After being a Gold or Gold Guest List cardholder with BA for about the last 13 years, I will drop to Silver from 1 April. While it may feel like a bad April Fool’s joke, sadly, this is the reality for what I would guess are the majority of TLFL’s readers who were previously loyal to BA. While some people have decided to try a different oneworld airline’s loyalty scheme, and some have defected to other alliances, many more like me have decided to give up chasing status and go with the best value/most convenient flights.
As my travel patterns have changed, it is not worth me pursuing status with one airline. So this article will look at some of the things you can do to make travelling more comfortable without status or with low status that does not give lounge access.
In this post:
Fast track
Fast Track is available to buy at most airports and starts at £12.99 for Heathrow and £6 for Gatwick if you book online. There are also ways to get this cheaper or free. At Heathrow you can book up to 24 hours in advance for a timeslot up to 2 hours before your flight. You can find the details here.
Fast Track Departures is included with Business First Class tickets on Heathrow Express. Whether you have a single from Paddington to Heathrow or a return ticket on Business First Class, you get Fast Trakc security at Heathrow. All you need to do is go to the Fast Track Departures area in your terminal once you’ve checked in. Present your airline boarding card and Heathrow Express Business First ticket to the officer at the desk.
If you are booking airport official parkling with an airport it is always worth checking if there is an option to add Fast Track security as often it will be discounted.
Lounge access options and alternatives
As my local airport for my Spanish apartment is only served by Easyjet from my nearest airport, I am now mainly reliant on 3rd party lounges. For this I use Priority Pass which works well for me. There are other similar schemes such as Dragon Pass.
Here are some of the ways to get a lounge pass without paying as you go:
Priority Pass
- American Express Platinum: This comes with a free Priority Pass, which allows you to also take a guest on each visit. You can also get a supplementary card for free, which gives you a second PP, ideal if you travel as a family of 4. They also give 8 booking fee credits per year. worth £48. It is not necessary to book in advance, but during busy periods it is highly advised. The card costs a hefty £650 a year, but you can pay monthly. However, given that you get £400 dining credit, two Priority Pass cards (for 1,550+ lounges, allowing 4 people total), hotel status including Hilton and Marriott, and comprehensive travel insurance, it is a pretty good deal. I reckon with all the cashback offers, I make a profit on my card!
- HSBC Premier Credit Card / Premier World Elite Mastercard: The World Elite card provides free lounge access, while the standard Premier credit card offers access for a fee of £24 per visit.
- American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card: Provides four free Priority Pass lounge visits per year.
- Halifax World Elite Mastercard: Includes a Priority Pass for access to over 1,300 lounges.
- Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard: Offers free Priority Pass access.
- Buy Priority Pass direct: There is currently a 20% off promotion here.
DragonPass
- NatWest/Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) – Premier Reward Black Account: Provides unlimited access to over 1,100 lounges worldwide for the account holder and a joint account holder. It includes a digital DragonPass card, a monthly fee (£31-£36), and strict eligibility (e.g., £100,000 income or savings).
- Ulster Bank – ufirst Private Account: Offers unlimited DragonPass lounge access for £26 a month, requiring a £75k income or £100k savings.
- Barclays – Travel Plus Pack: An add-on to a standard Barclays account (£22.50/month) that provides 6 free lounge visits per year.
- Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard: Offers four free lounge passes per year when held with a Barclays Premier Banking account and Avios Rewards.
- Revolut – Ultra: Provides free, unlimited airport lounge access.
- Revolut – Premium & Metal: Offer discounted lounge passes (£22 per visit) via the app.
Lounge alternatives
Airport Restaurants
If you don’t want to commit to a lounge pass, often a restaurant can be a better option than a lounge in many airports.
- Gordon Ramsay Plane Food (Heathrow T5): Fine dining with panoramic runway views, offering sit-down meals and high-end “picnic” bags to take on board. Takes reservations.
- Le Café Cyril Lignac (Heathrow T2): An upscale new addition featuring French cuisine, including truffle croque monsieur, located within the Louis Vuitton space.
- Gail’s Bakery (Gatwick South): A popular “neighborhood bakery” perfect for high-quality pastries and coffee.
- Shan Shui (Heathrow T2): A highly-rated restaurant offering popular Asian cuisine. Takes reservations.
- The Breakfast Club (Gatwick North): Known for reliable, substantial breakfasts and brunch.
- Fortnum & Mason Seafood bar Heathrow T5: Champagne and seafood plates.
- Wild Olive Heathrow T4: vibrant, no-fuss dining experience where Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours fuse with mezze, flatbreads and cocktails.
- San Carlo Manchester: A chic Italian restaurant and bar, with a traditional yet innovative menu and fantastic views of the runways
Private Terminals
The latest trend in luxury travel is for private terminals that mimic private jet terminals. Aether at Manchester usually offers great-value promotions. You can read our review of the experience here.
The standalone private terminal has prices starting from £99 per person
This price is exclusively for guests traveling with cabin bags and includes:
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One course from the Adam Reid menu and two complimentary drinks
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Access to aether terminal private security
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Chauffeur-driven car to gate
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Arrive up to 2.5 hours before departure
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Must arrive at least 60 mins before departure
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There is currently 40% off aether Arrivals when you spend £300 or more on Express International, Express Domestic, Inclusive Arrival Cabin or Inclusive Arrival Checked Bag packages:
- Valid on bookings made between 23 February and 30 April 2026 for travel between 23 February and 30 April 2026
- Minimum spend of £300 on Arrivals packages
There is also 30% off departures when you book aether for travel between April and September 2026:
- Valid on bookings made between 5 and 31 January 2026 for travel between 1 April and 30 September 2026
- Minimum spend of £390
- Use the code 30OFFSUMMER at checkout, and your discount will be applied automatically
On board
Food and drink
You can get a gourmet inflight picnic to take on board from a number of restaurants at Heathrow, including Plane Food and Fortum and Mason. You can find further details here.
