Priority Pass becoming worthless?

[RogerB]

I have had a Priority Pass card since 1999 and never mind turning up early at airports because I know I can relax in a lounge. However I have had the following problems recently:
– Aspire at Bristol will only admit pre-booked passengers, and you cannot book if you have PP
– Aspire at Heathrow T5 was not admitting PP customers as all tables were ‘pre-sold’
– Galdos at Gran Canaria had queues down the stairs and was only admitting Business Class passengers

I resent the fact that airlines and companies are selling lounge access and Priority Pass are leaving loyal members like me literally ‘out in the cold’.

I think we need a thread on the site for lounges and Priority Pass.

[can]

Plus the declining quality of the lounges.

I guess I accepted that for high season my PP won’t do any good. For my business travel, I can still expect soMe good from it.

[roger]

Also no lounge open at T4 currently using PP.

[Blair Waldorf Salad]

It’d be interesting to know of anyone who purchases PP directly from PP whether they get regular compensation for being unable to use the product. I know there’s the whole ‘subject to availability’ malarkey but it’s well beyond that at this stage and heading into non-fulfilment of service purchased.

[strickers]

Yep, Amex Plat will be going soon. Just waiting for six months from last retention bonus, PP worthless, AL useless if you live outside London and almost useless if you do, £50 HN barely covers one months fee, Oxo Tower food wasn’t much better than decent pub food.

[dougzz99]

I wonder what Amex have had in way of incentive to remain with PP. It’s really very useless, and they must be aware of this. Part of my Platinum cancellation argument, was that PP was of zero value. PP turning lounges over to airlines for guaranteed income, whilst not accommodating their own customers. Selling same capacity twice and don’t care.

[Colin MacKinnon]

Yes.

[dst87]

I’ve seen so many comments with issues recently – what’s changed? Are more people using lounges than before? Reduced capacity? It all seems to have gone to crap and I’ve not got a clear understanding of why.

[Lady London]

Blair Waldorf Salad wrote:

It’d be interesting to know of anyone who purchases PP directly from PP whether they get regular compensation for being unable to use the product. I know there’s the whole ‘subject to availability’ malarkey but it’s well beyond that at this stage and heading into non-fulfilment of service purchased.

No PP simply refuses to acknowledge the issues. Amex, who tout Priority Pass lounge access as a core benefit of the American Express Platinum card that users pay £600 to Amex for each year, the same. As well as the useless Priority Pass, American Express also fob their UK cardholders off with an unuseable Addison Lee transport credit, whereas American Express gives USA Platinum cardholders transport credit with Uber.

Priority Pass only, far, far too late and not useably, credited 3 extra months after 2 years of lounges having been virtually unavailable worldwide during Covid. So not just the UK problems with Priority Pass. Priority Pass kept on selling when they knew there were no lounges worldwide which IMV is close to fraud.

But miraculously, the guy that owns Collinson, that Rob interviewed, still had enough money to buy No.1 Lounges that folded during Covid.

Rob maintains a dignified silence on such matters 🙂

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[Lady London]

dst87 wrote:

I’ve seen so many comments with issues recently – what’s changed? Are more people using lounges than before? Reduced capacity? It all seems to have gone to crap and I’ve not got a clear understanding of why.

A constant issue for years now in the UK.

[Blair Waldorf Salad]

Lady London wrote:

Blair Waldorf Salad wrote:

It’d be interesting to know of anyone who purchases PP directly from PP whether they get regular compensation for being unable to use the product. I know there’s the whole ‘subject to availability’ malarkey but it’s well beyond that at this stage and heading into non-fulfilment of service purchased.

No PP simply refuses to acknowledge the issues. Amex, who tout Priority Pass lounge access as a core benefit of the American Express Platinum card that users pay £600 to Amex for each year, the same. As well as the useless Priority Pass, American Express also fob their UK cardholders off with an unuseable Addison Lee transport credit, whereas American Express gives USA Platinum cardholders transport credit with Uber.

