BA Status - Gold and Silver

[wastedlife]

To revert to the original question, I've had a GC for 16 years now, and was about to get Gold For Life in summer 2020 and then everything went wrong. I'll probably stagger over the line next summer and bizarrely then have no incentive to renew ever again and will start flying Virgin.
The things I appreciate(d) about it are getting out of the zoo that is (was) T5 and into the lounge, but even that experience isn't what it was in the old days of T1/T4 after IAG's rather brutal cost cutting. Galleries lounges I found very missable, and come mid afternoon the Gold/First lounge often looked like a bomb site, and a lot of the cooked food was particularly foul. Elemis spa was good. First wing was very much appreciated to get out of the other T5 security queues. Had a good number of random upgrades, which usually came when I was entirely inappropriately dressed for the higher cabin - trips to India wearing very ripped jeans and home from Brazil when my adidas trackies had split and the boarding pass came back with a J to F upgrade stick in the memory as particularly embarrassing.

Fully agree on T3. BA lounges there are better than T5 I think, and the CX lounge was magnificent with one of the best showers I've ever had - like being in a monsoon.

I stopped travelling for business 5 years ago - which I didn't miss - and my travel since was pretty much purely personal and that I do miss as I want to get back to see mates around the world and go see some interesting places. The limited flying I've done since March 2020 has been pretty eerie in general - the Thursday before the end of May bank holiday I went up to Scotland, and from 4pm to close, counted 13 departures from T5, two of which were Qatar, two were American and three were cargo only. Off to Greece soon, so hopefully there's more life in the place these days.

 

[nlogax]

Sitting in T5 Galleries South Lounge while typing this, and can't help but think the place looks a bit tired after a decade of use. Wouldn't mind if it returned to the pre-Covid self service model too. Hopefully it will once all US-bound business picks back up next month.

 

[Butts]

Sitting in T5 Galleries South Lounge while typing this, and can't help but think the place looks a bit tired after a decade of use. Wouldn't mind if it returned to the pre-Covid self service model too. Hopefully it will once all US-bound business picks back up next month.

I was delayed in Dublin this morning for a couple of hours and used the Lounge there. It is much smaller obviously, but you can help yourself to everything except alcohol none of this QR Code nonsense.

Being rather new to this Silver Status I noticed The Galleries North and South in T5 are both tatty as is Edinburgh.

They must all be due a major refurbishment including new furniture.

Are the Glasgow and Aberdeen ones similarly dishevelled ?

I am most intrigued about Inverness as well as it sounds like a broom cupboard and I will be there next month.

 

[SickyNicky]

At least your lounges were open. All of the OneWorld lounges at Frankfurt were closed when I was there a few weeks ago. In fact, it seems that a lot of the European OneWorld / BA lounges are still closed.

At T5, the best silver lounge (by far) is the one in the B gates (although it might still be closed - I don't know for sure). You can still access this from A, B or C by using the train or walkway outbound and using the walkway if you need to get back to A. The walkway seems to me to be one of the best kept Heathrow secrets. It's always deserted and makes for a good walk airside.

 

[RJ]

Never had status, but I fly in J/F for long haul leisure trips with whichever airline works best. I'm of the opinion that basically living in the sky is actually quite challenging and the perks status bring make it more palatable for those who fly frequently.

BA miles or Avios or Airmiles (what are they called now?) were more useful for hire cars and hotels. But you had to buy higher price flights to accumulate a reasonable number. But still a useful benefit.

Avios. There are other ways to get them - they can be generated ad infinitum without ever setting foot on an aeroplane. They are useful indeed - can ping 50k over to Nectar every month for £400 worth of points to spend in Sainsbury's or on eBay. If you earn more than you can spend then car hire and hotels are indeed an option, but I think more value is to be had redeeming them against flights. Short haul in Europe and Asia (with alliance partners) tend to be good value. Redeeming on BA business or first can be ok depending on how high the fees and taxes are.

Very nicely said!

I’ve also always especially cringed at the bag tags - I’m not particularly proud that I’m part of some apparently “exclusive club” of people who have to (or get to) travel more than others.

I take the benefits because they come as part of my default regular travel routes, but I certainly never going looking for them.

I wonder if there’s a bag-tag-displaying member here to give their alter-view - would genuinely be interested to hear!

I'm indifferent about the tags. My only thought is I'm sure the baggage handlers couldn't care less about them and they'll get handled in the same way as untagged luggage!

 

[SickyNicky]

The one time the gold bag tag was useful for me was when changing in Doha. I went into the (long) security queue and was promptly pulled out by an official who had seen my tag and escorted me to the front.

But I agree that generally I don't bother.

 

[Butts]

The one time the gold bag tag was useful for me was when changing in Doha. I went into the (long) security queue and was promptly pulled out by an official who had seen my tag and escorted me to the front.

But I agree that generally I don't bother.

I bet you were popular with the other people in the queue

 

[SickyNicky]

I bet you were popular with the other people in the queue

It was late at night after a seriously long flight from Auckland with a tight connection to Manchester. I wasn't really in the mood for being egalitarian.

On the plus side, I can report that the first class lounge at Doha is excellent.

 

[Royston Vasey]

It was late at night after a seriously long flight from Auckland with a tight connection to Manchester. I wasn't really in the mood for being egalitarian.

