In this post:
BA Boston lounge refurbishment and closure
British Airways closed its Boston Logan International Airport Terminal E lounge this week for a comprehensive, multi-month renovation as part of its ongoing lounge modernisation program. The Boston lounge was always one of my favourites, particularly sitting at the bar with views of downtown Boston in the distance.
The closure began on 22 August 2026 and is expected to last approximately four months. The refurbishment will introduce British Airways’ new “Global Lounge Concept” design. Key upgrades include enhanced dining spaces, a modernised full-service bar, refreshed washrooms/shower facilities, and a significantly upgraded Concorde dining space for premium travellers.
There are arrangements in place for BA and oneworld airlines, but they vary by airline, class, and time of day.
First Class Passengers
- Evening Flights: First Class passengers departing on evening flights have lounge access to the Air France Lounge in Terminal E.
- Morning Flights: First Class passengers booked on morning departures will not get any lounge access, which is pretty poor. The Air France lounge is closed at this time, but I would not be very happy at all if I had paid for First Class and just got a voucher. Instead, they will receive the same value airport vouchers as business class passengers
Club World & Status Passengers
British Airways is issuing digital vouchers worth $45 per passenger. These vouchers can be redeemed for food, drinks, or retail items at participating airport outlets and restaurants across Terminal E. While it may sound a lot, in the airport you will be lucky to get a glass of wine (~£16 in Legal Seafood restaurant in the terminal) and a sandwich, never mind including a tip! It may be excusable for business and status passengers but this meagre amount is not good enough for First in my opinion.
British Airways finally introduces tier points value before booking
Despite claiming that the new The Club system would be easier for people to understand, one of the major flaws was not knowing how many tier points you would get before you booked. You could get a rough idea from the price, as £1 spent = 1 Tier Point. However, this only includes your fare and any carrier-imposed charges added by the airline. Non-airline taxes and fees, such as airport charges and government taxes, are excluded which makes it all a bit of a guess. Then they introduced even more complication with bonuses on ticket types and cabins, which made it even harder to work it out without looking it all up.
According to ba.com you can now see your estimated tier points, including any extra tier points, in the Review and Pay section of the booking process under Rewards. However, here is what it showed me:
So not what BA says will happen.
However, it is actually shown at any earlier stage of the booking which is much more useful as it allows you to compare fare types by Avios and tier points which can be useful if there is not much difference in price. Once you select a flight and the class of travel it will bring up the full range of available fare types with the relevant Avios and Tier points:
It’s a clever addition from BA; if I were looking to earn extra tier points, I would definitely be persuaded to spend extra money! In the first example you could get an extra 352 TPs for £52 extra which is a decent deal.
Once you’ve made a booking, you can see how many tier points you’ll earn in Manage My Booking.
After you’ve flown, you can see the tier points you’ve earned, including extra tier points, on the statement in your account.
Tier points for British Airways flights are credited to your account up to 3 days after the flight or eligible add-on is used. Partner points can take up to 7 days to be credited.
Hilton Price Match Guarantee major changes
The main changes
- Mandatory booking first: You must have an existing direct booking with Hilton before submitting a claim. Previously, you could submit a price match inquiry before reserving a room, allowing you to lock in the lower price risk-free.
- The non-refundable trap: Because you must book first, trying to price-match a non-refundable, prepaid rate is now risky. If Hilton rejects your claim, you are stuck with the original, higher-priced booking.
- Phone claims eliminated: You can no longer call in to have Hilton verify an available rate on the spot; claims must be routed through the online submission tool.
- No mobile app rates: Third-party rates that only appear on mobile apps or require a specific login/discount code are not eligible for matching.
- 1% price variance rule: The third-party rate you find must be at least 1% cheaper than Hilton’s direct booking price to even qualify for review.
- New geographic exclusions: The program has added restrictions on where it applies. All Hampton by Hilton and Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) properties in China are excluded as well all partner accommodations (including SLH) across Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Switzerland are now exempt from the policy.
