British Airways changes access rules for the Dubai airport lounge

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

• Gordon says:

  4 Nov4 November 07:30

  In reaching silver status for the first time and I’m left wondering was it all worth it, It’s not a race to the bottom it’s a vertical fall….

  • Qrfan says:

    4 Nov4 November 07:57

    Outstation lounges are generally poor though, unless you’re flying back from another one world hub and you can benefit from one of the other airlines that invests properly in their product. Don’t let that put you off. Extra bags, seat selection in old CW, priority check-in… Silver is the sweet spot in my opinion. Well worth having.

    • Gordon says:

      4 Nov4 November 08:12

      I agree on your points but it’s just the fact that BA are chipping away at the benefits that customers loyal to the brand benefit from, It leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

      • Qrfan says:

        4 Nov4 November 08:24

        I’m as quick to dismiss BA as anyone, but I don’t think that is what is happening here. We were at this lounge a year ago and it gets busy with a 777. With A380s on the route I think BA are just trying to make sure everyone gets a lounge, and prioritising elites is standard practice. Compared to Montreal recently where we got no lounge at all because the queue for the airport operated lounge was an hour long… It’s really not that bad a policy in my view.

        • yorkieflyer says:

          4 Nov4 November 08:37

          Said as a Gold maybe? I find it disgusting that a clearly stated benefit for Silver is not being honoured at a regular BA lounge, where next at a whim?

        • JDB says:

          4 Nov4 November 08:57

          @yorkieflyer it is not “a clearly stated benefit for Silver” that you will get a BA branded lounge. I am sure you would also be complaining just as much if the lounge were hopelessly overcrowded, so it is good to send some to another lounge. I am not gold, but I fully respect BA’s sensible policy to prioritise its gold and F passengers; it would be stupid for them to do otherwise.

        • Yona says:

          4 Nov4 November 09:08

          The YUL lounge is a joke. No showers, small and packed. And you can access it by having a credit card that costs $15 a month so obviously no exclusive. If you add the fact BA flights the worst kind of 787 there and that the only other option is flying Air Canada the conclusion is it is better not to travel there at all.

  • Harry T says:

    4 Nov4 November 10:47

    Agree with JDB.

• Joan says:

  4 Nov4 November 07:33

  We flew back Club from Dubai on 1 October (we had gone out first class the week before from LHR) and were told in no uncertain terms that our only option was the Marhaba lounge which was absolutely horrible. I’ve mentioned before on here about our experience as everything about that flight was terrible with filthy and damp bedding, the dinner option being a sandwich , stroppy crew and a stampede of a queue to get on the plane . I complained when we got home and we initially got 10k avios each back . I complained again and we got another 5k avios. I asked for all my avios back and the return of my companion voucher. They refused and said the matter was closed . They said if I wanted to take things further they would take back the avios they had given us – so I gave up !

  • Qrfan says:

    4 Nov4 November 07:39

    Every single club world flight I’ve been on has had sealed bedding. Was yours handed to you loose or something?

    • Joan says:

      4 Nov4 November 09:19

      Qrfan no it was in a supposedly sealed zip up bag – mine was very damp and my partner’s was really filthy – I have a photo but can’t seem to post that here

  • Rob says:

    4 Nov4 November 09:21

    You have no contractual rights to bedding or any level of food quality and they would have taken back the 15k – not a bluff.

  • Lady London says:

    4 Nov4 November 09:51

    Some people have posted some photos of filthy British Airways seats and other things on social media. Jus’ sayin’

    • meta says:

      4 Nov4 November 15:55

      People are saying you have no contractual right, but you do actually have contractual right because of the way BA describes meals on their website. Also putting damp and filthy bedding could pose health risk, which you could go
      legal for negligence.

      I’d actually do S75 claim for the carrier surcharges portion based on that. It’s services. Just add parts of BA’s website describing the service along with pics.

      Did they not offer you new clean bedding? If not, all the more reason to ask for more.