Priority Pass only, far, far too late and not useably, credited 3 extra months after 2 years of lounges having been virtually unavailable worldwide during Covid. So not just the UK problems with Priority Pass. Priority Pass kept on selling when they knew there were no lounges worldwide which IMV is close to fraud.

But miraculously, the guy that owns Collinson, that Rob interviewed, still had enough money to buy No.1 Lounges that folded during Covid.

Rob maintains a dignified silence on such matters 🙂

This being the same Collinson that are selling their Smart Delay add-on to travel insurance providers and Revolut, which automatically gives an access pass for a lounge once a given period of flight delay has been reached. Makes me wonder who gets to queue closer to the door for non-access; PP holders or Smart Delay access holders.

[can]

Can we be hopeful that after the post-pandemic chaos lounge business will get even better? More Amex lounges, more Plaza locations etc..

We all cannot be that pessimistic?

[JDB]

can wrote:

Can we be hopeful that after the post-pandemic chaos lounge business will get even better? More Amex lounges, more Plaza locations etc..

We all cannot be that pessimistic?

Unfortunately in the current environment, there will be less investment going into lounges to open new ones or maintain/upgrade existing generic ones (vs airline ones) and with all the extensions of status that have been granted, increased travel, plus misuse, things won’t improve.

[Pangolin]

Blair Waldorf Salad wrote:

This being the same Collinson that are selling their Smart Delay add-on to travel insurance providers and Revolut, which automatically gives an access pass for a lounge once a given period of flight delay has been reached. Makes me wonder who gets to queue closer to the door for non-access; PP holders or Smart Delay access holders.

Smart Delay holders for sure. Had a Wizz 2hr delay notification on WAW-LPL last week and Revolut accepted it within 15 minutes of registering the delay. It comes through as a Lounge Key purchase with a QR code that looks exactly like you’ve bought it yourself. Headed straight to Bolero NS lounge, showed them the QR code and said “I purchased a lounge pass via Lounge Key”

No issues 🙂

[Angelamc11]

Currently in Edinburgh Aspire at Gate 16. Managed to blag my way in with the PP. The guy on reception is turning everyone with a card away. Yet the Lounge is about a fifth full. Empty tables everywhere. Some very irate customers, including one guy standing at the entrance to see if there are hoards of people coming, as the reception guy insisted this was why he couldn’t come in – despite the emptiness of the
lounge.

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[Lady London]

Yeah it’s a con. The major lounge groups got fed up with being paid b*gg*r all by Priority Pass, so now empty or full, in the UK at least, h*ll has to freeze over before they will grant a Priority Pass entry. For some this seems to operate at all times based on reports, for others at any time when they might become busy they will only accept Priority Pass if the holder has paid them more money directly. Because Priority Pass won’t.

All conjecture by me based on my UK experience – and I’m lucky wuth lounges but not tried since Covid – and reports by others in various places over years now all saying the same – denied entry to lounge with Priority Pass when ample space clearly available. But miraculously, retiring for a moment and using phone to “reserve” paying lounge supplement, return to queue again, entry granted. Same lounge (maybe even fuller than when you first tried).

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[Aston100]

Priority Pass is a borderline scam these days.

[polly]

Got a miserly 1k MRs from Amex after daughter being denied entry at 2 places. Asked for 5k x 2. Then got £10 credit another time. Always worth a call to Amex, if you put big spend through…..good will gesture

[RogerB]

Lady London wrote:

Blair Waldorf Salad wrote:

It’d be interesting to know of anyone who purchases PP directly from PP whether they get regular compensation for being unable to use the product. I know there’s the whole ‘subject to availability’ malarkey but it’s well beyond that at this stage and heading into non-fulfilment of service purchased.

No PP simply refuses to acknowledge the issues. Amex, who tout Priority Pass lounge access as a core benefit of the American Express Platinum card that users pay £600 to Amex for each year, the same. As well as the useless Priority Pass, American Express also fob their UK cardholders off with an unuseable Addison Lee transport credit, whereas American Express gives USA Platinum cardholders transport credit with Uber.

