‘The Concorde Bar’ – the new British Airways lounge concept for First Class ticket holders

British Airways opened its refurbished airport lounge in Singapore recently.  As well as giving it a makeover with the ‘Galleries’ concept, the space was increased by over 40%.  This was driven by the introduction of daily A380 services to Singapore from December.

What is most noticeable about the lounge, however, is that it contains the first ‘Concorde Bar’.  This is a new concept which BA intends to roll out – the next one is due to open in Dubai.  As the name suggests, this is really just a separate room with additional seating and a dedicated attendant to fetch drinks – it will not offer separate dining.

‘The Concorde Bar’ will ONLY be available to ticketed First Class passengers.  It will NOT be accessible by British Airways Gold card holders.

To quote from the BA press release:

“The Concorde Bar Singapore is the first Concorde Bar to open anywhere in the world. An exclusive haven for First customers and their eligible guests only, the design is strikingly different in style from the main Galleries lounge with black timber, Nero marble and champagne metal finishes.

The Concorde Bar offers a variety of seating options including communal bar seating, more private sofa corners and dining booths. Customers can enjoy digital panoramic views of the Singapore skyline which will enable them to connect to the time of day outside when travelling through time zones.”

As far as passengers in Singapore – and soon Dubai – are concerned, this is an improvement on the old situation where there was no private space for First Class passengers.

As the previous lounges were ‘one class’, Gold card holders are not losing out from this development.  Very few British Airways outstations have dedicated First Class lounge facilities.

What will be interesting is whether “The Concorde Bar” appears in Gatwick South next year.   Next November, all of the BA services at Gatwick are moving from the North Terminal to the South Terminal.  This should be good news in terms of investment in new facilities.  However, it is still unclear whether a separate ‘Galleries First’ lounge will be built for Gold card holders.

It is possible that a “Concorde Bar” will be built instead, exclusively for ticketed First Class passengers out of Gatwick.  This would leave British Airways Gold card holders without their own lounge and would represent another small downgrade in benefits.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (September 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 26th September 2024, sign up for FREE Barclaycard Avios Mastercard and you will receive a sign-up bonus of 10,000 Avios. This is double the usual bonus! You only need to spend £1,000 within 90 days. Our full review is here. Click here to apply.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.