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I was really looking forward to my first flight travelling through the first wing at T5.
I arrived over 4 hours early and looking forward to my 3 course table service lunch (I can hear you all laughing!). Sailing through the first wing and security was fab then I hit the over crowded first lounge that wasn’t even up to the standards of Asian business lounges. The food selection was very poor. So this is really a status lounge as you go to the Concorde room if you are traveling first. One my return from Madrid there is not even a first lounge just business.
I was thinking of a tier point run but Gold is not worth the effort for the benefits. I never fly BA long haul as it’s too expensive and the hard product is mostly not up to standard. Why pay £10k for first to Oz when you can fly Lufthansa with Singapore Suites for the last leg for £6k? Yes it’s a bit longer but you get a First Class only terminal in Munich and get driven to your gate.
What else about Gold. I liked the idea that sometimes they block off the seat next to you but as the plane was 99% full that didn’t happen. Also the pursuer sometimes acknowledges your status with a bottle of champagne on the flight. Not only have I read about it I’ve next to the person who got it. Despite the plane being 4.5 hours late including 3 hours on the plane waiting for a slot nothing. I have taken advantage of increased Avios flight availablity which was nice but I’m never going to be in a position to take advantage of forcing them to open up availablity for double Avios.
So for me Silver is the sweat spot, easier to achieve and with basic lounge.
I tihnk you are probably right yes. At least with LHR as your primary airport. Some very nice OW Emerald experiences to be found elsewhere in the world though, from check in areas to lounges and proper boarding processes!
P.S. I think you mean Silver is the sweet spot. The sweat spot is of course MAN Terminal 3 security in July and August, the heat building up alongside the frustration under that low ceiling.
Being able to use the CX First lounges at LHR T3 and HKG is probably the biggest attraction of BA Gold for me. It’s good CX play fully with oneworld rules unlike BA & Qatar.
You went through the first wing, yet say you’re thinking about a TP run to earn gold. So you had a first class ticket, but used the first lounge not the Concorde Room?
What relevance Asian Business lounges to London.
The champagne remark is a nonsense. You may as a gold travelling in economy be offered something from forward, but that’s not a published benefit.
Your post seems very confused, why do you have status/or are interested in an airline you don’t want to use. You’ve taken advantage of the extra Avios seats available to golds, but you’re thinking of a TP run, either you are gold or you are not.
Of course they can’t keep the seat next to you empty on full flights, but that’s a nice thing they try to do, and it does work. It’s also not a published benefit, so why whinge it didn’t happen.
Frankly your post looks like you wanted to slag off BA, which really isn’t hard, but somehow you managed to miss several open goals.
@Dougzz99 I don’t think he was flying in First Class – I think he was using the First Wing having attained Gold status for the first time.
I have to say from reading the BA FlyerTalk board and seeing the issues people who have GGL and higher have I think I agree with OP that Silver is the sweet spot as while it may not get you access to the First Wing or Galleries First which is really the Gold status lounge, you do get lounge access. And it is far easier to retain Silver with only 600TP per year.
It depends on your flying patterns in my view.
If you always fly Business, Silver isn’t worth much. You get free seat reservations, but, if you’re not flying enough to attain Gold, the monetary value over the course of a year is small. If you normally fly Economy, Silver is great as you get lounge access and priority check-in.
Flying Business, Gold has it’s attractions. Although the First lounge is pretty rubbish, the First check-in and security experience is pretty sweet. As a cyclist, I value the First wing’s policy of taking outsize luggage straight out of your hands, for example. And, as has been said earlier, the T3 Gold experience is great in the Cathay First lounge.
I’ve never been spoken to by name in Club Europe, but most long haul crew drop by for a chat in recognition of status – not a big deal, but a nice touch. If you’re not in row 1, most short haul crew will give you first choice on theenu; that means little to me as I’m not a fussy eater.
Which brings me to the best part of being Gold in my short experience – being able to book Row 1 on Club Europe. BA’s short haul fleet is pretty uncomfortable, but the front row (1C excepted) is by dlf ar the best of a bad bunch. In these days of vast Club Europe cabins – 56 people on my last flight – it’s also a big benefit being at the front from a service perspective.
Overall, though, status is only worth chasing if you regularly fly Economy in my view.
@AJA OK. But why credit to BAEC to achieve gold if you think it’s so meh. If you’re gold why talk about a TP run to achieve gold. The post makes little sense, and is all rather random. I get OW Emerald has value outside BA, but not on Lufthansa or Singapore.
I agree as I think most do Silver is the sweet spot at 600TP.
@jj Row 1 is nicer, but the overhead lack is annoying. Outside of Row 1, CE is for me inferior to exit row in ET, as I’m far more interested in seat/leg room then food/drink.
Seat selection on LH is of ever deceasing importance to me, as CS rolls out the seats have no meaningful differences.
The first lounge may not be what people would like, but is vastly superior to Galleries and the 2 contract lounges in T5A. I can’t mention the first lounge without again highlighting the absolutely appalling toilets, which I can’t believe BA fail to address.
@dougzz99 I was trying to be helpful to people like me who go out of their way to achieve gold by doing tier point runs etc. Gold is not all it’s cracked up to be. The lounge was a shock.They will have read of the benefits and if like me they have been to Asian lounges then don’t expect anything like that.
There are many blogs and YouTube videos out there pointing out the unofficial benefits, my point was don’t expect it.I wasn’t whining about the seat next to, it was a full flight
I wanted status mostly for first class lounges in Europe. What I didn’t realise how poor they were and at many European airports it’s only business. So in future I’ll stick to Silver.
However if others fly economy with BA in outside of Europe there are some real benefits, not so much if you fly in business and of course none in First. And for anything above economy there are much better products at a cheaper price.
Always best to do your research in advance before trying to achieve something – plenty on YouTube vids of Galleries First at T5, to help manage expectations. And a quick look at the OneWorld website in the lounges directory would tell you that there’s no First lounge in Madrid, which is to be expected as Iberia doesn’t operate any flights with a First cabin.
I don’t think you were clear. Asian lounges are a complete irrelevance, it’s like saying what you get for £300/night in New York is awful compared to £300/night in Vietnam.
Honestly if you credited 1500 TP of flying to BA without some research you have only yourself to blame. Comparing Lufthansa first to BA (gold) status lounge is not like for like, typically Lufty like AF prices reflect the vastly superior service of their first class.
I’m not quite sure what first class lounges in Europe means. Madrid, Helsinki and London are the European hubs, and the lounges are adequate. Most European lounges are rooms with some very poor food and drink, that’s the reality. Cathay and Qantas in T3 have nicer lounges, but they’re frequently spoken of in ways that completely oversell them.
You never fly BA long haul but wanted status. I just find the whole basis of your posts confusing and I’m still not sure what point you’re trying to make.
Is this a wind up ? “I wanted status for the first class lounges in Europe’, when were these introduced ? (Lots at LHR and one at LGW I agree).
IB doesn’t have an F class so they are unlikely to open F lounges in MAD or BCN.
The only OWE lounges that I can remember in Europe are HEL, FRA and of course there was the CX in CDG, but BA has changed terminals and CX closed the lounge.
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