The Cardiff Airport lounge has pulled out of Priority Pass and Lounge Club

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• Spaghetti Town says:

  6 Oct6 October 05:05

  Space is very limited in the Cardiff lounge now. It’s been split up and 2/3rds of it is now sectioned off for Qatar and KLM passengers

  • Sam G says:

    6 Oct6 October 08:49

    Yep, to be honest this isn’t a big loss, you aren’t even allowed to use the toilet unless you are in that section of the lounge! Certainly wouldn’t pay cash or use a visit for it, only used it because we have unlimited PP cards

  • Jessiefan says:

    6 Oct6 October 09:43

    Wasn’t sectioned off on Thursday, but that was about 4.30 so maybe only before Quatar plane has left. But it’s a crappy lounge, unless you really like jacobs mini crackers, which is about all there is to eat. Got in on Dragonpass but non acceptance of PP is not helpful, and further devalues AMex Plat.

    • Spaghetti Town says:

      6 Oct6 October 10:59

      Qatar plane is gone by 430pm.

  • LewisB says:

    6 Oct6 October 11:29

    Qatar flight departs at either 8am ish or around 4pm ish. Alternates each day. It’s not the greatest lounge in the world but I can’t understand why they would pull out, I’ve never seen it bursting in there. Makes no sense to me.

• vol says:

  6 Oct6 October 05:50

  Morning All

  There is no ‘register’ button on the site when I click on the link

  Can someone direct me to the page where I can find my registered offers please?

  The Accor site is really poorly designed in places 🙄

  Thank you 😊

  • Andrew says:

    6 Oct6 October 06:26

    I shouldn’t worry – once logged in, the “book” button does nothing either (at least on iPad). Grrr.

  • Alex Sm says:

    6 Oct6 October 11:26

    Same here. The link brings you straight to the booking page. And no mention about the need to register. Rob, can you please 2xcheck?

  • Roy says:

    6 Oct6 October 15:07

    Terms and conditions clearly say must register by pressing the “Register Now” button prior to booking in order to receive the bonus points. But there is no “Register Now” button 🙁

    BTW, anyone know whether the Ibis Business flexible rate should qualify?

• Gavin says:

  6 Oct6 October 05:55

  OT: FYI for anyone who booked the £999 HK fares on Swiss/LH. I credited the flights to United, having first status matched us from BA Silver/Gold. The P fares credit 100% mileage but the status match provides an extra 1.5x and 1.75x multiplier respectively (around 19k and 22k miles in total).

  Have already used 10k for two one way flights in Japan under 800 miles. Zero taxes/fees! BA charges 12k Avios + £4 (ish) for the same thing on JAL under 650 miles.

  • Polly says:

    6 Oct6 October 06:53

    Smart work. We almost booked the swiss biz for feb trip, but had no idea we could have done this work around. And can those united miles transfer to aerclub, l wonder?
    Thanks for posting.
    Ended up on qr from arn to hkt. And and on mas avios to dps.

    • John says:

      6 Oct6 October 07:42

      No, why would you be able to transfer UA miles to avios?

      • Shoestring says:

        6 Oct6 October 07:53

        probably thinking of How to earn Avios when flying United Airlines
        https://headforpoints.com/2018/09/02/earn-avios-flying-united-higher-rates-ba-economy/

        • Polly says:

          7 Oct7 October 00:29

          Exactly, thank you.

  • John says:

    6 Oct6 October 07:42

    I’ll be using mine to renew my A3 Gold. Unless I’m missing a trick with UA and you can just status match from BA in perpetuity?

    • Gavin says:

      6 Oct6 October 10:30

      No I don’t think you can. Renewing A3 Gold is a good use for the flights.

• VP says:

  6 Oct6 October 08:18

  OT: Just back from Lyon and Provence where we tried the IC Lyon (opened just a month ago) and IC Marseilles. Both treat ambassadors well but we had our share of snags in both (don’t see us returning in IC Marseille) . We highly recommend Lyon (which is so underrated) and IC Lyon for a weekend getaway. I am sure Rob will have an article planned for it in coming days. We did not have breakfast or use the smallish (we did see it) club lounge but can answer any other queries.

  A useful tip, if you are a true bargain hunter (I was going to say HFPer but I don’t want to offend the high rolling city types:)), you can go from Lyon airport to hotel with the 24h transport day pass rather than buy the outrageously expensive “Rhone Express” tickets. If buying a city card (with access to museums) then the combo may present good value as the Rhone Express does save time.

  • RussellH says:

    6 Oct6 October 09:27

    Please post details of your ‘snags’.

    I posted at length about the IC in Lyon a few weeks ago – it would be interesting to see if yours were the same as ours! (We stayed on an IHG Black Card free night, and my partner, who booked, is amb too.)

