-
I recently had a disappointing experience at LGW South involving a flight booked through Vueling, which is part of the same group as BA. Despite holding a BA Gold card, I was denied access to the BA lounge and was told, quite rudely, “you should have booked on BA.com, like I did.”
This encounter was frustrating, especially as it suggests that lounge access is only granted based on the booking channel, even for BA Gold members traveling on partner airlines. I want to share a heads-up for fellow travelers: booking through third-party sites like Expedia impacts lounge eligibility when flying with BA-associated airlines, regardless of frequent flyer status.
What I found particularly disappointing was the attitude of the staff involved. The tone and manner of the interaction was unprofessional and dismissive, confirming that BA staff receive training that emphasizes rigidly policy enforcement over customer service; perhaps no surprise to most. A simple apology, an explanation, or even an attempt to accommodate the situation would have left a much better impression.
Ignoring the rudeness, which is another matter.
Veuling is not part of One World , I presume you had a Veuling ticket, not a BA ticket. So you had no more right to enter lounge than if you were flying Easy jet. You tried, they said no , thats that. If it was the same price to book via BA and get a BA ticket lesson learnt
Vueling may be part of IAG but it still a totally separate company with its own policies and procedures.
As mentioned it’s also not part of OW.
BA does offer lounge access to VY and EI in some circumstances but this is outwith th OW status offering and it relies above all on having a BA issued 125- ticket.
These exceptions are well documented including in articles and threads on this site.
There is no “accommodation” they could have offered you. No “well you can come in this time …”. And staff should be congratulated for following their employers policies and not try to skirt around them.
Of course staff should be polite but I don’t blame them if they get exasperated if numerous people every day are trying to access the lounges when they have no right to.
It’s not really a customer service issue if you’re not their customer!
I agree with the above re checking all the rules – Aer Lingus also have a rather complicated lounge policy when it comes to OW status!
Vueling has an enormous number flights from Gatwick, my guess is this happens fairly frequently and staff just get tired of explaining the situation.
They should make a sign to stand at the entrance like the ones they have at MAN telling PP holders they are similarly unlikely to be admitted.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
