Totally agree we’ve not long gone up to Gold status and we’re quite disappointed how little difference there was especially having experienced some other First lounges on our travels, notably Qantas in Sydney! BA do need to up their game for sure
You mentioned champagne, but one comment I’d add is that it’s decidedly easier to lay hands on a glass of the stuff in the first lounge than it is in business. In business you have to ask for it and you’re often left feeling like you’ve just asked for their first born.
I used the new furbished B Gate lounge in April mid morning and there was a chef cooking bacon/sausage rolls & eggs however you liked them to order 👍 There was a small queue but well worth the wait 😋 😋
The First lounge is basically a business class lounge for Gold card holders. First class passengers exclusively use the Concord room which is the real thing
As a gold member - spot on review - Where there is a difference is flying from T3 and getting access to the Cathay Pacific first - a step above them all
Out of the three I prefer B gates if travelling long haul. Biggest difference for me though is the biz lounges have tiny plates where as the first has the nice round BA plates that can actually fit enough food on to fill you up. Without what feels like the walk of shame when you go to the buffet a couple of times
B Gates lounge is the clear winner if you have time! Plus the walk to it from A Gates using the underground walkway means you burn off the calories you consume indulging in the food and boozery in the lounge. It’s a Win/Win!!! Another fun video Phil! ❤
@@mygreygapyear I just did A to C gates via the walkway in 7 minutes so only about 4 mins to B Gates, But it means you get a “calorie-free champers” with the calories you burn!
Great comparison video! Whispering Angel is an absolutely delicious rosé from the South of France- not fizzy! We have enjoyed a few glasses of this at 5B (and we have it at home too). We have requested Champagne in the business lounges and been served it by lovely staff- no stinginess whatsoever! Interesting to see the differences (or lack thereof) 🥂
Whispering Angel is not fizzy, who knew. The bottle looked like a champagne style and I'm sure there were flutes to drink it from, thank you for letting me know. Also glad you're able to get Champagne in the business lounge from happy staff, Thanks, Phil
My last few flights have been from T3 and first lounge is always so quiet, of course you have the opportunity to lounge surf in T3. I have not tried the B gate lounge since it was refurbished, my next opportunity won’t be until September now, when unfortunately I will have dropped to silver but it doesn’t look as if I will be too disappointed! Thanks again for your tour!
I am heading down to LHR in October with a friend who is Gold so I will get to sample the First Lounge. Be interested to see what I make of it. Great video as always
@@mygreygapyear Will do, I can add to this comment once I have tried them both. I do like a BA lounge. I have a couple of CE flights coming up so get to use the lounge at EDI and try LHR as well.
That was well filmed & the similarities & differences were clear. I did feel that it wasn't quite the full review it could have been, if only the 1970's man brain had not walked past the pink fizzy wine.
Hi Phil. Another great video. Last week I flew from LHR to JNB and entered through the first wing (thanks to gold status). I like the first lounge but it gets rammed with people, so I went to the B gates lounge which was far more peaceful. I've been lucky enough to visit most of the T5 lounges (only not the Concorde Room), and found the First to be the nicest space in terms of fit & finish and food offerings, but I still prefer the B gates lounge because I don't consider it to be a significant 'downgrade', so I will always prefer to go there if flying long haul.
2:48, on my flight to Hong Kong recently, had the pleasure of doing some work there and of course a good full english breakfast. It was handy too as the flight gate was very close by in the end
@@mygreygapyear Oh mine was definitely an evening flight too. I managed to do some work remotely from the lounge from 9am to 5:30pm, freshen up and get the 20:25 flight :P
Thank you for your comment, I would love to do that but the main issue with a round the world on Avios feature is that I haven't ever done it so it would be a purely academic video taking material directly from Head for Points and @MattsPlanet and then working it into a new video. I'm aiming to keep my material as "things I've learned along the way" whereas this would be "something I spent time learning for a video" and I think you'd see that this would be a bit second rate. And the final issue is that I'm reasonably certain I'd need to call up to book it and it would be quite the undertaking to arrange the booking and then just not complete it. So, as much as I do want to research this and talk about it in a video, there is also a part of me that needs to "do it" before I can talk about it. I hope you can understand, I really do appreciate your support, hence the long explanation, Phil
What I would say is that although there may not be a lot of difference in the lhr lounges per se, that staffing levels noticeable have been. Tables cleared quicker and food/snacks more quickly replenished if low in the F lounge. Another plus is the location of F. On a recent TP run we came of a Dub inbound and rather than go through Connections we were out of customs and into the F lounge through the checkin and security in 7 minutes, with minimal walking!. A handy tip if coming in on the Dub gates as there is no passport control either.
