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Let’s say you were flying economy and your status doesn’t get you entry, what, if anything, would you pay? Let’s assume you’ve made use of it before so you’re not paying out of curiosity.
Based on my two visits, my price point would be c£100 for the two of us. We both ate a meal and each had a couple of drinks.
When I was last in there, they were serving LPGS, which retails at >£150 per bottle. T5 Plaza premium is >£40 per person, I gather champagne is an additional charge. Probably gives a steer to what would be deemed as a figure to associate with it.
The ambience and exclusivity of CCR, waiter service etc are hard to put a value to. It’s an academic question, I’d happily pay £100-150 per person for a few hours in the CCR. It’s an academic question though.
When I was last in there, they were serving LPGS, which retails at >£150 per bottle. T5 Plaza premium is >£40 per person, I gather champagne is an additional charge. Probably gives a steer to what would be deemed as a figure to associate with it.
The ambience and exclusivity of CCR, waiter service etc are hard to put a value to. It’s an academic question, I’d happily pay £100-150 per person for a few hours in the CCR. It’s an academic question though.
Of course it’s academic, but it’s another data point for valuing redemptions which I find interesting.
I’ve never been but £100 for 2 (£50pp) is a very low value. I’d snap your hand off. For someone like me, I’d probably consider if at £100pp
Depends entirely how long you’re there and how much you can drink.
I’ve got maybe 2 hours there in Nov, unfortunately I’m not a morning drinker and knocking back glasses of wine at 7am isn’t my thing (and I don’t like champage/mimosas etc). So the value to me will be somewhere quieter than galleries and I do like sitting on the terrace looking at the ants below.
As far as I know there are no mice in the Concorde lounge, so that has to be worth a few quid.
I’ve enjoyed a couple of long afternoons in there, and would happily have paid good money for the experience.
My overriding memory, however, is that the dining room is incredibly uncomfortable. The booth seating is firm and awkward, and without the structure of a normal chair, nor the relaxing qualities of softer lounge seating, is not an enjoyable place to sit for very long.
Personally £100-150 if I can spend atleast 2 hours in there I’d pay £50 more if there was direct boarding from it.
Generally I would pay £400-500 to upgrade J to F per sector (that I CS the value of CCR)
As I don’t drink, and I’m only getting in there if I’d paid for F, it would depend on what is served on board. If no lounges existed and I wanted to eat 2 hours before the flight, I’d value the meal at about £20-£25pp. If the CCR didn’t exist and there was only GF, I guess I’d value the improved experience over GF at about £20 too
£60 max – 2 x 2 glasses of wine/champagne, zero value for food because of that’s just M&S ready meals.
It also depends how you personally value these things. If I enjoyed what the CCR offers and had £100 to spend on some of those wines, I would rather buy two bottles and drink them at home in more comfortable surroundings with more appropriate food.
I suspect if you set the price at £100 for two people, that is too low. In which case demand increases and outstrips supply.Leading to crowding issues, poor service etc.
I think @JDB has a better metric.
How much is too much to spend time in the Concorde lounge? And does this figure include food and drink or do they have to be paid for separately?
As I have never been in the Concorde lounge, I cannot suggest a figure for myself. But if you want top notch restaurant food, service and ambience, you must be looking at £80 per person minimum?£40 per head. Reluctantly.
If it were near my home, I’d pay £0. I’d much prefer to spend time in my local wine bar, deli, tapas bar, gastropub, gin bar, brasserie or Italian restaurant. Life is too short to volunteer for a mediocre lunch or bland bar.
But Heathrow has few alternatives. The restaurants are rammed and dreadful, and the other lounges are also rammed and dreadful. I’d pay good money for a pint of cask ale from an interesting microbrewery, but I don’t want to endure Wetherspoons to feed my addiction and the CCR serves no real ales.
Calm in T5 is a scarce commodity, though, and I would pay good money to escape the madding crowds. So, in the absence of an alternative haven, I would ignore CCR’s microwave dinners, grudgingly pay £40 and gently sip a glass of champagne in peace and tranquillity.
£40 a head would get you Plaza Premium. CCR is far better than that.
I wouldn’t pay £15 for a glass of £40 a bottle champagne in my own home but that’s what bars and restaurants ask.
Is the question how much you would pay for CCR at T5 or is it how much would you pay for what CCR offers in your own home. They are two completely different answers.
Say what you want about the food the drink selection can match most bars in most cities and that is costing £15-20 per drink in London. Then there’s the comfort factor because the fact is it’s the only place in T5 that isn’t a zoo and that’s worth money in itself.
Bottomless champagne and cocktails with a plate of average food will cost you atleast £60 pp in London and it’s not yellow label VC on offer
I would have edited my earlier post but as I can’t here is a further thought.
As you wish to open this up to Economy (and I presume Business) passengers, this will massively increase the demand I expect. Especially as many short and medium haul routes don’t have first class passengers.
Plucking a figure out of the air I would suggest the price per person would be closer to £120.
Unless of course dynamic pricing was introduced for everyone who is not an F passenger? That would help control the numbers in the lounge.I know this is getting off topic, but here goes. In many supermarkets there are lanes for something like 10 items or less.
My brother who is time poor suggested having a premium lane, where you would pay more than the shelf sticker price in essence to be in a shorter queue. Whilst he didn’t say, what would be the premium have to be on your shopping basket to be in a shorter queue? 25%, 50% or even 100%.
A potential thought experiment.We used to pay extra Avios to go First Class to Denver from Scotland.
With no status, this meant we saved on seat reservation fees – so was cost neutral.
CCR access was was therefore free. And that’s what it was basically worth. On the way out, we would overnight in London and meet friends, see a show, have a drink. So no need for cocktails in the morning!