With most UK airports now having the new scanners, there is also more scope to bring your own food without having to worry about what counts as liquids. Most airports have a landside M&S Food which always has great options for a DIY picnic.
Booking an extra seat for comfort
Airlines with Online Booking Options
- Ryanair: You can book two tickets and enter “EXTRA” as the first name and “COMFORT SEAT” as the last name for the second ticket.
- United Airlines: Select two seats during booking and enter “ExtraSeat” in the first name field with your last name in the last name field.
- Delta Air Lines: Use the code “EXST” as the first name and your last name as the last name.
- JetBlue: Provides step-by-step instructions on its official website for purchasing an additional seat for comfort or social distancing.
- TUI: Allows adding an additional seat at the time of booking or completing a separate “flight-only” booking online.
- EasyJet: you need to book an additional ticket/seat next to yours using these details:
- First Name: OBJ [Your name]
- Last Name: OBJ [Your surname]
Airlines Requiring Direct Contact
- British Airways: Contact customer service to discuss options and ensure the two seats are assigned adjacent to each other.
- Virgin Atlantic: Offers the option to purchase an extra seat in any cabin for the cost of a ticket (excluding taxes), but this must be done via customer service.
- Air France: Offers a 25% discount on a second seat in Economy for personal comfort. You must contact them to ensure the seat remains empty and is exempted from taxes.
- Finnair: Allows reserving an extra seat by paying the airfare without taxes, but requires booking via chat or phone.
- Emirates: Allows extra seat bookings on many long-haul routes, though availability must be verified by calling reservations
Alternative “Empty Seat” Bidding & Programs
- Etihad Airways: Features a “Neighbour Free” offer where passengers can bid on up to three additional neighboring seats starting 72 hours before departure.
- Qantas: Provides a “Neighbour Free” travel option on select routes, allowing passengers to purchase the adjacent seat at a dynamic price.
- Virgin Australia: Operates a “Neighbour-Free Seating” programme where eligible passengers (in Economy only) can bid to keep a middle seat vacant.
- Fiji Airways: Offers a “My Bubble” seat purchase from 72 hours up to 4 hours before the flight.
Important to note:
- Tax Refunds: Many airlines (like Air France and Virgin Atlantic) waive or refund the taxes and fees on the extra seat, meaning you only pay the base fare.
- Check-in: If you book a second seat, you must check in for both tickets. Failure to do so may result in the airline reassigning the “empty” seat to another passenger.
Seat selection and baggage
If you have spare Avios to get rid of, you can use them to pay for seats and baggage:
British Airways
- Seat Selection:
- How to do it: You generally cannot do this during the initial booking. Instead, you must complete your booking first, then go to Manage My Booking.
- Payment: The option to pay with Avios appears on the final payment page after you have selected your seats.
- Value: It is typically considered lower value (often around 0.55p per Avios) compared to booking Reward Flights.
- Extra Baggage:
- Pre-payment: You can pay for up to 10 extra bags using Avios or a “Cash + Avios” combination through Manage My Booking before you check in.
- Restriction: You cannot use Avios to pay for baggage at the airport; you must do it online in advance.
Qatar Airways
- Seats: You can select preferred seats (like extra legroom or window/aisle) and pay using a combination of cash and Avios on qatarairways.com.
- Baggage: Similar to seats, you can purchase additional weight or bags using Avios.
- Note: If you have an Avios Reward Flight in Business Class, be aware that Qatar recently introduced seat selection fees for “Saver” level awards unless you have Oneworld Sapphire (BA Silver) or Emerald (BA Gold) status.
“Buying” status
There are two ways to buy status. One is a paid status match, and the other is through the EasyJet Plus scheme. Most airlines now offer status matches, which can often include matching hotel status or matching BA Bronze status. It could be worth paying for status for even one flight if you work out how much you would have to pay for seat selection, lounge access, and baggage. Staus matches usually start from £99. Have a look through TLFL for the most recent status matches or this website lists all the airlines and status match opportunities.
EasyJet Plus is a good option if you would normally pay for seat selection, hand baggage or Speedy Boarding on a regular basis. As well as including free seat selection, a free large hand luggage item, and Speedy Boarding, you also get Fast Track security and 10% off on board food and drink. It costs £249 for a year, and you can get 10% off with Mastercard. You can add a card for your partner for £215 and £155 for children.
There are also a number of partnerships between airlines and hotel groups, which can help you get status:
- Marriott Bonvoy & United Airlines: If you hold Marriott Titanium Elite or Ambassador Elite status, you can link your accounts to receive complimentary United MileagePlus Premier Silver status.
- World of Hyatt & American Airlines: These programs share a reciprocal partnership. Elite members in either program (e.g., Hyatt Discoverist and above) can link accounts to earn bonus points/miles on both stays and flights. Occasionally, they offer exclusive status challenges to Hyatt elites to earn AAdvantage status.
- Accor Live Limitless (ALL) & Qatar Airways: Linking these accounts can allow Accor Gold members to fast-track to Qatar Privilege Club Silver, and Accor Platinum members to match to Qatar Gold status (which includes Oneworld Sapphire perks like lounge access) after just one qualifying flight.
- Marriott Bonvoy & Emirates: The “Your World Rewards” program offers reciprocal earning and sometimes accelerated status paths for Marriott Gold elites and above
What are your top tips for flying without status? Let us know in the comments below.
1 comment
Technically you will become silver on 30 April I understand.