@mygreygapyear have been burnt before on a TP run so no just carry on bags. Although would have been connect bags anyway. Nightmare journey on way back though as lax-jfk diverted to phl due to weather and landed in jfk 12 hours late! Fortunately not our first rodeo and left 23 hr connection through JFK and even managed to get a great lounge dragon as they invited us to the Chelsea lounge so that we could use the lounge 'beds' for some much needed sleep. Great video as ever Phil
Hopefully when BA start updating their lounges with their Global Lounges concept, we will see a proper distinction between first and business lounges. The first lounges are more like business plus lounges. 😄
Thanks for your comment @Locutus, I haven't seen you for a while (distinctive avatar - Borg Picard). I think that is the perfect description, "business plus"
There is very little distinction betwreen Galleries First and Galleries Club. The Concorde Room however is definitely on another level with the re-introduction of the private cabanas, waiter service for food and drinks which are excellent.
I agree, no great difference, the First lounge has has a recent refurbishment including the hot buffet counter and it looks like the food has been upgraded too. The Concord room is something else though. I've only been in once but it was excellent
Matt's Planet has done a good lounge hopping video in T3. He said the same as you about the food in the J and F lounges, essentially it's the same food.
I was recently in First lounge and it was "nice" but not significantly better than the Galleries Business lounge. Agree with you that the T5B Business lounge is better. I was much more impressed with the BA First lounge at T3.
I use the North Galleries business lounge @ Terminal 5 often. Hard to like it as often too busy (busier than South as closer to security). Always assumed the First Class lounge would be considerably better; I assume the main advantage is it is much less packed. Often think I would be better off in main terminal than the lounge.
Heathrow T5 does have some great options for food and drink, I don't think I'd pay for lounge access here. I didn't realise that the North lounge was the busier lounge, thanks for your comment.
great video as ever, it will be intresting to see if the first lounges are more quite than the club lounges as this seem to be the biggest issue I have ran into when flying. I guess its an issue (if you can call it that) that comes with the double teir points offer ba is running at the moment. do you have any recomendations for lounges in LAX? i am heading out there later this year
Thank you @logibearlifts3454 and @TheSickyNicky for your comments and your support, especially since I haven't flown in or out of LA for many years, @TheSickyNicky your help with this is much appreciated.
The Flounge seems to have become too busy in the last few years. It used to be a place to flop for a few hours (that champagne bar behind the service desk), like the T3 CX F lounge.
I agree, the F Lounge is very busy but I can't complain too much, the reason it's so busy is probably the double points offer which is how I got my tier points...
Love B lounge! Wife loves it more for the WA-btw it’s not fizzy! Get funny looks from access staff though when they see my flight departs A gates. Never seem to know which gates I’m departing from anyway most of the time-is there a way to tell?
Thanks for your comment and support, yeah, I didn't know that Whispering Angel was flat, the late gate announcement is a pain, I wish they'd announce sooner too, but I don't know of a way to get an early announcement. I think a lot of flights leave from the same gate so you can look at the history of a flight, Hong Kong flights always seem to leave from the B Gates.
I like you channel very much. I hope you get more traction. Food - is there no longer a menu for other food in the F lounge, the wonderful BA Burger?? or has that all been scrapped? One other comment about food - why do BA continuously serve liquid based slip! i.e. curries, which from a travelling basis can easily ruin clothes with food splash..
Thank you for your kind comment and support, I've read that the menu with the burger is long gone, I was there at breakfast time and there was toast or porridge or scrambled eggs on the menu. I agree about the sauce based options, very embarrassing if I have a food stain on my clothes for a long flight. Thanks Phil
Thanks for your kind comment and question, I checked the app in the First Lounge, you could order drinks and then toast or pancakes or scrambled eggs but everything else was self serve.
Was in T5 Heathrow again monday around 3pm the queue for access to the Galleries club south were 40 deep at the bottom of the escalators... I'm rethinking whether silver is sufficient now 😮
Availability is something I don't consider in the video, if you can't get into the lounge for dinner then that does make silver status less valuable. Do you see this often?
My view would be natural light/views, showers (or similar), quietness and maybe convenience for the gate rank above food and drink….reminds me of old Terminal 1 BA lounge on a Sunday morning, great showers, great views, very quiet with only me, my wife …and Hugh Grant for company ! Frankly I’d just eaten on the inboard flight so food/drink was not a priority.