On the way back, we had to drive home jet-lagged!
The 5B lounge is more than adequate – and stretches the legs for the domestic flight home!
The premise of the original question was mo
We used to pay extra Avios to go First Class to Denver from Scotland.
With no status, this meant we saved on seat reservation fees – so was cost neutral.
CCR access was was therefore free. And that’s what it was basically worth. On the way out, we would overnight in London and meet friends, see a show, have a drink. So no need for cocktails in the morning!
On the way back, we had to drive home jet-lagged!
The 5B lounge is more than adequate – and stretches the legs for the domestic flight home!
The premise of the original question doesn’t allow for access to the 5B lounge (or any galleries lounge). So the choice is T5 departures areas; the restaurants; or the plaza premium / aspire lounge. The context is key.
As others have said this extends to what travel you’re doing. I wouldn’t pay £50 to use it before a short haul work trip, or if my kids were in tow, or if I wasn’t drinking etc.
My brother who is time poor suggested having a premium lane, where you would pay more than the shelf sticker price in essence to be in a shorter queue. Whilst he didn’t say, what would be the premium have to be on your shopping basket to be in a shorter queue? 25%, 50% or even 100%.
A potential thought experiment.I can’t remember the last time I queued for any serious length of time at a supermarket.
At Aspire at LHR5 you can have maximum of three small alcoholic drinks and you have to pay extra for Prosecco. Finding a clean table is a major challenge. Overcrowded and unpleasant experience. I cannot see any reason to visit this place unless it is free. I now only use my free passes on the way back to the UK where fewer people have Priority, Dragon or LoungePass.
It’s a complicated question.
Someone with no lounge access going on holiday, with plenty of time to get most out of it. Yes if people are willing to pay £40 for a mediocre lounge then CCR is worth well over £100 say up to £150 including first wing check in. But only if you want to drink more than my one glass that I allow myself before a flight.
However anyone willing to do this will be most probably have splashed out on business. So what’s the upgrade vs business or First lounge worth. Nowhere near that much , especially if you are not travelling at peak times. When other lounges are fine.
What’s the Instagram value of a CCR picture is another thing, but I’m wrong generation.
My thought was I would rather a comfy corner in a non-lounge in T5B than pay for the CCR.
But when would I have a “no lounge access” ticket in T5 – have already got aisle access 787 window seats to and from SIN and HKG, and am enjoying the lounge in Athens today with a window emergency exit seat thanks to the Golden Sparrows.
So on a “no lounge” economy ticket, CCR is definitely better than a seat at a quiet gate. But who on HfP flies on these?
The premise of the original doesn’t allow for access to the 5B lounge (or any galleries lounge). So the choice is T5 departures areas; the restaurants; or the plaza premium / aspire lounge. The context is key.
As others have said this extends to what travel you’re doing. I wouldn’t pay £50 to use it before a short haul work trip, or if my kids were in tow, or if I wasn’t drinking etc.
I had my first CCR experience only a few weeks ago, I thought it was very pleasant, definitely the nicest lounge I’ve experienced. How much would I pay – not a lot, I would do it for £50 (by myself, wouldn’t pay £200 for the whole family to go in!), probably wouldn’t stretch to £100. I don’t really mind going to the gate and then finding an unused gate a few meters away and sitting there.
Don’t agree with the sentiment of “I’d go to a nice bar and come to the airport later” as personally I couldn’t relax in the nice bar, I’d be worrying about getting to the flight on time. There is high value in being able to relax AFTER security.
Yes has to be after security, but there must be nice bars or better restaurants after security surely. Or somewhere nice to eat. Where less than £50 will get you a pleasant experience for an hour. Clearly if intention is to spend 3 hours drinking good champagne then CCR wins, which is why I expect won’t open it up any more than now
I don’t know about restaurants and bars having been gold since late 80s never explored beyond lounge. Which I expect applies to most HFP contributors. But surely someone will know. Suggestions.
Nice bars after security T5? There’s a packed Wetherspoons
Plane Food has a large space and drink and a couple drinks will easily cost £60pp but it really isn’t worth the money.
Caviar house sells own brand Champagne for £15 a glass and eggs royale costs about £20 but granted it’s not bad stuff. Cocktail is £10-15 but again it’s not exactly relaxed.
The only airport I’ve ever actually had a nice relaxed meal / drink is Doha.
If you have no lounge access this puts a higher price on the theoretical value of CCR unless you are happy with a cup of coffee and an empty gate.
I find the BA lounges at T5 busy, but more than adequate (much better than the First lounge). I love the CCR, because it’s quiet and sitting at the bar/terrace is very relaxing. The cocktails are good, and I can easily get through a bottle of LPGS (£200 retail at Majestic, before they changed it). The food is acceptable, and you can just snack on different dishes as they are brought to you.
I’d put it £150-£200pp, mainly due to the quality of the drinks and chilled-out space. Of course F gets you various other benefits as well as being in the F cabin – F Wing check-in, ridiculous amounts of luggage (inc carry-on), free wifi, free seats, exceptional on-board service, and exceptional service if there’s a glitch in travel.
Moot point, because I can’t see them ever offering CCR to non-F access. It would be filled with “influencers” all day, every day. If you look at off-peak LHR-NYC return next year, F is about £600 more than J. Seems priced about right to me.
BTW LPGS is £485/btl at our local “posh-ish” restaurant (+ service). So around £90/glass. That’s how I used to convince my wife to book F anyway 😉
I could easily get £150+ pp value out of it. But it’s not something I’d otherwise choose to spend my money on so I’d never pay more than £50pp cash.
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