I think what is changing is lounges actively doing deals with Holiday Extras and airlines to sell capacity via them and give people who have purchased entry the right to reserve a table for 2 hours while PP d not provide us with the ability to book a time slot. Grrrrr!

Priority Pass only, far, far too late and not useably, credited 3 extra months after 2 years of lounges having been virtually unavailable worldwide during Covid. So not just the UK problems with Priority Pass. Priority Pass kept on selling when they knew there were no lounges worldwide which IMV is close to fraud.

But miraculously, the guy that owns Collinson, that Rob interviewed, still had enough money to buy No.1 Lounges that folded during Covid.

Rob maintains a dignified silence on such matters 🙂

[RogerB]

It really makes me annoyed that lounges do deals with Holiday Extras and airlines to sell capacity with a guaranteed reserved table and guaranteed access while PP do not give us the ability, even for a small supplement (although why should we pay it), to make a similar reservation. It really gets me cross. No acknowledgement of loyalty or the fact we kept Collinson afloat while others went under in the last two years.

[Lady London]

Blair Waldorf Salad wrote:

Lady London wrote:

Blair Waldorf Salad wrote:

It’d be interesting to know of anyone who purchases PP directly from PP whether they get regular compensation for being unable to use the product. I know there’s the whole ‘subject to availability’ malarkey but it’s well beyond that at this stage and heading into non-fulfilment of service purchased.

No PP simply refuses to acknowledge the issues. Amex, who tout Priority Pass lounge access as a core benefit of the American Express Platinum card that users pay £600 to Amex for each year, the same. As well as the useless Priority Pass, American Express also fob their UK cardholders off with an unuseable Addison Lee transport credit, whereas American Express gives USA Platinum cardholders transport credit with Uber.

Priority Pass only, far, far too late and not useably, credited 3 extra months after 2 years of lounges having been virtually unavailable worldwide during Covid. So not just the UK problems with Priority Pass. Priority Pass kept on selling when they knew there were no lounges worldwide which IMV is close to fraud.

But miraculously, the guy that owns Collinson, that Rob interviewed, still had enough money to buy No.1 Lounges that folded during Covid.

Rob maintains a dignified silence on such matters 🙂

This being the same Collinson that are selling their Smart Delay add-on to travel insurance providers and Revolut, which automatically gives an access pass for a lounge once a given period of flight delay has been reached. Makes me wonder who gets to queue closer to the door for non-access; PP holders or Smart Delay access holders.

Ahem and it’s the same Collinson that I read elsewhere this morning is also runming the BA shopping portal (BA avios e-store).

So now I understand why correctly earned points from March 2020 or so got clawed back from my BA estore account very recently. For no good reason. Apparently people are getting avios earned by shopping taken back just now from as early as 2019. Someone even got a message that this was happening – tnis is new as usually the points are discovered to have been taken back without any notification it seems. Sneaky.

[chrism20]

I can’t help but wonder what all the reviews from earlier in the year at these lounges would have been like had Rhys trotted up with a PP rather than direct access from Collinson. My theory is the reviews would have been incredibly different.

[Rob]

If you’ve got a complaint, aim it at Collinson. They choose to pay peanuts to the lounges, to the extent that they will take money off literally everyone else, from any source, rather than take a PP card. DragonPass pays more and has better acceptance.

Only a mug would own a lounge and turn down Qatar Airways when come along and offer £15 per person to buy 100 guaranteed spots every day, with only 30 or so likely to be used, vs take a Priority Pass cardholder paying a fraction of that.

That said, outside the UK I can’t remember the last time I was actually refused access to a PP lounge.

[BuildBackBetter]

What do Collinson pay the lounges? £10?

[can]

During the jubilee weekend, we flew back from Olbia. The PP lounge incorrectly charged me for my wife. She showed her own physical card and I showed my virtual card. Most likely the lady got confused and thought they were the same card. I saw a £20 charge on my Platinum.

Long story short, I called PP 4 times in two weeks. Explained the whole thing 4 times, send many emails to rectify it.

So, there is worse of the worst — their CS.