The real BA First Lounge is the Concorde Lounge and even that is not great in comparison to Middle Eastern lounges. The cabanas in the Concorde Lounge are like public toilets
The BA bathrooms do leave a lot to be desired don't they 😂 I think they're more like an NHS hospital over a public loo but we're thinking along the same lines.
Surprised there was no a la carte dining in the F lounge. UA offers that in their Polaris lounges even for biz pax and it seems pretty standard for F on many other carriers, AF, LH, EK, etc. Think I spotted a bottle of Tanqueray No. 10 on the bar in F, not sure that was on offer in J, but I could have missed it. Cheers!
Thanks for your comment, yeah BA is very limited on a la carte or ordered food until you get into the Concorde Room (the real First Class Lounge). I might scrub through the footage to look for Tanqueray No 10, not being a Gin drinker I wouldn't spot a super premium gin from the regular Tanqueray bottles, but I'll keep em peeled next time I'm in.
As far as I'm aware the a la carte ordering was introduced during covid re-opening but has now been withdrawn. I think you can order drinks and some very limited food options, like pancakes or toast or scrambled eggs, but that's about it. The in lounge app is pretty useless, it always says that the showers are always fully booked, which I don't believe they are. Thanks for your comment, Phil
Top review- need to get to grip with your bottle pricing - flip flop guy ? Appreciate your work but it’s a grey gap year - seems like your having too much 🎉- enjoy mate ❤
Beside using a first class lounge, would you say the best thing about GOLD is having the special check-in area that connects to the lounge, as I've only ever used the Silver check-in, in the normal security area which is quite a slog when traveling regularly for work. PS/ I just got my GOLD membership this week :))))
Firstly congrats on getting your Gold Membership, look forward to bumping into you in the First Wing. I do like the First Wing, it has an air of exclusivity, but the increased chance of having an empty seat next to you when flying economy is definitely the best Gold perk for me. After that is using other OneWorld airlines First Class Lounges. Then the gold / silver perk of additional baggage when I visit my daughter.
Here’s hoping for a B or C gate departure in two weeks time. Much prefer the B lounge but we did do the subterranean walkway back to A in May. Not too far. Don’t start me on dress codes in the lounge. When are shorts ever acceptable? I actually quite liked the Whispering Angel Rose but as Al Murray might have said it’s for the ladieees. Onwards and upwards Phil .David
Thanks for a great comment, I'm not sure I should weight in on dress codes, I'm a big believer in being comfortable so I was in shorts for my return in First Class from Barbados (and these were just jogger shorts from K-Mart in Aus). I've promised to "welcome the wine" next time I see fizzy pink wine in a lounge, so look out if that happens. I have been asked about the walk from the B Lounge to the A gates, could you give me your best guess on how long it is in either distance or time? If you could I'd appreciate it. Thank you Phil
Hi Phil I wasn’t singling out your sartorial elegance! The walk from B to A was featured in Matt’s T5 lounge crawl of about a month ago at min 15.14. He says it took him 5 mins but we took a more leisurely pace and it was nearer 10 to 12 mins. Best David
Could you say which lounges can a BA business ticket holder can go to before departure and upon arrival? Any advance booking is required? How about any additional charges? TA.
Thanks for your question, without trying to be silly or nasty the business and first lounges are for those ticket classes, however the "First" lounge is really a BA Gold status lounge, because a First Class ticket also gets you access to the better lounge called the Concorde Room. And to just tidy that up, if you are BA Silver/Oneworld Sapphire you have access to the business lounges regardless of your ticket class, and if you're BA Gold/Oneworld Emerald you have access to the First Lounge, but not the Concorde Room. The arrivals lounge in T5 has very specific entry requirements, you must be on a BA or AA long haul flight in business class or be BA Gold / Emerald. I think the guesting rules are different too (possible its no guests, I'd need to look it up on the BA website) I don't think you can pre-book and sometimes the lounges do get full, and I have seen queues outside business lounges when its super peak. I'm also not aware of any additional charges, possibly for spa treatments, apart from that, what you see is what you get, or in the case of Champagne in the business lounge, you get it if you ask for it. I hope this answers your question, but if you have any other queries please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks Phil
Pre-pandemic, there would often (but by no means always) be Johnny Walker Blue Label in the first lounge, but I haven't seen it since. That's something like £150 a bottle, but personally I don't think it's worth it.
