News: eGate trial for 10-11 year olds, last day to save on passport fees, Corinthia London deal

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• tony says:

  1 Feb1 February 08:49

  Ref the Corinthia. The 3-4-2 deal drops the rate from £984 a night to £656. The further £33 per night reduction from the AMEX deal really doesn’t touch the sides. And they add everyone’s favourite of a 5% service fee to the bill. On the basis an Uber home is just over £100, i’ll pass….

  • Ian says:

    1 Feb1 February 10:27

    Yep. The Corinthia is nice, but overpriced.

  • MT says:

    1 Feb1 February 10:29

    You use multiple Amex cards to settle the bill, so it knocks 25% off the bill. But as mentioned before while some hotels maybe worth 500 a night Coronthia certainly isn’t unless you love the spa.

    • tony says:

      1 Feb1 February 12:35

      This is of course dependent on you having 5 amex cards each with the offer loaded, you have the audacity to ask the clerk to split the bill 5 ways – and AMEX’s fraud systems don’t flag it, either at the time or at some subsequent account review. Even then it still comes in at £555 a night.

      • Roy says:

        1 Feb1 February 16:02

        Wasn’t splitting bills between multiple cards during “shop small” one of the things that resulted in a lot of people having their Amex accounts closed down a few years ago?

        • Rob says:

          1 Feb1 February 16:08

          Yes

• Andy says:

  1 Feb1 February 09:11

  Stayed at Corinthia to celebrate my 30th wedding anniversary in 2021, it was terrible on every level. Dirty room, threadbare towels, staff arguing in front of us at Afternoon tea … I could go on. They comp’d parts of the stay as they ruined our celebrations and they MD invited us back when they managed to do it correctly for a night.

  Rhys did a great job sorting our booking and IIRC we paid around £500 or so per night for our 3 nights. Contrast now with £864 per night for a 3 night stay in March and it tells a woeful story of how far lux hotels are pushing their luck. £100 of £400 doesn’t come close to that level of increase for me too and there are, in my opinion at least, much better options on your doorstep in that location. It’s time to rightsize hotel costs or become very niche / attract only the bankers.

  • Rhys says:

    1 Feb1 February 09:27

    I think you mean Emyr because I certainly haven’t helped you make a booking!

    • Binks says:

      1 Feb1 February 14:03

      🤣🤣🤣

    • Andy says:

      1 Feb1 February 22:33

      I’m very sorry Rhys, yes Emyr 😞

  • TGLoyalty says:

    1 Feb1 February 17:25

    I’m with you apart from breakfast and Kerridges (which anyone can visit) this hotel is sub par on all levels

• SammyJ says:

  1 Feb1 February 10:05

  Since I got my new blue passport the E-gates struggle every time. I often have the 3 attempts before it says ‘seek assistance’ but sometimes try it again another up-to-3 times and it works. So if that’s someone pressing yes/no button, they’re looking at the same thing up to 6 times, and eventually giving in and saying ‘ahh, balls to it, I’ll just let her through’?!

  • lumma says:

    1 Feb1 February 12:45

    The Egates worked first time every time with my 2007 issued passport, which had a very thick rigid ID page. My 2017 one is hit and miss, I often think I’ve cracked to code of how to insert it so it works then the next time I’m off to the seek assistance line.

    The biggest frustration with them is that it doesn’t tell you what you’ve done wrong, is the passport in the wrong place, have you not matched your photo, can it not read the chip, etc.

    Some European egates display the direction to move the passport if it’s not in the right place. I often used to avoid them and go to the manned desk but they seem to employ staff to stop you doing this at most airports now unless you have to use a manned desk (I think this is now just for people with kids as you can’t enter on a European ID card now)

    • Dubious says:

      1 Feb1 February 14:35

      Same observation, same issues. I think they made the page thinner as a security mechanism as it makes it harder to split open the page and insert a replacement photo.

      I noticed the page is at the opposite end of the passport than in the past too.

• Boris says:

  1 Feb1 February 11:39

  You can stack the Mandarin Oriental spend £500 get £100 back every time with the current 3 for 2 in London too. For Centurion you get the upgrade when you book.

• Clive says:

  1 Feb1 February 13:59

  Hi can anyone recommend a cheap insurer for someone with a Pre existing condition.

  • Lady London says:

    1 Feb1 February 21:35

    Depends what, but Staysure has reports they are more OK on more preexisting than others.

• Swifty says:

  1 Feb1 February 14:57

  The moment when you suddenly see “old haggard version of your free-booze-on flight face” at an odd angle is quite scary. I’ve jumped a few times. Womanned or manned desks for me thanks. Keep them in jobs and my stress levels down.

• NA says:

  1 Feb1 February 15:36

  There is a very long forum on FlyerTalk of people for whom the e-gates have stopped working. Myself included. Strangely used to work previously. There is some talk about a “watch-list” which I dont get. I recently got Global Entry – which includes a UK background check. This came back very swiftly (all clear) and by definition by getting Global Entry – everything was all clear as well. BUT coming to your own country you can’t use the e-gate.

  Wonder how this 10-11 year trial would work when they keep rejecting others. And I do believe it’s a half manual process at the e-gates.

  https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/2045283-passport-never-works-egates-12.html

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