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I recently flew LHR to MAD with my infant daughter, partner and my parents. One booking for the 3 of us (the on-lap infant had been tied to my name) and another booking for my parents, which were later linked by BA on the phone. I’m Gold and my partner Silver, parents both Blue. We checked in everything at the First Wing desks with an excellent agent, and then the plan was my partner would go through the family security lane with our daughter and mum, to then guest my mum into the business lounge – and I would take my dad into the First lounge as my guest. Approaching the First Wing lounge entry point (before security scan) with my dad, upon scanning our 2 boarding passes the lady stated that I already had a guest on the system, so my dad would have to go and use regular security and have no lounge access. I explained that I hadn’t entered the lounge yet and nor had I registered a guest. At first she stated our daughter was the guest on the system and I explained that not only is she not my guest, she’s under 2 so doesn’t count anyway. Then the lady changed her tune and said my partner was showing as the guest. To which I explained she is not with me right now and instead on her way to the business lounge to guest in my mum. There were a good few minutes where the answer was simply “the system says you have a guest so that’s that”. As a small queue formed behind, I politely asked for someone more senior, before she just said ok we can both enter. Just a really strange exchange with no attempt to listen or resolve the matter, rather a simple “computer says no” – let alone a poor understanding of the access rules. Not very premium at all – and I imagine quite a few pax passing through the FW may have been a little more vocal at being dismissed initially in such a way. P.s. kudos to the kind lady behind who offered her guest space although not needed in the end. P.p.s all 5 boarding passes stated group 1 – not sure if because I’m gold and bookings linked or due to having an infant with us?
Is there any chance that one of you used the wrong boarding pass and that’s why you were shown as already being in the system? I have done this a couple of times when all our BPs have been in the wallet on my phone and I haven’t checked closely which one I’m actually presenting!
Not on this occasion as we couldn’t check in online for some reason. So first BP’s issued were on paper at the FW – and each took their own. My dad and I would have been the first to present them to a LHR BA lounge scanner given within the FW itself.
A recent thread on flyer talk reported that a poster was offered £30 to not go into the Galleries first lounge, so the above may not even be the strangest conversation that happened at FW recently.
To me it does sound like the system somehow sees the lap infant as a guest and the agent may have actually guessed right but indeed should have proactively trying to find a solution as the actual policy does not match what the system was doing.
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