Thanks for your comment, like you I was unimpressed with Johnny Walker Blue, but I'd still have one if it was in the lounge 😊 I'll have to be on the lookout for that in the future, I wonder if it's behind the bar?
Hi Phil flying business to Berlin in a few weeks and would like to give the B gate lounge a try, roughly how long is the walk back to the main terminal?
I haven't done it so I'm really not sure. I did ask when I was at the B gate Lounge and, if I remember correctly they said to allow 20 minutes to get back. Hope that helps, Phil
Hi Phil. Totally off topic, and I hope you don’t mind, I personally find it difficult to work out the best way to get tier points, I noticed that Dublin to Helsinki is 2025 km, and can get a (European) business class ticket for €625… in your opinion, is it worth considering?
Thank you for your question and your support. I would check the tier points earned on that route, I've just put it into the flight checker on the BA site and Dublin Helsinki comes up as a 40 point route in business. www.britishairways.com/travel/flight-calculator/public/en_gb If that is correct 625 euro is expensive from a tier point point of view. You might get a better result by starting with Dublin to Helsinki via London, which would get 120 tier points (40+80) and then try to massage it by making it a Dublin to Stockholm via Heathrow and Helsinki to add an extra 40 points. Let me know how you get on Phil
There is a distinct lack of power sockets, you're right, usually some desks or a business area somewhere that do have them, but I didn't check it out in these videos.
You're spot on, actual First Class passengers would be in the Concorde Room which makes the F lounge a status lounge, and this is probably why it's not much of a bump up.
Another excellent video Phil, really appreciate the sacrifices of drinking and eating in all these lounges just for us! Stoic
Thanks for your comment, it's a tough job but someone has to do it 😂
Totally agree we’ve not long gone up to Gold status and we’re quite disappointed how little difference there was especially having experienced some other First lounges on our travels, notably Qantas in Sydney!
BA do need to up their game for sure
I agree, the Qantas lounges are better all round, business and First. I think this type of lounge is baked into their pricing.
You mentioned champagne, but one comment I’d add is that it’s decidedly easier to lay hands on a glass of the stuff in the first lounge than it is in business. In business you have to ask for it and you’re often left feeling like you’ve just asked for their first born.
😂
Singapore Airlines has it as a self serve 😊
@craigwelsh3782 as though it's their champagne or it's coming out of their wages 😂😂😂
@JJ-vy2rh I think most airlines offer champagne in business class, but BA seems to be an outlier in their stinginess.
@@mygreygapyear that's not very nice 🙂
I used the new furbished B Gate lounge in April mid morning and there was a chef cooking bacon/sausage rolls & eggs however you liked them to order 👍 There was a small queue but well worth the wait 😋 😋
Now that is superb, being able to get a freshly cooked runny fried egg is great. Small things but they make a huge difference.
The First lounge is basically a business class lounge for Gold card holders. First class passengers exclusively use the Concord room which is the real thing
I agree, it is a status lounge for sure
Thanks for the comparison!
You're very welcome, glad you enjoyed it.
As a gold member - spot on review - Where there is a difference is flying from T3 and getting access to the Cathay Pacific first - a step above them all
Thanks for your comment, I am planning on the "rights of passage" lounge crawl video next year 😂
How will they cope without carrot cake! :D another great video!
I know, Trip! Ruined!
Out of the three I prefer B gates if travelling long haul. Biggest difference for me though is the biz lounges have tiny plates where as the first has the nice round BA plates that can actually fit enough food on to fill you up. Without what feels like the walk of shame when you go to the buffet a couple of times
😂😂😂 Or just owning it and taking two plates
B Gates lounge is the clear winner if you have time! Plus the walk to it from A Gates using the underground walkway means you burn off the calories you consume indulging in the food and boozery in the lounge. It’s a Win/Win!!! Another fun video Phil! ❤
Thanks for your kind comment Nat, I'm going to have to make that walk next time I'm there, I did enjoy the B Lounge 😊
@@mygreygapyear I just did A to C gates via the walkway in 7 minutes so only about 4 mins to B Gates, But it means you get a “calorie-free champers” with the calories you burn!
@@NatalieBudgets 😊
Thanks for the reviews my Silver status will be good enough for me.
Thanks for your comment and support, I agree and I think that silver will be the sweet spot for me too.