On the plus side, I can report that the first class lounge at Doha is excellent.

I do often try to read the expiry dates on those gold tags on people's bags, their purpose seems mainly to show off (!) and I do wonder how many are still in date! I still have a couple myself, long expired but were the same design as current last time I flew, and I could probably have got away with flashing them in that circumstance!

I trust you mean the Al Safwa first class lounge, as the Oneworld "First Class Lounge" (Emerald) is fairly mediocre, the "Business Class Lounge" (Sapphire) is really rather poor and always packed.

The good news is that once you've shown your boarding pass at the bottom of the escalator, nobody checks if you turn left (Business Class lounge) or right (First Class lounge) at the top!

 

[SickyNicky]

I do often try to read the expiry dates on those gold tags on people's bags, their purpose seems mainly to show off (!) and I do wonder how many are still in date! I still have a couple myself, long expired but were the same design as current last time I flew, and I could probably have got away with flashing them in that circumstance!

I trust you mean the Al Safwa first class lounge, as the Oneworld "First Class Lounge" (Emerald) is fairly mediocre, the "Business Class Lounge" (Sapphire) is really rather poor and always packed.

The good news is that once you've shown your boarding pass at the bottom of the escalator, nobody checks if you turn left (Business Class lounge) or right (First Class lounge) at the top!

I took the lift and wasn't checked at all Not sure what lounge it was (it was late at night) but it was certainly better than the 1CL in Heathrow. Unfortunately I only had half an hour or so there.

 

[Brooke]

The walkway seems to me to be one of the best kept Heathrow secrets. It's always deserted and makes for a good walk airside.

Yes! Apparently I’m not alone in thinking this then! I quite enjoy the walk, especially after a long flight, and it’s not that much slower (if at all).

Back on the Gold / Silver discussion, at T5, I also tend to prefer the B gates lounge vs all others. If I’m flying from A gates, I often don’t bother with a lounge at all unless it’s for more than an hour.

And finally… have my first flight since two years out of City Airport tomorrow - will be interesting to see how it compares to pre-Pandemic (overcrowded) times.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Yes! Apparently I’m not alone in thinking this then! I quite enjoy the walk, especially after a long flight, and it’s not that much slower (if at all).

Back on the Gold / Silver discussion, at T5, I also tend to prefer the B gates lounge vs all others. If I’m flying from A gates, I often don’t bother with a lounge at all unless it’s for more than an hour.

And finally… have my first flight since two years out of City Airport tomorrow - will be interesting to see how it compares to pre-Pandemic (overcrowded) times.

Outbound with a long wait the walkway is useful for using the B lounge when travelling from A.

But my best T5 hack is when getting off the transit on arrival from B or C, don't take the escalators with the masses but walk straight ahead to the lifts which rapidly take you direct to passport control as the escalators snake slowly one way and then the other to the same place. You can overtake an entire transit full of people and be first to the immigration!

The Lift of Champions. If you know you know.

 

[Brooke]

Outbound with a long wait the walkway is useful for using the B lounge when travelling from A.

But my best T5 hack is when getting off the transit on arrival from B or C, don't take the escalators with the masses but walk straight ahead to the lifts which rapidly take you direct to passport control as the escalators snake slowly one way and then the other to the same place. You can overtake an entire transit full of people and be first to the immigration!

The Lift of Champions. If you know you know.

Yep, that’ll be one of my tricks as well!

Knowing when to take the lift vs escalator in various spots around LHR can easily make the difference which Heathrow Express you get.

 

[SickyNicky]

Yep. We're giving away all the secrets here. I always use the lift as well.

But meh! about going from City Airport. No lounge there. The only benefit is the late check in that's possible.

 

[Brooke]

So I was at City as mentioned this afternoon.

BA bag drop was pretty busy so took advantage of the biz class lane as a cardholder and saved a few mins.

The rest of the airport seemed pretty quiet tho compared to “old times” - no queue at security, plenty of places to hang out.

BA Cityflyer as good as ever - always seem to have had great staff.

 

[Butts]

Is The Gold Lounge in T5 normally a lot quieter than The Galleries ones, the latter are becoming somewhat reminiscent of Motorway Service Station Cafes just lately.

Think the situation may improve as it is rumoured self-service will be returning soon, it's nigh on impossible to get served if you have no smartphone.

 

[AlterEgo]

Is The Gold Lounge in T5 normally a lot quieter than The Galleries ones, the latter are becoming somewhat reminiscent of Motorway Service Station Cafes just lately.

Think the situation may improve as it is rumoured self-service will be returning soon, it's nigh on impossible to get served if you have no smartphone.

I've travelled twice since this summer and it was busy both times. Although it is a shame to hear self service is coming back; I rather liked the online ordering.

 

[Brooke]

I've travelled twice since this summer and it was busy both times. Although it is a shame to hear self service is coming back; I rather liked the online ordering.

I find both to be pretty busy, often bordering on intrusively so.

Sometimes I’ve gone to the silver lounge on finding the gold one busy, and found silver to be quieter.

Two other reflections:
1) i find the lounge at the north end at T5 even more carousel-like than the south and so avoid it altogether
2) I think this busy-ness is a main reason why some people, me included, prefer the B gates lounge at peak times