Aer Lingus plans to grow its long haul routes from Manchester

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• Matarredonda says:

  14 Mar14 March 10:30

  Can’t believe I am reading so much snobbery about lounges.
  When I fly, which is often, pay for entry and perfectly satisfied with what I get.
  To me, the lounge is all about avoiding the crush of people who seemingly when flying forget what manners are and constantly rush around with their trolley bags creating mayhiem.
  Must admit to being cross when the holiday maker crowd enter because they have got it free and guzzle down as much alcohol as they can. Even recently saw a couple stopped leaving because they each had two bottles of lager for drinking before boarding. Right cross they were when they had to hand them over!

  • Save East Coast Rewards says:

    14 Mar14 March 11:13

    I think the main problem is when holiday makers pay for a lounge they want to get their moneys worth which is why you see loads of empty beer bottles on the table of the NCL Aspire at 6am. It’s not a criticism of the people, I would be doing the same if I was going on holiday, but it’s a different atmosphere than you got on the old BA lounge at NCL despite it having a much nicer alcohol selection

    • Harry T says:

      14 Mar14 March 15:20

      I never understand how the good people of Newcastle can stomach a drink before the early flights. I’ve lived here for years and never acquired the taste for booze at all hours!

• Lady London says:

  14 Mar14 March 10:48

  Let’s be honest BA has made it abundantly clear they are pulling out of the lounge business.

  Concorde room and 1 other level might survive at Heathrow, and BA might share at high profile destinations for corporate travellers with the likes of AA, such as JFK. But it’s clear BA does not want to offer any lounge access at the mid level any more and is taking every opportunity to unwind existing provisioning.

  Combined with the fact that Priority Pass simply doesn’t work any more in the UK, and patchy provision elsewhere, this looks like there’s no way out of rubbish airport experience for UK travellers.

  I do sympathise with BA, actually, but as a traveller it’s disappointing.

  • Save East Coast Rewards says:

    14 Mar14 March 11:05

    I can’t see them cutting the number of lounges in LHR. The Concorde Room is needed because the F lounge is nowhere near a decent enough experience for first class travellers at a home base. The F lounge is needed as a fake first class lounge to send BA golds and OW emeralds. Then they need the club lounges for business class and basic status holders. If they got rid of the F lounge then they’d have to open the Concorde Room for golds as OW emerald benefits state that they get first class lounge access where available

  • Rhys says:

    14 Mar14 March 11:15

    I don’t think this is right.

    BA is pulling out of operating its own lounges, but the explosion in decent (and sometimes excellent) third party lounges by Plaza Premium, Aspire etc means that BA can just contract lounge provision out, and focus on its core business operating flights.

    The lounges at Heathrow are obviously not going anywhere – the idea that BA would reduce lounge capacity at its home terminal, which is already over capacity, is ludicrous!

• Save East Coast Rewards says:

  14 Mar14 March 10:52

  Let’s hope something similar happens to the awful aspire in NCL. It’s right next to the old BA lounge and so it could easily be expanded into that space

• Robert says:

  14 Mar14 March 10:57

  Anyone had a problem trying to upgrade to business class using Avios but told its not possible because the flight is a codeshare, sold and marketed by BA but operated by QR? Very frustrating and didn’t realise this was a blocker. Thanks in advance for any advice, trying to upgrade between UK and Doha.

  • JAXBA says:

    14 Mar14 March 19:17

    Only BA/IB/AA flights can be upgraded. See https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/executive-club/spending-avios/upgrading-with-avios

    Flight can’t be operated by anyone else (yet).

  • Simon Bennett says:

    15 Mar15 March 11:14

    You need to transfer your Avios to Qatar then book your upgrade on the codeshare code you have been given for your flight.

    • Robert says:

      18 Mar18 March 09:06

      Thanks for your advice. Seems a shame it isn’t straight forward or even possible. I transferred Avios across to Privilege Club but still no luck or ability to upgrade, Qatar just told us it’s not possible as it’s booked through BA, and BA told us it’s not possible as it’s operated by Qatar! How antiquated are these airline computer systems. Nevermind, will know for next time to just book biz in the first place, just a shame they don’t have Q suite on the route I take.

• SammyJ says:

  14 Mar14 March 11:05

  Aer Lingus need to sort out the crazy situation that seems then excluded from TSA Pre-Check. We happily flew MAN-MCO with them, utilised the Global Entry outbound, only to discover that they’re not one of the approved airlines for the TSA Precheck system on return. Makes no sense to me!

  • davefl says:

    14 Mar14 March 12:35

    No GE at DUB either as I was told when I asked to add my redress number which is a completely different thing.
    Crazy not to have GE at an airport where everyone is pre-cleared.

    • Blair Waldorf Salad says:

      14 Mar14 March 14:14

      They do have GE. The white kiosks are down the back. They don’t have a separate TSA Precheck line for security before the pre-clearance area though. But they do have a separate line for J passengers so not a total loss.

      • Michael says:

        14 Mar14 March 16:07

        They have GE but as it’s combined immigration and customs preclearance you need to see an officer at a booth anyway. The officer will view your checked baggage and can call it up for a physical inspection if needed.

        The secondary security before preclearance is a shoes-off and baggage rescreen as the US aren’t happy with the EU security standards…. Not sure why there’s not a pre check queue but it would likely negate the point of the secondary check!

  • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

    14 Mar14 March 15:30

    To participate in Pre airlines have to pass certain data onto the DHS.

    Not sure why EI don’t. Maybe it’s a cost issue for them or an IT issue.

    • JAXBA says:

      14 Mar14 March 19:20

      Probably an IT issue. EI are still in their own CRS, not Amadeus (like BA/IB) or Sabre (like AA). I really wish EI would just move to Amadeus already, like most IAG flights are.

• Emma says:

  14 Mar14 March 11:09

  I was at Amsterdam Schiphol yesterday and we were sent to a roped off cafe area near to the British Airways departure gates. To be honest, it was a shambles with no seats and poor food. Still better than waiting in the every growing crowds and delays.

• Philipp says:

  16 Mar16 March 11:32

  I spoke to the duty manager at Schipol on Tuesday and he said the lounges were being merged to create a new dedicated ‘oneworld’ lounge, the first of its kind.

  The current temporary setup at ‘Flor’ is a total shambles but should only last another couple of months.

  • Rhys says:

    16 Mar16 March 11:46

    That would be the obvious thing to do!

• Russell B says:

  16 Mar16 March 22:45

  Can somebody please clarify the lounge situation at Schiphol? Is Café Flo the temporary replacement for both the BA lounge and Aspire? I have Priority Pass through Amex Platium, and there tomorrow evening. Thanks.

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