Great comparison video! Whispering Angel is an absolutely delicious rosé from the South of France- not fizzy! We have enjoyed a few glasses of this at 5B (and we have it at home too). We have requested Champagne in the business lounges and been served it by lovely staff- no stinginess whatsoever! Interesting to see the differences (or lack thereof) 🥂
Whispering Angel is not fizzy, who knew. The bottle looked like a champagne style and I'm sure there were flutes to drink it from, thank you for letting me know.
Also glad you're able to get Champagne in the business lounge from happy staff,
Thanks,
Phil
My last few flights have been from T3 and first lounge is always so quiet, of course you have the opportunity to lounge surf in T3. I have not tried the B gate lounge since it was refurbished, my next opportunity won’t be until September now, when unfortunately I will have dropped to silver but it doesn’t look as if I will be too disappointed! Thanks again for your tour!
Thanks for your comment, I'm looking forward to a lounge surf in T3 one day, it looks like a fun afternoon.
@@mygreygapyear it sure is! Leave enough time to get around them all!
Club lounge was rammed when I travelled last week ...New Caeser salad bar in First lounge last week
I do love a Caesar salad. Add a chicken breast and you've got a classic.
Hope you had a great trip,
Phil
@@mygreygapyear chicken breast was on offer. They actually had somebody making them to order!!
I am heading down to LHR in October with a friend who is Gold so I will get to sample the First Lounge. Be interested to see what I make of it. Great video as always
Thank you for your kind comment, please let me know how you find it, I'd be interested to hear your views.
@@mygreygapyear Will do, I can add to this comment once I have tried them both. I do like a BA lounge. I have a couple of CE flights coming up so get to use the lounge at EDI and try LHR as well.
@@MrStuartAllan Prefect, look forward to hearing from you
Cant wait to get to Gold Status (fingers crossed), so I can enjoy a few more upscale lounges
You really notice the difference in lounges when you're away from the UK and that's when Gold is awesome 😊
That was well filmed & the similarities & differences were clear. I did feel that it wasn't quite the full review it could have been, if only the 1970's man brain had not walked past the pink fizzy wine.
Thank you for your comment, I am honest about my failings 😊. Pink fizzy wine will be sampled at the next opportunity.
Hi Phil. Another great video.
Last week I flew from LHR to JNB and entered through the first wing (thanks to gold status).
I like the first lounge but it gets rammed with people, so I went to the B gates lounge which was far more peaceful. I've been lucky enough to visit most of the T5 lounges (only not the Concorde Room), and found the First to be the nicest space in terms of fit & finish and food offerings, but I still prefer the B gates lounge because I don't consider it to be a significant 'downgrade', so I will always prefer to go there if flying long haul.
Thanks for your comment, the B Gates lounge does seem to be the quietest lounge, I think it's probably where I'll generally head, depending on time.
2:48, on my flight to Hong Kong recently, had the pleasure of doing some work there and of course a good full english breakfast. It was handy too as the flight gate was very close by in the end
How interesting, I was on my way to Hong Kong too but an evening flight 😊
@@mygreygapyear Oh mine was definitely an evening flight too. I managed to do some work remotely from the lounge from 9am to 5:30pm, freshen up and get the 20:25 flight :P
Interesting comparison. Me, I just want the food, the drinks and a good internet connection. Poke!
Thanks for your comment, good internet, ah yes, that one is for me too.
Great review, not much deference in the lounge but inflight I believe is more 👍
Thanks for your comment, yeah, you're right, the difference between the First Class cabin and service and the Business Cabin is distinct.
Whispering angel is not fizzy but is delicious!
Could you imagine if I'd tried it and complained it was flat 😂😂😂.
come on man PLEASE do a feature on RTW using Avios. Gordon your big fan lol
Thank you for your comment, I would love to do that but the main issue with a round the world on Avios feature is that I haven't ever done it so it would be a purely academic video taking material directly from Head for Points and @MattsPlanet and then working it into a new video.
I'm aiming to keep my material as "things I've learned along the way" whereas this would be "something I spent time learning for a video" and I think you'd see that this would be a bit second rate.
And the final issue is that I'm reasonably certain I'd need to call up to book it and it would be quite the undertaking to arrange the booking and then just not complete it.
So, as much as I do want to research this and talk about it in a video, there is also a part of me that needs to "do it" before I can talk about it.
