One of the expected perks of flying business class on an airline is access to the lounge. Airlines operate their own lounges at some airports while at other places they contract out the access.
These contract lounges are sometimes operated by other airlines while at smaller outstations it is a lounge operated by the airport. All of this makes perfect sense as you would not want your own lounge and the associated costs if you had just one flight daily.
Contract Or No Contract?
Sometimes airlines are just cheap which meant that when I flew from Ibiza to Dublin on British Airways, there was no lounge access provided. This is despite the fact there were several flights per day by British Airways from a number of different cities.
The reason for this is that the airline chose not to contract the lounge at Ibiza Airport. Other oneworld carriers such as S7 Airlines and Iberia do use the lounge there, but BA chose not to. There are a variety of places where BA don’t pay such as Krakow in Poland among others.
Why Don’t They Pay?
Presumably the contract price is too high or the economics of the route are marginal to the point that lounge access for business class passengers would make the route lose money. There can’t be any other excuse for not having this benefit everywhere. If there is, please let me know!
- No welcome to the lounge for you today, premium passenger!
Funnily enough the marketing of the business class products (Club World and Club Europe) on the BA web site conveniently forgets to mention that you may not actually get lounge access at some ports. It all points to the benefits and how great it all is and nothing more.
Overall Thoughts
Frequent flyers who experience the no lounge problem usually aren’t very happy about it. I managed to go through Ibiza Airport during a cleaners strike, so sitting in the terminal among the rubbish was particularly festive and fun.
Lounge employees at these outstations bluntly tell passengers, “British Airways don’t pay for you to access the lounge here” which certainly doesn’t do much for a person’s impression of the airline.
What say you? Is this a storm in a tea cup or a valid point? Thank you for reading and please leave your comments or questions below.
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Featured image by Aero Icarus via Wikimedia Commons.
How about Emirates, Biz Class, JFK lately? Lounge is under construction. They never mention it. Instead, they give out $40 food voucher which doesn’t cover salad, drink and tip. They also fail to mention there’s no gate thus buses load (an A380). Pre-flight EK/JFK experience is a big disappointment for the next while.
Ouch, that’s no good. Usually airlines will just contract with another airline for the period of construction. You would think an airline like Emirates would have forked out for that kind of thing. Buses as well – ugh. Hopefully they sort that out soon!
Also, JFK’s small Priority Pass Lounge, Wingtips had sign posted “At max capacity, closed to Priority Pass & credit card holders”. (I went there first!) No JFK lounge options w EK tix.
Sounds like the perfect storm really! What a shame all round. At least you tried! Perhaps next time you will be luckier.
I totally agree that lounge access for business class passengers is a must as it belongs within main reasons, why to choose business class.
Glad you agree – I’m with you on this of course! Thanks for the comment!
I have not been impressed with BA Business Class and will avoid flying with them. I had a nightmare experience with them in January in Heathrow Terminal 5….no one could direct me to the lounge and after finally getting “close”, we had to wait on chairs while an employee kept walking to the Departure Board to check which gate we would be departing and FINALLY, 2 HOURS after departing from the flight from Dublin, we were sent to a mediocre lounge for the last 30 minutes of our layover! Priority Pass benefit with my AMEX card has helped greatly in… Read more »
Wow! How can staff working in Terminal 5 not know where the lounges are?! That’s astonishing to me since there are two locations and four actual lounges. You must have got the work experience kid or something… that’s a bit of a disgrace. 2 hours – I just can’t believe it! I would have been furious. Totally understand why you would avoid them in future!
And the real bitch of the thing was that I was in a wheelchair, going back to the US for spinal surgery! Amazing that the employees didn’t have computer terminals on the desks to show departure gates. Furious doesn’t begin to describe my partner’s attitude! He was taking names and numbers! But, in one area, sort of a handicapped waiting area/traffic control, an employee mouthed off to the “dispatcher” and said “No, I will not do that” and walked away! (I was not the customer he referred to). No, I’ll avoid BA
Whoa, that’s hardcore. The departure gates do only get allocated towards flight time but usually they can tell from the computers beforehand. Your departure gate should have no bearing on visiting the lounge though so it looks like you were in the hands of morons. I’m really sorry to hear it, no-one should have to endure all of that business. Sounds like a whole bunch of people were having a bad day and you got caught in it all. I can totally understand your feelings towards BA… though, aren’t the people who assist actually Heathrow Airport staff?
They probably are Heathrow staff but you know how it is with “first impressions”….. Still will try to avoid Heathrow if at all possible!
I hear you on that!
Another step down by BA. How sad that a once outstanding airline wants to become Ryanair.
Yes, I am still trying to work out why this is so. If it is “low demand for business class, so we don’t need to contract a lounge” then surely you’d make an agreement on a per passenger basis so you’re not being screwed. It’s an interesting one, to me anyway!
Don’t you have Priority Pass? I see Cap Des Falco at IBZ airport is a PP lounge…
No, I don’t have Priority Pass. With my travel pattern, I would have no use for it.
Oh wow! I just assumed as a blogger you would have one of the credit cards that includes PP membership. Sorry…
It’s a logical assumption to have as it appears many of them do. Not me though! Nothing to apologise for 🙂
You can buy the Pass stand alone….on Groupon regularly
Yes, I know 🙂
Really????
Yes, really 🙂 I usually fly BA and I get lounge access due to my status, so I don’t really need the Priority Pass card.