It used to be 2 hours before and an hour after.
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RailUK First Class Lounge Guide
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Butts
Veteran Member
Avanti's desecration of the 1st Class Lounges and service onboard has been a great disappointment (particularly the increase in fares).
They said they were moving towards an Airline type experience in terms of Lounges and Onboard Service.
Which Airline - Ryanair ?
Sitting in the BA Lounge at T3 sipping complimentary Moet Pink Champagne - will that ever happen in one of their Lounges ?
To be fair even the current parsimony of their lounges still knocks LNER's "Tea and Biscuits" Lounge experience into touch
They said they were moving towards an Airline type experience in terms of Lounges and Onboard Service.
Which Airline - Ryanair ?
Sitting in the BA Lounge at T3 sipping complimentary Moet Pink Champagne - will that ever happen in one of their Lounges ?
To be fair even the current parsimony of their lounges still knocks LNER's "Tea and Biscuits" Lounge experience into touch
It's currently closed due to "staff shortages", for who knows how long.
Butts
Veteran Member
Perhaps Avanti will hand out vouchers to spend at other outlets to compensate 1st Class Passengers
Currently in the First Class Lounge at Birmingham International all on my own awaiting a Train to Edinburgh.
Entered bang on time exactly one hour before my Train is due.
Hot Drinks Machine, Cold Drinks in Fridge, Fruit, Banana Bread, Pitta Chips, Cakes and of course UGLIES !!
Just had to let two people in as the buzzer system has failed.
Still no Newspapers despite what it says on their website - unless they have all gone
Birmingham International Lounge open - how weird is that ?
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I sent an email to EMR about their lounges and got this reply
I’m sorry to hear of your disappointment that the first class lounges being closed during your recent visit.
We have taken the difficult decision to close the first class lounges at the moment, and use the space as additional break out rooms for our staff to utilise. The reason for this is to prevent mixing of staff in confined areas, reducing the spread of Covid-19 and the risk of staff needing to isolate, meaning we can still operate planned services without disruption to our customers.
We do regularly review our current policies and procedures, and as soon as we feel it is safe to reintroduce the lounge for customers to utilise, our website will be updated.
I am sorry, in the meantime for any inconvenience and disappointment that this may cause.
Thank you for taking the time to get in contact with us.
Butts
Veteran Member
HamworthyGoods
Established Member
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Bearing in mind the current rapid rise in infections it makes a lot of sense to help staff spread out on their breaks and hopefully reduce the number off sick.
Butts
Veteran Member
So we can expect the imminent closure of all the other UK 1st Class Lounges ?
HamworthyGoods
Established Member
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That of course as you would expect depend on mess room sizes as the locations involved.
Blinkbonny
Member
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- 16 Mar 2018
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- 350
New Street appears to be closed until further notice. Liverpool also.
I popped into New Street lounge this morning - it seemed normal.
Blinkbonny
Member
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Good - but somebody should try telling the Avanti Website that!
www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk
| Birmingham International | 06:00 - 20:00 | 06:00 - 18:00 | 10:30 - 18:00 | Up the stairs from the platforms. Lift access available |
| Birmingham New Street | Closed | Closed | Closed | Located in the blue zone Get Directions |
First Class Lounges | Station Lounge Access | Avanti West Coast
Learn more about our First Class lounges at the station, with complimentary snacks & drinks, WiFi & designer chairs. Browse locations & opening hours here.
www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk
How silly!Good - but somebody should try telling the Avanti Website that!
Birmingham International 06:00 - 20:00 06:00 - 18:00 10:30 - 18:00 Up the stairs from the platforms. Lift access available Birmingham New Street Closed Closed Closed Located in the blue zone
Get Directions
First Class Lounges | Station Lounge Access | Avanti West Coast
Learn more about our First Class lounges at the station, with complimentary snacks & drinks, WiFi & designer chairs. Browse locations & opening hours here.
Don't know about now, but it was open when I travelled last September.
It was last month when I used it. Admittedly the situation may have changed since then.
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ScotTrains
Member
The Manchester Avanti lounge was also closed at the weekend due to "unforeseen circumstances".
Last week I used the Glasgow lounge in the morning. They only had porridge pots and apples! No pastries, cakes, bakewells, muffins, yogurts, bananas, biscuits, popcorn, uglies etc that they always used to have when it was Virgin.
Expecting a cooked breakfast onboard, followed by light lunch I then find out 1st class is declassified on both the two Avanti trains to get me to Birmingham! They couldn't even give us water onboard!
Hungry and thirsty, I then I find out the lounge at Birmingham is closed! Luckily there is a free water machine just outside the lounge.
Avanti 1st class service is getting ridiculous.
Avanti were meant to be opening new 1st class lounges. One at Preston and I think a couple elsewhere. Does anyone know if this is still the plan?
Last week I used the Glasgow lounge in the morning. They only had porridge pots and apples! No pastries, cakes, bakewells, muffins, yogurts, bananas, biscuits, popcorn, uglies etc that they always used to have when it was Virgin.
Expecting a cooked breakfast onboard, followed by light lunch I then find out 1st class is declassified on both the two Avanti trains to get me to Birmingham! They couldn't even give us water onboard!
Hungry and thirsty, I then I find out the lounge at Birmingham is closed! Luckily there is a free water machine just outside the lounge.
Avanti 1st class service is getting ridiculous.
Avanti were meant to be opening new 1st class lounges. One at Preston and I think a couple elsewhere. Does anyone know if this is still the plan?
Butts
Veteran Member
They had most of what you describe in the Lounge at Birmingham International when I was there last week.
At least you should get a rebate on your Ticket if 1st Class was declassified.
Apparently it should still be going ahead it would be interesting to see where they put it
What should still be going ahead?
ScotTrains
Member
The new Avanti first class lounges at Preston, Stockport and Rugby.
The delivery plan can be downloaded from this page: https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/about-us/whats-in-store
It suggests a date of Dec 2021 onwards for the new lounges.
Blinkbonny
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So they close the ones at Coventry and Wolverhampton and aim to open one at Rugby??
Thanks. That's not what he replied to.
Butts
Veteran Member
I think he meant the one in Preston and quoted me by mistake ?
Blinkbonny
Member
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New Street closed until further notice, due to "unforseen circumstances!"
Let's hope the hordes at Rugby have better luck.
Let's hope the hordes at Rugby have better luck.
Butts
Veteran Member
Although ironically International is open.
However that is unmanned and they let you in via a remote buzzer on production of your ticket to the camera.
When I was there the other week it was broken and Station Staff had to use a code on the panel to let you in.
A point of interest there were a couple of young "Spotters" in situ who had Child 1st Class Tickets from BHI to Sandwell & Dudley. I only know this as they were helping me with the meltdown in services which resulted in me going back home and travelling the next day.
My £68.50 BHI-HYM ticket from that day (11th July) has just been approved for Delay Repay.
It's entirely unreliable at the moment. It has been open during the current period of nominal closure (sample of once), but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.
Interestingly I saw one of the regular lounge staff working a New Street gateline - she said that that was being prioritised at the moment.
Edit added:
If it happened to fit, Birmingham International lounge is much more reliable.