I hope you can understand, I really do appreciate your support, hence the long explanation,
Phil
What I would say is that although there may not be a lot of difference in the lhr lounges per se, that staffing levels noticeable have been. Tables cleared quicker and food/snacks more quickly replenished if low in the F lounge. Another plus is the location of F. On a recent TP run we came of a Dub inbound and rather than go through Connections we were out of customs and into the F lounge through the checkin and security in 7 minutes, with minimal walking!. A handy tip if coming in on the Dub gates as there is no passport control either.
Thanks for your comment, that's a great tip, I'll have to try that. Did you have checked bags? Would that make a difference?
@mygreygapyear have been burnt before on a TP run so no just carry on bags. Although would have been connect bags anyway. Nightmare journey on way back though as lax-jfk diverted to phl due to weather and landed in jfk 12 hours late! Fortunately not our first rodeo and left 23 hr connection through JFK and even managed to get a great lounge dragon as they invited us to the Chelsea lounge so that we could use the lounge 'beds' for some much needed sleep.
Great video as ever Phil
Hopefully when BA start updating their lounges with their Global Lounges concept, we will see a proper distinction between first and business lounges. The first lounges are more like business plus lounges. 😄
Thanks for your comment @Locutus, I haven't seen you for a while (distinctive avatar - Borg Picard). I think that is the perfect description, "business plus"
There is very little distinction betwreen Galleries First and Galleries Club. The Concorde Room however is definitely on another level with the re-introduction of the private cabanas, waiter service for food and drinks which are excellent.
I agree, no great difference, the First lounge has has a recent refurbishment including the hot buffet counter and it looks like the food has been upgraded too. The Concord room is something else though. I've only been in once but it was excellent
Matt's Planet has done a good lounge hopping video in T3. He said the same as you about the food in the J and F lounges, essentially it's the same food.
I loved Matt's T3 lounge crawl, superb video.
I was recently in First lounge and it was "nice" but not significantly better than the Galleries Business lounge. Agree with you that the T5B Business lounge is better. I was much more impressed with the BA First lounge at T3.
Thank you for your comment and support, I'm going to have to get a flight from T3 to try out all these great lounges.
Great Video 👍
Thank you, much appreciated.
I use the North Galleries business lounge @ Terminal 5 often. Hard to like it as often too busy (busier than South as closer to security). Always assumed the First Class lounge would be considerably better; I assume the main advantage is it is much less packed. Often think I would be better off in main terminal than the lounge.
Heathrow T5 does have some great options for food and drink, I don't think I'd pay for lounge access here. I didn't realise that the North lounge was the busier lounge, thanks for your comment.
great video as ever, it will be intresting to see if the first lounges are more quite than the club lounges as this seem to be the biggest issue I have ran into when flying. I guess its an issue (if you can call it that) that comes with the double teir points offer ba is running at the moment.
do you have any recomendations for lounges in LAX? i am heading out there later this year
If you're gold, walk to the Tom Bradley terminal (you can do it airside if you're flying American domestic, as well) and use the Qantas First lounge.
@@TheSickyNicky awesome thank you, I will have to check it out
Thank you @logibearlifts3454 and @TheSickyNicky for your comments and your support, especially since I haven't flown in or out of LA for many years, @TheSickyNicky your help with this is much appreciated.
The Flounge seems to have become too busy in the last few years. It used to be a place to flop for a few hours (that champagne bar behind the service desk), like the T3 CX F lounge.
I agree, the F Lounge is very busy but I can't complain too much, the reason it's so busy is probably the double points offer which is how I got my tier points...
Love B lounge! Wife loves it more for the WA-btw it’s not fizzy! Get funny looks from access staff though when they see my flight departs A gates. Never seem to know which gates I’m departing from anyway most of the time-is there a way to tell?
Thanks for your comment and support, yeah, I didn't know that Whispering Angel was flat, the late gate announcement is a pain, I wish they'd announce sooner too, but I don't know of a way to get an early announcement. I think a lot of flights leave from the same gate so you can look at the history of a flight, Hong Kong flights always seem to leave from the B Gates.
I like you channel very much. I hope you get more traction.
Food - is there no longer a menu for other food in the F lounge, the wonderful BA Burger?? or has that all been scrapped? One other comment about food - why do BA continuously serve liquid based slip! i.e. curries, which from a travelling basis can easily ruin clothes with food splash..
Thank you for your kind comment and support, I've read that the menu with the burger is long gone, I was there at breakfast time and there was toast or porridge or scrambled eggs on the menu.
I agree about the sauce based options, very embarrassing if I have a food stain on my clothes for a long flight.
