British Airways adds lounges access at eight European airports

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• N says:

  2 May2 May 07:40

  Anyone flying from T5 this afternoon? I’m in a middle seat in Y to JFK and have no lounge access. Can anyone guest me into anywhere 1-3pm?

  • Julian says:

    2 May2 May 09:50

    Is that middle in the middle of the plane? If so sounds nasty unless the plane in reality has plenty of spare seats and so you can move yourself.

    For instance BA routinely now slings you in the back few seats of their planes in an aisle seat short haul if you book a hand baggage only fare, even though you have an established preference for a window seat that they always previously honoured and also previously let you choose another empty seat anywhere in the plane within 24 hours of departure without paying extra.

    • N says:

      2 May2 May 12:19

      I’ve been blessed with row forty-something!
      Net cost for LHR-JFK-LHR was £120 + 5k Avios so I can’t be too fussy…

      • Julian says:

        2 May2 May 12:57

        That does sound very low indeed (way below even Norwegian) but presume its a hand luggage only fare.

        Unfortunately hand luggage only fares are automatically also targeted for the rubbish seat assignments by BA’s check in computers unless you are willing to pay extra to get a decent one.

        Chances are the plane won’t be anyway near full and you will be able to reseat yourself nearer to a window and somewhere further forward in the plane at some point after takeoff.

        I’m assuming you were using Part Pay with Avios and not Avios plus Money to book

      • N says:

        2 May2 May 13:24

        £284 fare
        -£100 for 5k Avios (promo earlier this year)
        -£50 Best Price Guarantee e-voucher (OTA selling same ticket for cheaper)

        Total £134
        (misremembered as £120)

        Almost as good as my £400 PE LHR-HKG-LHR on Lufthansa later this year…!

      • N says:

        2 May2 May 13:25

        Yes, bottom of the barrel HBO…

        Will try my luck at the self check in kiosks later

• oonagh cacioppo says:

  2 May2 May 07:45

  Does anyone know if there is a lounge available in Thira Santorini ?

  • Julian says:

    2 May2 May 13:00

    There isn’t currently a lounge at Santorini airport according to http://www.sleepinginairports.net/lounges/santorini-airport-lounges.htm

    Why not spend more time looking at the island and get to the airport nearer to flight time instead? When I am in a nice place I have often resented needing to get to the airport early to take advantage of having lounge access.

    • Julian says:

      2 May2 May 13:07

      From http://www.santoriniairportguide.com/facilities/

      Santorini airport building is quite small and the terminal can get very cramped and hot at the height of the season. The facilities at Santorini Airport have recently been upgraded with new check-in-counters, escalators, conveyer belts and passenger facilities.

      It is now able to serve up to six planes at the same time.

      At the Airport you can find:

      – Duty-free shop
      – ATM by Emporiki Bank
      – Jewellery shop
      – Meteorological Applications Center
      – Customhouse services
      – Cargo & Buggages Belts
      – Flight Information Display System
      – Pandair & Plotin Travel Agencies
      – Olympic Airlines, Aegean Airlines and Athens Airways Offices
      – cafe/bar
      – Rent a car Offices Herz, Europcar, Axion & Budget
      – Information desk. Tel +30 22860 28400

      So you could always phone the Information Desk if you want to make sure there is definitely still no business lounge of any kind at the airport.

• Gerry says:

  2 May2 May 07:46

  Still no lounge at CFU Rob. That café outside is sounding more likely?

  • Rob says:

    2 May2 May 08:44

    See you there on 2nd June.

• Harry says:

  2 May2 May 07:54

  The large ounge at Paphos is particularly good for a holiday destination without a Business base, however I remember the Manageress telling me that it gets very crowded in the summer. The food offerings are good for a holiday airport, much better than either regular lounge in Manchester for example. The major drawback is the glass wall facing the inside of the terminal which makes you feel as though you are in fish tank. The lounge at Catania only holds about 15-20 people comfortably (unless it has been expanded since I was there a year ago). Unlike Paphos the food offerings are somewhat meager although attractively presented and fresh, but it is comfortable and bright. The TAP Portugal lounge in Madeira is a bit dated.

• lcylocal says:

  2 May2 May 08:00

  Nuremberg and Cologne/Bonn are winter-only flights and didn’t have a lounge as of the end of their last operating season. They are both in the timetable again for this winter and BA haven’t said anything so they should probably be in your list.

• Richard says:

  2 May2 May 08:06

  Presumably no compo if there’s no lounge?

  • Shoestring says:

    2 May2 May 08:09

    Don’t you normally get a £5 or £10 voucher for some snacks?

    • Rob says:

      2 May2 May 08:41

      Yes, if you go to the check in desk.

      • David says:

        2 May2 May 14:24

        Depends on the airport – some just say tough luck, go away.

• Sergio says:

  2 May2 May 08:43

  There is a ‘VIP’ lounge at Verona airport that is accessible to British Airways passengers travelling in Club Europe. However the lounge does close at 21:30, so if you are travelling back on the 23:20 departure to Gatwick you will need to get to the airport early to make use of the lounge.

• David says:

  2 May2 May 08:47

  The problem with JMK (Mykonos) is that the lounge is TINY. Probably capacity for a dozen max, assuming they are not all one group so spread around. One BA City flight full of Club and status passengers would overwhelm it.

  • Gin and Tonic Please says:

    2 May2 May 08:57

    Completely agree. That said, the airport is going through a major refurb over the next 12 (possibly 24) months, so fingers crossed they put in a proper lounge facility. I’m guessing BA are waiting to see what happens with that before doing anything.

    • Julian says:

      2 May2 May 13:20

      But its a sunny beautiful island so why would you want to spend an extra hour in the airport lounge rather than at the beach?

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