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The trouble is the rules haven’t changed in years, from when you showed your boarding card which originally didn’t have your number on it and showed your physical membership card and in you walked. The staff noted the relevant FF number.
Now all the entry information is expected to be on boarding card which is scanned. If the FF on boarding card won’t let you in lounge, then the staff can’t overwrite it. The computer will say ineligible, do not have required status
Perhaps the rules need rewriting. If they do then I’m sure they will say entry is governed by the status with the airline you have on your boarding card.
Just going to share some experience here:
BA Gold, in process of moving to FF+.
Flew LCA-DOH-SYD in business on QR a few weeks back.
QR website does not allow modification to a FF# once input – it has to be done via a call centre / at airport (at least this is what I was told / read on line) / Even when using the RJ App.
QR ticket was issued with BA FF#, at LCA after check-in was completed I asked the desk to change FF# they did this without re-issuing the ticket, fast-track and lounge at LCA worked fine with boarding pass, QR crew greeted me and said thank you for status – so their system on both flights showed me as BA GOLD I assume (I had a glance at the airhostesses tablet/phone – and saw my seat was marked/had note).
At DOH I was able to access all facilities, was slightly apprehensive about the TPs crediting to FF+ but they showed up a few days later.
Have SYD-SIN-LHR on BA metal end of this week – lets see how this works – but intent is to change FF# once in lounge, have changed it before for Skyteam flights from AirVolare to another partner at the gate – but when you have people behind you waiting to board, and a flight is late the boarding agent is not going to be pleased.
Guessing you always run the risk of not getting in the lounge at SIN by changing it back at the lounge at SYD?
@barracuda if you are flying business class anyway then this won’t be an issue.The rules (or not rules) will only get worse as people “game” the system. As much as I find the new tier point system a bit too draconian (and alienating), why offer a benefit if travellers don’t value you….
Personally, I think anyone with over 1m Avios should get free lounge access. Or people with blonde hair that are 5’6″
Personally, I think anyone with over 1m Avios should get free lounge access. Or people with blonde hair that are 5’6″
I am sure Michael Fabricant already has gold for life so no need to appeal on his behalf
I am sure Michael Fabricant already has gold for life so no need to appeal on his behalf
I look nothing like him 😟 But now I’m thinking as I’ve just dropped £3.6k for 2 Avios subs – why am I not getting TPs for that????
The rules (or not rules) will only get worse as people “game” the system…
Which game(s) do you feel should end?
The rules (or not rules) will only get worse as people “game” the system…
Which game(s) do you feel should end?
I think he must mean people attempting to play in two schemes at once without doing it properly. There has obviously been some rather erroneous advice on these pages that waving the highest card you hold at an agent is sufficient to trump a lesser card in another scheme but that is simply wrong.
Many seem to accept this in a hotel context where, if you book through an OTA, you may not get points or benefits however elevated your status for that hotel.
It’s not been a particular issue until recently when I and others raised the inevitable negative consequences when RJ started status matching to hotel status.
Sounds to me that a conclusive way to stop ‘games’ is for BA to update their cl. 10.2 and perhaps put something additional in flight booking class fare rules.
i’ve accessed several BA, IB and QR lounges by showing my BAC gold/silver card without crediting the flight to BA without any issues
only once i got challenged by an agent at LHR who wanted to change the number of my boarding pass. I politely declined and when she said she needed the FF number on the boarding pass I just stated that it was incorrect and that I’ve been doing it regularly and she waved me in
no idea why people have this grudge against someone trying to switch programs
I think he must mean people attempting to play in two schemes at once without doing it properly
It’s all a game we’re playing. BA (and everyone) wants to create loyalty, and that doesn’t happen when people “game” other FF schemes to get status. I think BA are guilty of the tail wagging the dog.
Or to put it more bluntly, my wife will probably choose Virgin UC now. Waiting until early 2026 when a massive “status match” marketing starts from other airlines….
