In this post:
Virgin lounge access policy
For many years there was an unofficial policy that if you held Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold status that you could enter the Virgin Clubhouse at Terminal 3 even if you were not flying on Virgin or Delta. My friend attempted to try this policy at the weekend and was informed that the policy has definitely now ended as of a couple of months ago.
I suspect this is due to the numbers of people in the lounge being too high. The last time I visited it was busy but manageable, so I can understand they don’t want to ruin the atmosphere with too many people. It will be interesting to see what happens when they join Skyteam next year. I can’t see how they will be able to allow Skyteam airline passengers to enter the lounge without overcrowding it. Some airlines like Qatar already limit their premium lounges to their own passengers and oneworld in business and first on non business lite tickets, so perhaps Virgin will look to keep things as they are now with just them and Delta for certain categories of passengers.
British Airways lounge shock!
British Airways this month are returning to their normal pre-Covid service this week in Club World. It also seems that they have been tweaking the lounges too.
In the Heathrow T5 First lounge the “Market table” has disappeared, and the food buffet is back in the usual place. You can still order food to be delivered, too, as before using the QR codes.
This was what was available in the afternoon 10 days ago:
In addition, there was a small salad bar, sandwiches, fruit and cake. The pies are normally delicious.
In the Club lounges, champagne has become on demand again. You simply have to ask the staff for a glass (or order on the app if it still appears). However, after what I am about to tell you may not want to bother.
At Gatwick today there was Bottega Prosecco out to help yourself too. This is a quality DOC Prosecco and very drinkable. It may also be preferable to the alternative…
Please make sure you are sitting down before you read on if you have a nervous disposition. When BA said they were returning to pre-Covid standards they weren’t mucking about. Also seen in the BA Club lounge at Gatwick on demand was…. Castel-Noooooo! (Castelnau champagne). I can only hope that this is a temporary supply issue and the Canard Duchene or better returns which was OK. Perhaps if BA are reading this they could supply some Cassis in the lounge to make it drinkable. After all, that even worked on the dreaded Mono-poo!
Thanks to loyal TLFL reader Clayton for the photos.
British Airways finally release full routes for Gatwick summer 2023
There have been a lot of queries from TLFL readers who wanted to book Gatwick flights for last summer. It seems a bit mean-spirited that BA waited for the Part pay with Avios special to end before releasing the seats today. You can now buy Avios redemption and normal cash fares to the full list of destinations on ba.com.
Some previous routes have disappeared, although they are still available for Heathrow:
- Athens
- Berlin
- Jersey
- Larnaca
- Madrid
- Malta
- Milan Malpensa
Here is the full list of destinations for summer 2023 available for sale now from Gatwick:
- Alicante
- Amsterdam
- Antalya
- Bari
- Bordeaux
- Cagliari
- Catania
- Dalaman
- Dubrovnik
- Faro, Portugal
- Gran Canaria
- Heraklion
- Ibiza
- Kos
- Lanzarote
- Malaga
- Marrakech
- Menorca
- Nice
- Palma de Mallorca
- Paphos
- Tenerife
- Thessaloniki
- Rhodes
- Santorini
- Seville
- Turin
- Venice
- Verona
HT: HfP
26 comments
I have a robust constitution which allows me to drink almost anything with no negative effects, however, Castleno was just a stretch too far. That stuff, for whatever reason, would give me horrendous heartburn and unless there is a chaser of Gaviscon served with it, then it’s a no from me.
Perhaps they need to serve shots of Gaviscon with it!
There’s only two other SkyTeam airlines using T3 (than Delta, KL, and AF): Aeromexico and MEA. Both of these only have one flight a day, and MAE’s is a narrowbody, so they can probably absorb the extra passengers. All the other Skyteam airlines are on T4.
It’s more the KLM Air France flights that are multiple times a day that I think could be an issue. Obviously they only have a small business class section but you also have those with status too.
Qatar do not restrict access to their lounges only to their passengers.
Sorry that could have been clearer. They don’t allow oneworld customers not flying business or first and they must be on a cash ticket.
Cash ticket part is incorrect too, I’ve been allowed in Al Mourjan on a redemption (OWE via Qantas). OWE on a Y ticket leads you to the dreaded “other” lounges though, although I’m not sure how bad the new ones are, the Oryx lounge was awful.
No Malta?
Oops you are right. That was one they already had announced. Corrected
Phew ???? Thanks Michelle, great blog as always.
Redemption tickets are also allowed generally speaking (the LHR Premium Lounge for cash tickets only is not the rule in practice), I think what you mean is access to some Qatar lounges by frequent flyer tier is heavily limited (e.g. Al Safwa is first class ticketed passengers only and Qatar Platinum members flying in Business + 2 guests).
Has anyone else found the BA Lounges in London to be absolutely heaving this year? Using them is normally a really civilised way to start a trip but they’ve not felt like a luxury at all recently. First world (in the broader sense) problem I know but another reason to stop our normal slavish loyalty over the years to the BA Executive Club….
Yes there have even been queues. It is not just BA. Many of the pay lounges have been similar. A lot of the issue has been down to all the extensions of status. Now that it stops at the end of the year we should start to see it easing.
Yes! If flying from T5 we always head out the B gates to use the lounge there, it’s never crowded.
Yes it’s the best out of the Club lounges if you are flying from B & C.
BA F lounge at T3 was dead when I used it a few months back, T5 not so much. I guess in T3 you go to CX be default.
Yes I think with the choice of lounges people would rather go elsewhere.
Hey Michelle.
First of all thank you for you lovely blog, I very much enjoy it reading all the av geek, flying enthusiast here.
Ba has fly to Bilbao over the years first from Heathrow and then Gatwick (went to LHR in the pandemic again for a short period.)
Now until March they’re selling Bilbao flights but they’re operated by dreaded Vueling (buah no for me thanks) also extortionate price for what you get (no lounge as not Oneworld, rudest cabin crew and minimum customer service).
I was asking myself since they where selling Ba marketed flights operated by Vueling until March that they where going to operate back again at least one daily or twice daily like before. Do you know if this Gatwick list is definite one?
Regards
Kepa
There’s always a chance they could add more flights. At the moment I suspect it is down to staff numbers more than anything.
Did the VS team in the Club House confirm it was a change of policy as very recently I got in flying BA in Y with a companion. True I am Flying Club Gold for life and a frequent flyer on VS?
Yes they said it was a change. It was this weekend. Obviously some staff may be unaware or still letting people in.
Reading today’s TLFL report BA seem to continue ignoring their Scottish customers. Lots of destinations from Gatwick as per your list but no flights at all from Edinburgh and just 1 per day from Glasgow. So it’s either Easyjet (but then no through ticketing and no Exec club benefits) or transfer from City or Heathrow. I am now more likely to fly to many of these destinations with KLM or Lufthansa and avoid London altogether.
In the BA T5 South (main) lounge today, Bottega, no champagne at all, and the barcodes don’t bring up a food menu, they bring up an ‘experience menu’ of shower booking and pointless soundscapes.
I suspect that has gone now then. The champagne you have to find a staff member to ask if they have gone back to pre Covid.
I agree the BA lounges at T5 were unpleasantly busy in early September when we had a very long wait to connect to a Manchester flight on our way home from Vancouver. And Manchester no longer has a BA lounge at T3 at all. Is that permanent? We have had so much trouble with the shuttle flights over the past few years, often delayed with missed connections. Is the North being totally ignored by BA?
Yes the BA lounge has closed permanently but you can use the Escape lounge.
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