    • VP says:

      6 Oct6 October 13:05

      Please find below as requested (apologies for the long post )
      IC Lyon – Booked as IHG Credit Card Reward Night
      • Arrived at 11 am. Upgraded & escorted to duplex signature suite with river view. Not only was the room ready but really impressed that fruit platter, Evian bottle and local praline gift were already in the room.
      • Club access for €100 for Ambassadors (€140 otherwise) on weekdays. Weekend rates are slightly less I believe (€80) [We did not take it as we decided to explore local cuisine as much as possible]
      • 2 drinks voucher in the famous “Dome Bar”. Cocktails (€20 Euros) were included.
      • €15 Euro F&B credit valid everywhere including room service, breakfast & mini bar (Room service also provides the 3-course afternoon Menu served in the restaurant)

      Snags we encountered
      • We had opted for 4 pm late check out but between 12 and 16h, we were disturbed 4 times by housekeeping
      • There was no Wi fi reception downstairs in the Suite [the bed & bathroom is downstairs]
      • We had asked for something (which impacted our schedule) at reception and in spite of one reminder we never heard back from them regarding it.

      Other things to be aware of
      • No swimming pool
      • Access to the fitness room in an external spa (different building at 2 mins walk)
      • The upper level of suite has no water facilities at all so if you need to wash hands, get water for kettle you need to climb down the 20 stairs to lower level

      Why we loved the experience
      • Amazing Ambassador recognition & good service overall
      • Sipping (free) cocktails under the amazing dome
      • Higher end local provenance toiletries in the suite
      • Esthetical hallways highlighting the old pillars
      • Huge choice of restaurants for all budgets within 5 mins walk
      • Lots of high-end bakeries with amazing cakes nearby
      • One of the most beautiful buildings in Lyon (The Free walking tour infact ends at the Hotel and we strongly recommend it)

      Other Tips:
      • High end food hall in the Hotel complex (Pignol, La Mere Richard etc.) with suppliers used by Michelin restaurants. You can see (or even eat) the famous Bresse chicken (22 €/Kilo) or sample gourmet cheeses with wine at La Mere Richard
      • IC Lyon is situated in one of the most beautiful areas to discover at night when illuminated (Theatre building, Place de Jacobin fountain, Bellecour etc.) all within 5-8 mins walk of Hotel

      Airport Tip:

      The Rhone Express station is 10-15 mins walk from the Terminals. Instead, if you exit the Terminal, there is a bus stop and you can catch Bus 47 which will drop you at a stop on Tramway T1 (this stop is incidentally one of the 2 intermediate stops of Rhone express). From there depending on where you are staying you can go anywhere in Lyon. The bus journey takes 30 mins so it is slower than ‘Rhone Express’ but you can buy 24h pass for 6 Euros on the bus (cash only) whereas one-way Rhone Express is around 15-17 Euros depending on how you buy it.

      Lyon General Tip:
      Take Furnicular 1 to visit the “La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere” but once you are done enjoying the views, don’t miss the Roman amphi theatres at 3 mins walk (free access to site) Walk down the stairs and you can catch Furnicular 2 to come back to old town.

  • Lyn says:

    6 Oct6 October 09:32

    Thanks. Details of your travel from/to Lyon airport using your 24h transport day pass would be useful.

    • VP says:

      6 Oct6 October 13:06

      Hello Lyn,
      Posted above in reply to RussellH

      • Lyn says:

        6 Oct6 October 14:27

        Thank you for the tips about the local area and funicular / ampitheatre as well as airport transportation and the hotel itself. I’m sure this will be useful for other people as well.

        I was pleased to see the Lyon flights departs from T3 until I checked the winter schedule and saw that it changes to T5.

• Roger says:

  6 Oct6 October 08:28

  OT – Any airline status match opportunity using Amex Platinum?
  Looking to ultimately get BA Silver which I would achieve by flying over next 6 months but just seeing if I can leverage my Amex Platinum card.

  • Olly says:

    6 Oct6 October 10:08

    Your Shangri-la Jade will get you silver on Singapore Airlines on request then go for the fast track to gold as per this https://headforpoints.com/2018/05/27/amex-platinum-now-gets-star-alliance-silver-fast-track-gold-shangri-la-points/
    but I don’t know if BA well status match it. It’s the only thing near what you’re after that I’m aware of.

• Yawn says:

  6 Oct6 October 09:03

  It’s an odd decision on Cardiff’s part. They sell access for 20 pounds – assuming that hasn’t changed. But I would agree it’s not worth it for the service provided. Might still pay it to avoid the rest of the departures area though, which is basically a massive beer hall…

• Travel Strong says:

  6 Oct6 October 10:41

  Cardiff lounge only boosts the BRS offering. I struggle to find flights that work from CWL already, and have to go to BRS instead.

