holder has to travel on the 2 4 1 booking.

• Mike says:

  14 Jun14 June 07:37

  Annoyingly the BA.Com Reward Flight Finder (ie the searchable map) seems to have been off line for at least 48 hrs

  • AFC says:

    14 Jun14 June 12:01

    I’ve not been able to find this for months

    • Polly says:

      14 Jun14 June 17:00

      See below, link published

      • Mike says:

        14 Jun14 June 19:25

        Polly – thank you – much appreciated

  • AFC says:

    14 Jun14 June 12:08

    I’ve not been able to find the searchable map for months and keep mentioning it in my feedback to BA.

  • Peter K says:

    14 Jun14 June 13:37

    This has not been working for a long time but was nearly useless anyway so probably has been pulled.

• Quark999 says:

  14 Jun14 June 07:42

  I think the lounge does “substantially wrap around the back” – it explains why there was boarding up when I last tried to make use of my favourite free quiet area in Terminal 5 – to the left behind Pret, no idea what gate that is. They had great comfortable chairs there and apron views, and no one knew they were there so they were usually empty.
  I knew it wouldn’t last in the madhouse that is T5. Luckily I got a Priority Pass when there was a sale on…

• chris says:

  14 Jun14 June 08:22

  OT

  Re BA buy on board, can you use avois from the household account or does it have to be from your personal account?

  (can the other half buy a G&T using my points as we are on the same household account? but she has a minimal amount of points)

  • Polly says:

    14 Jun14 June 11:04

    Chris, if you have HHA, then a portion of avios are removed from both your accounts, regardless who wins them! So you would have to break up the account to stop OP using up your avios…good luck with that!

    • Tom says:

      15 Jun15 June 08:51

      A BOB Avios purchase only takes Avios from the account of the person purchasing (from my own experience).

• Dave says:

  14 Jun14 June 09:10

  Where has the searchable map gone? It doesn’t appear to be in the menu’s any more

  • Polly says:

    14 Jun14 June 11:05

    It’s there, but about four steps away..can’t remember how l found it but l kept clicking, and eventually located it….unreal, they don’t really want to make it easy to use avios, l think!

    • Tayo says:

      14 Jun14 June 11:43

      Hi Polly,
      If you ever get a chance, it would be mighty grateful to get a brief outline of how to get to the searchable map…it is alot more difficult to search possible avios redemption seats

      If anyone has an outline, please share!!

      • simmo says:

        14 Jun14 June 11:50

        I try use the Avois.com version! its much easier to use in my opinion.

        • Wally1976 says:

          14 Jun14 June 13:47

          Are you talking about this: https://www.britishairways.com/travel/reward-flights-map/execclub/_gf/en_gb?eId=106160. Someone posted a link the other day (thanks!) and I bookmarked it.

        • Darren says:

          14 Jun14 June 21:52

          Thanks for the map link, been looking for that for ages

• JD says:

  14 Jun14 June 11:12

  Glad there is another lounge opening at T5 the Aspire lounge had a 30 minute waiting list when I was there the other day!!

• Kilburnflyer says:

  14 Jun14 June 11:28

  Unfortunately the additional avios seats released in J have not included the LHR-YVR route before/after Christmas period. In fact, the availability seems to have decreased. Think I’ll have to book LHR-SEA then catch train up to Vancouver, not the worst compromise but means I’ll miss out on the new CX lounge @ T3 and also flying upper deck on 747 :/

  • Pk says:

    14 Jun14 June 12:55

    And SEA’s British Airways lounge leaves quite a bit to be desired (very minimal). Just back from there, actually took a seaplane from Seattle to Victoria BC then ferry to Vancouver BC, just for fun (and something different)

  • Pk says:

    14 Jun14 June 13:03

    And you should be able to fly upper deck to SEA on the 747, I did last week, 64A which I don’t recommend (too near the noisy galley)

    • kilburnflyer says:

      14 Jun14 June 16:50

      Unfortunately it looks like they’ve switched both SEA flights to 777 from early November-ish. Certainly all of December flights to/from SEA seem to be operated by 777.

      • Stu N says:

        14 Jun14 June 21:40

        BA52/53 (morning from LHR, lunchtime from SEA) seems to be a 777 over the summer. BA48/49 (later departure from LHR, evening from SEA) is mostly 747s.

        We are flying out on BA53 in F (777) and back on BA48 which in CW upstairs. Looks like ours is a refurbished one as it has the 80-odd seats.

        When we booked our August trip almost a year ahead it was all 777s (one of the flights was a newer 777-300, for a bit at least) but equipment swaps came through early this year. You might be similarly lucky.

• Simon Schus says:

  14 Jun14 June 11:57

  I booked a £1 one way car rental with Europcar, using the deal mentioned on HfP every so often (there is an article).

  Does anybody know the likely car that one would get? I presume it is based on what needs moving but I though perhaps some cars are more likely than others.

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