Thanks
Phil
Was there any service in any of the lounges. or was it all self-service? I liked the video, Phil. Thanks.
Thanks for your kind comment and question, I checked the app in the First Lounge, you could order drinks and then toast or pancakes or scrambled eggs but everything else was self serve.
@@mygreygapyear Good luck with your upcoming videos.
Was in T5 Heathrow again monday around 3pm the queue for access to the Galleries club south were 40 deep at the bottom of the escalators... I'm rethinking whether silver is sufficient now 😮
Availability is something I don't consider in the video, if you can't get into the lounge for dinner then that does make silver status less valuable. Do you see this often?
@mygreygapyear This is twice on the bounce in 10 days now. I walked over to the B gates but had to return to A for my flight..
@@richardstreet7518 Thanks for the info, much appreciated.
My view would be natural light/views, showers (or similar), quietness and maybe convenience for the gate rank above food and drink….reminds me of old Terminal 1 BA lounge on a Sunday morning, great showers, great views, very quiet with only me, my wife …and Hugh Grant for company ! Frankly I’d just eaten on the inboard flight so food/drink was not a priority.
Thanks for your comment, who needs food and drink when you can eat out on Hugh Grant, love it.
The real BA First Lounge is the Concorde Lounge and even that is not great in comparison to Middle Eastern lounges. The cabanas in the Concorde Lounge are like public toilets
The BA bathrooms do leave a lot to be desired don't they 😂 I think they're more like an NHS hospital over a public loo but we're thinking along the same lines.
Surprised there was no a la carte dining in the F lounge. UA offers that in their Polaris lounges even for biz pax and it seems pretty standard for F on many other carriers, AF, LH, EK, etc. Think I spotted a bottle of Tanqueray No. 10 on the bar in F, not sure that was on offer in J, but I could have missed it. Cheers!
Thanks for your comment, yeah BA is very limited on a la carte or ordered food until you get into the Concorde Room (the real First Class Lounge). I might scrub through the footage to look for Tanqueray No 10, not being a Gin drinker I wouldn't spot a super premium gin from the regular Tanqueray bottles, but I'll keep em peeled next time I'm in.
WOW Greeat video
Thank you mate, I appreciate your support.
I haven’t used in some time this service, but, I believe, there is an option of ordering food from a menu too? Am I wrong?
As far as I'm aware the a la carte ordering was introduced during covid re-opening but has now been withdrawn. I think you can order drinks and some very limited food options, like pancakes or toast or scrambled eggs, but that's about it.
The in lounge app is pretty useless, it always says that the showers are always fully booked, which I don't believe they are.
Thanks for your comment,
Phil
Top review- need to get to grip with your bottle pricing - flip flop guy ? Appreciate your work but it’s a grey gap year - seems like your having too much 🎉- enjoy mate ❤
Thank you for your kind comment, glad you enjoyed the video 😊
the more I watch your wonderful videos the more I you
You lucky lucky ........
Thank you for your kind comments and thank you for your support.
@@mygreygapyear love you
Beside using a first class lounge, would you say the best thing about GOLD is having the special check-in area that connects to the lounge, as I've only ever used the Silver check-in, in the normal security area which is quite a slog when traveling regularly for work. PS/ I just got my GOLD membership this week :))))
Firstly congrats on getting your Gold Membership, look forward to bumping into you in the First Wing. I do like the First Wing, it has an air of exclusivity, but the increased chance of having an empty seat next to you when flying economy is definitely the best Gold perk for me. After that is using other OneWorld airlines First Class Lounges. Then the gold / silver perk of additional baggage when I visit my daughter.
Here’s hoping for a B or C gate departure in two weeks time. Much prefer the B lounge but we did do the subterranean walkway back to A in May. Not too far. Don’t start me on dress codes in the lounge. When are shorts ever acceptable? I actually quite liked the Whispering Angel Rose but as Al Murray might have said it’s for the ladieees.
Onwards and upwards Phil .David
Thanks for a great comment, I'm not sure I should weight in on dress codes, I'm a big believer in being comfortable so I was in shorts for my return in First Class from Barbados (and these were just jogger shorts from K-Mart in Aus). I've promised to "welcome the wine" next time I see fizzy pink wine in a lounge, so look out if that happens.
I have been asked about the walk from the B Lounge to the A gates, could you give me your best guess on how long it is in either distance or time? If you could I'd appreciate it.
Thank you
Phil
Hi Phil
I wasn’t singling out your sartorial elegance!