  So now its a choice of (a) poor flight options and no lounge, (b) plenty of flight options and aspire lounge (never been turned away at BRS aspire with PP)

  The Cardiff lounge is very quiet in the mornings, usually 4 or 5 in there for breakfast. Shame they couldnt figure something out to make PP work.

• Zara says:

  6 Oct6 October 11:17

  Very OT: I’m looking at booking my first ba 241. My voucher expires September 2020 but we haven’t been able to use it yet. We are 2 adults, a 2 years old and an under 2. We are looking at some options but as I noticed in Robs comments, there’s usually only 2 biz class Avios seats. Can anyone give me any kind guidance on what they do in these circumstances? Do you just wait until more availability comes up before booking any of the seats or book the 2 in hope another 2 pops up in the future?
  Any guidance on using the voucher much appreciated. Thanks so much in advance. (This has probably been asked several times already but trawling through comments I can’t find anything specific)

  • Louise says:

    6 Oct6 October 11:21

    Have a look in reward flight finder for availability for 3 seats and go from there to see where you can go? (if your under 2 will be lap infant?)

    • Zara says:

      6 Oct6 October 11:23

      Thanks Louise yes I’ve been using that without success on finding a suitable flight. The infant is only 9 months currently and really no point paying the taxes for him for an extra seat as he will likely not make much use of it in any case.

  • ankomonkey says:

    6 Oct6 October 11:34

    A couple of times I have booked 2 in CW and 2 in WT, then upgraded the two WT tickets when CW availability appeared. We are fortunate that extra CW availability did show up eventually. We needed a particular route on a particular date (+/- a day or two), so were probably lucky. I don’t bother much with BA and the 241 anymore due to high fees, change fees, seat selection fees and the need to check availability daily, but valued direct flights when our kids were young.

    • Zara says:

      6 Oct6 October 11:40

      yes I definitely agree with that. We travel almost bi-monthly but have only ever flown Economy (although BA once did upgrade my seat to Biz when I had pains during a flight whilst pregnant).
      Direct really is a must with the kids and I applied for the 241 with high hopes but as I haven’t used it before, I am struggling to use it most effectively. Biz (or First) would be a dream with kids I’m sure!

    • Zara says:

      6 Oct6 October 12:27

      If I book the outward flight in biz as there are no inbound, is there a time limit to then get the inbound ones booked? should i book inbound in economy (no premium economy showing either), or should i book one way and call up when/if inbound become available and is there a time restriction as mentioned? and if they do not become available, i guess i can cancel the outbound? TIA

      • Anna says:

        6 Oct6 October 15:17

        Zara, where you you want to go? There are plenty of US cities with 3 or more seats available in CW in the next 11 months, also the Bahamas and Bermuda, I understand why you can’t see much availability.

        • Anna says:

          6 Oct6 October 15:18

          Don’t understand, sorry!

      • Anna says:

        6 Oct6 October 15:33

        On a random Wednesday in June 2020, RFF is showing 3 seats in CW to Boston, NYC, Baltimore, Washington DC, Atlanta, Tampa, Miami, Barbados, Antigua, St Kitts, Mexico City, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore plus several other African and Asian destinations!

        • Zara says:

          6 Oct6 October 17:11

          Hmmm…. I might not be using it properly!! It’s the first time having tried RFF too! I don’t have anywhere concrete but when I tried to see where I could go with 3 seats, it only came up with Europe mainly and some US which I’m not keen on. Malaysia is worth considering. Does anyone have ideas of what I should use the voucher on – somewhere exotic and relaxing with two young kids… like I say I have no concrete plans just want a relaxing / good value flight redemption somewhere using the 241

        • Zara says:

          6 Oct6 October 17:16

          Just checked KL and there’s outbound but no inbounds available for 3 pax. Am I missing something? June isn’t ideal timing wise though just wanted to check if I was doing something wrong but I can’t see any inbound for June aside from I think the 2nd June

        • Anna says:

          6 Oct6 October 18:27

          I just picked a random day to show what is available – the following day also had Orlando and Johannesburg so you really need to do a bit of research to find something that suits you. I’d suggest picking your acceptable dates and destinations then looking for places with outbound and inbound availability. Another option as previously suggested is to travel back in a different class or upgrade if further seats open up.
          What we often do as a family is to use the companion voucher for 2 of us and book the 3rd person on a BA holiday so we don’t have to pay most of the cost until 5 weeks before travel and get some avios and tier points back. Did this to GCM this summer and it got my OH Bronze status plus 20,000 avios.

        • Anna says:

          6 Oct6 October 18:37

          I don’t know what Malaysia is like in May but there’s decent availability out and back in CW.

        • Zara says:

          6 Oct6 October 22:39

          Thanks Anna and sorry for the delayed reply. I’ll have a good (better!) look and see. I’ve never tried BA HOLIDAYS either so need to look into that. The wealth of knowledge on HFP! thanks so much. Hope I can find something

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