There’s many similar threads running atm, but I’m beginning to wonder whether there’s an element of scaremongering/trolling/wind-ups going on regarding lounge access using existing BA status.
Second visit to JFK this week and on both occasions, absolutely no problem accessing the Chelsea and Soho lounges showing my BA Gold card and QR silver status boarding pass for BA and AA flights. Gatekeeping staff just now said ‘it’s absolutely no problem, I see your QR number on the boarding pass but I have to put your BA number in the computer for the lounge access’.
Given that I’ve not had any problems at LHR either, I think those who are concerned about lounge rejection or ejection shouldn’t worry until/unless BA explicitly change the rules. And by ‘rules’ I mean in practice, not a particular interpretation of para 10.2 which just seems to cause anxiety.
@Metty – the threads actual started with reports by various different people experiencing either not being allowed into lounges, refused entry to the First Wing and not being allowed their F baggage allowance. Thus real rather than scaremongering. There are various bases BA can use to apply rules to the detriment of a passenger and it’s perhaps more likely when automated. Obviously it’s hopefully not going to be a frequent occurrence any more than involuntary downgrades, but that doesn’t mean they don’t happen at all. The fact it hasn’t happened to you personally, also doesn’t mean the issue doesn’t exist!
Putting the second number in as you report occurred has also been the advised solution. Switching also works.
Just going to share some experience here:
BA Gold, in process of moving to FF+.
Flew LCA-DOH-SYD in business on QR a few weeks back.
QR website does not allow modification to a FF# once input – it has to be done via a call centre / at airport (at least this is what I was told / read on line) / Even when using the RJ App.
QR ticket was issued with BA FF#, at LCA after check-in was completed I asked the desk to change FF# they did this without re-issuing the ticket, fast-track and lounge at LCA worked fine with boarding pass, QR crew greeted me and said thank you for status – so their system on both flights showed me as BA GOLD I assume (I had a glance at the airhostesses tablet/phone – and saw my seat was marked/had note).
At DOH I was able to access all facilities, was slightly apprehensive about the TPs crediting to FF+ but they showed up a few days later.
Have SYD-SIN-LHR on BA metal end of this week – lets see how this works – but intent is to change FF# once in lounge, have changed it before for Skyteam flights from AirVolare to another partner at the gate – but when you have people behind you waiting to board, and a flight is late the boarding agent is not going to be pleased.
Update – check-in at SYD went fine with BA Gold and they switched to FF+, Fast Track security access wasn’t an issue – but was travelling in Business, I had to show my BA GOLD card on the APP to access Qantas First Lounge, also ha to show BA Gold card to board as Group 1, as boarding pass reverted to Group 2 when FF+ was applied.
Will report back next week on the LHR-SIN-SYD leg and my experience with first wing.
Thanks for all the comments. Just to provide an update, I emailed BA about the refusal of entry and they responded saying access should have been granted based on either your status on the app or checking your status on their computer. They apologised and said they would feed this information back to the BA staff at the BA lounge.
Did they offer a loungw voucher or to cover the cost of the alternative catering or lounge provision you had to use at Heathrow?
@mattymoo great stuff and thanks for coming back with the conclusion, hopefully that will reassure those who have been worrying unduly.
Thanks for all the comments. Just to provide an update, I emailed BA about the refusal of entry and they responded saying access should have been granted based on either your status on the app or checking your status on their computer. They apologised and said they would feed this information back to the BA staff at the BA lounge.
By far the most important comment here. So the majority of people who have been saying all along that is how it should be have been vindicated, and the tiny minority arguing the opposite based on badly worded conditions are wrong. Whether that will actually filter through to ground level is another matter of course, but we can hope.
I managed to access the BA lounge at FCO when travelling AT this week. I’m Gold with BA but going for AY Plat right now – I’m basic with them. I was travelling J so I didn’t have to change my FF to BA to gain access, so the issue really is when you want to access a F lounge when flying Y…
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