      Whilst I think that asking for all Avios back and companion voucher is too much, 15k Avios is a bit too low in this case. I got 20k Avios for a dirty seat once for CE flight.

      • Joan says:

        4 Nov4 November 19:36

        Hi Meta- after complaining they did go and get us some fresh duvets ( and for several other people in surrounding seats ) but the staff were clearly on the defensive and not open to discussion. So I guessed it was a common problem . I pushed as far as I could for points but feel angry as this was a special holiday and the return journey was a horrible disappointment. It’s put me off going to Dubai again

        • Mr(s) Entitled says:

          4 Nov4 November 21:10

          So the flight, which Dubai have no control over, has put you off visiting the destination? That’s a very unusual conclusion.

• John G says:

  4 Nov4 November 08:34

  Surely you shouldn’t all have even been let into the BA lounge, let alone “The bar”? If you are Gold you can guest your son but your daughter only qualifies for the other lounge as Silver if they are enforcing the one guest rule.

  A double lounge upgrade. Anyone would think they knew you were doing a review!

• James says:

  4 Nov4 November 08:53

  I think these lounge access rules have been in place for most of the year at Dubai. I flew out in F on the A380 and back overnight in J on an A350 in March and was Silver at the time having only started flying BA a few months before COVID hit. I saw the access rules on the OW lounge finder ahead of the outbound and queried them with You First given the A350 doesn’t have an F cabin and it was the only BA flight scheduled within hours of the departure time so assumed that CW/ Silver would be admitted. They replied confirming the published access rules and ‘invited me to use’ the Marhaba lounge. I was a bit surprised given the above and that the overnight flight is a sleeper service with the idea you dine before boarding as they only serve a snack onboard (a Panini if I recall). As you walk past the BA lounge on the way to Marhaba I tried my luck and was admitted without any fuss, as had most of the CW cabin it seemed.

  As others have said though it’s not a particularly impressive lounge. I remember a miserable Arabic Meze and Chicken Chasseur (with McCain style wedges!) most of which went back uneaten although the Cheese Board was decent. Champagne was available via the QR code which I imagine isn’t the case in the Marhaba lounge. Golds were also being admitted to the BAR area back then too which made sense given the lack of space in the main lounge and no F cabin. I don’t think GGL/ CCR are supposed to get access to the BARs or Concorde dining at outstations ordinarily (other than JFK for now) although I’ll be trying my luck when I turn GGL at the end of the month.

  This was my first long haul trip since COVID and to be honest the flight back was dire. I did however receive much better service recovery than Joan mentioned above although I had a lot of future business booked with BA in F&J at the time (not that I sense any consistently to how service recovery is applied).

  • Joan says:

    4 Nov4 November 09:20

    James – it was only Prosecco in the Marhaba lounge

• Lady London says:

  4 Nov4 November 10:02

  With all the other lounge withdrawals around Europe that we’re hearing British Airways has done, alongside the reshaping of the avios program : Has BA decided it’s not going to offer lounges to status flyers who aren’t flying in a class that would give them access to lounges even without status?

  @BJ will be pleased

  • Jack says:

    4 Nov4 November 22:44

    they could not do that as it would be against one world policy . a BA lounge is not a guarantee any status holder has lounge access that is the point of such schemes

• PJJ says:

  4 Nov4 November 10:13

  With regards to the Ambassador offer, not having ever been a member

  Do I have to take the 2 night BOGOF before the end of January to get the bonus 20000 points or can I leave it a little later ?

  Presumably I could take the offer later in the year but not get the bonus points

  • Rob says:

    4 Nov4 November 10:15

    No rush to use the BOGOF, unless you want to use it at a Regent or Kimpton.

• Adam says:

  4 Nov4 November 11:19

  I went through Dubai last week and was given access to the lounge (BA Silver travelling in Economy) I wonder if it depends how full they are?

• Chris says:

  4 Nov4 November 14:45

  Congratulations on your nomination! This is the only site I visit every day without fail. I appreciate the volume of articles and the concise content. Best of luck!

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.