The walk from B to A was featured in Matt’s T5 lounge crawl of about a month ago at min 15.14. He says it took him 5 mins but we took a more leisurely pace and it was nearer 10 to 12 mins.
Best David
@@DPWestMids-u3c I have a few of Matt's videos to catch up on, this is obviously one of them 😊
@@DPWestMids-u3c yes - I allow 10 mins, but usually do it in 8.
Could you say which lounges can a BA business ticket holder can go to before departure and upon arrival?
Any advance booking is required?
How about any additional charges?
TA.
Thanks for your question, without trying to be silly or nasty the business and first lounges are for those ticket classes, however the "First" lounge is really a BA Gold status lounge, because a First Class ticket also gets you access to the better lounge called the Concorde Room.
And to just tidy that up, if you are BA Silver/Oneworld Sapphire you have access to the business lounges regardless of your ticket class, and if you're BA Gold/Oneworld Emerald you have access to the First Lounge, but not the Concorde Room.
The arrivals lounge in T5 has very specific entry requirements, you must be on a BA or AA long haul flight in business class or be BA Gold / Emerald. I think the guesting rules are different too (possible its no guests, I'd need to look it up on the BA website)
I don't think you can pre-book and sometimes the lounges do get full, and I have seen queues outside business lounges when its super peak. I'm also not aware of any additional charges, possibly for spa treatments, apart from that, what you see is what you get, or in the case of Champagne in the business lounge, you get it if you ask for it.
I hope this answers your question, but if you have any other queries please don't hesitate to contact me.
Thanks
Phil
Pre-pandemic, there would often (but by no means always) be Johnny Walker Blue Label in the first lounge, but I haven't seen it since. That's something like £150 a bottle, but personally I don't think it's worth it.
Thanks for your comment, like you I was unimpressed with Johnny Walker Blue, but I'd still have one if it was in the lounge 😊 I'll have to be on the lookout for that in the future, I wonder if it's behind the bar?
Thank You ✈️. Why don’t any of the lounges have a bar that you can sit at?
Now that would be nice, I hadn't really thought about it. A few bar stools where solo travellers could sit and chat.
The Concorde lounge does 🙂
So does Virgin Lounge in T3, now that’s another video eh?
@@bazstravels8986 With any luck 😊
Hi Phil flying business to Berlin in a few weeks and would like to give the B gate lounge a try, roughly how long is the walk back to the main terminal?
I haven't done it so I'm really not sure. I did ask when I was at the B gate Lounge and, if I remember correctly they said to allow 20 minutes to get back.
Hope that helps,
Phil
@@mygreygapyear thanks Phil I will do the walk and report back.
@@r12004rewy That would be much appreciated.
It depends on how fast you walk. I allow ten minutes. Remember you don't have the travelators, since they run in the other direction.
@@TheSickyNicky Thanks Nicky
Hi Phil. Totally off topic, and I hope you don’t mind, I personally find it difficult to work out the best way to get tier points, I noticed that Dublin to Helsinki is 2025 km, and can get a (European) business class ticket for €625… in your opinion, is it worth considering?
Thank you for your question and your support. I would check the tier points earned on that route, I've just put it into the flight checker on the BA site and Dublin Helsinki comes up as a 40 point route in business.
www.britishairways.com/travel/flight-calculator/public/en_gb
If that is correct 625 euro is expensive from a tier point point of view.
You might get a better result by starting with Dublin to Helsinki via London, which would get 120 tier points (40+80) and then try to massage it by making it a Dublin to Stockholm via Heathrow and Helsinki to add an extra 40 points.
Let me know how you get on
Phil
Thanks so much for your advice… I’ll certainly check those out now.
Still lacking power sockets!
There is a distinct lack of power sockets, you're right, usually some desks or a business area somewhere that do have them, but I didn't check it out in these videos.
To be fair they are both business lounges because if you flying first we know where we will be concorde room
You're spot on, actual First Class passengers would be in the Concorde Room which makes the F lounge a status lounge, and this is probably why it's not much of a bump up.
@@mygreygapyear that's what I was thinking myself
whispering angel is flat rose wine dude most drank rose in the US
Thanks for letting me know, I guess I'll need to have a word with my 70's man brain and try it 😊
@@mygreygapyear it’s okay a little over rated
Cant get over how bad those toilets were. Toilets on the plane look better. Pretty sad for a business class lounge.
The toilets in the lounge do look like hospital toilets, ready to be hosed down and disinfected after a big accident 😊