Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology.

British Airways Improves Lounge Benefits for Some Elite Members

Daniel Ross's image
Daniel Ross
Daniel Ross's image

Daniel Ross

Senior Content Contributor

627 Published Articles 1 Edited Article

Countries Visited: 56U.S. States Visited: 17

Daniel has loved aviation and travel his entire life. He earned a Master of Science in Air Transport Management and has written about travel and aviation in publications like Simple Flying, The Points...

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Improvements to elite status lounge entry couldn’t have come at a better time after 18 months of mostly stripped-back flying perks.

As of Monday, September 20, 2021, British Airways is relaxing its restrictions on lounge access for Executive Club Silver, Gold, and Gold Guest List elite members.

Here’s what it could mean for you.

BA Executive Club Silver and Gold Members

The changes here will directly affect frequent transatlantic flyers.

All Silver and Gold members traveling in any class are now eligible for preflight dining in select BA lounges in the U.S.

This means that travelers can now enjoy a full meal before boarding their short red-eye flight to London. Gone are the days of waiting for meal service to complete on an overnight to the U.K. and only getting around 3 hours of sleep.

British Airways lounges with preflight dining options are Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), and Washington, D.C. (IAD).

Hot Tip: Learn more about these specific lounges in our full guide to U.S. British Airways lounges, including locations, hours, and more.

BA Executive Club Gold Guest List Members

Gold Guest List members will be pleased to know that they will now be eligible for Concorde Room access irrespective of the number of Tier Points they’ve earned.

There are only 2 Concorde Room lounges in the world: London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and New York’s JFK Terminal 7.

JFK Concorde Room dining
The kind of fare Gold Guest List members will now have access to in JFK’s Concorde Room. Image Credit: Daniel Ross

Realistically, the number of passengers who will benefit from this change is a very small percentage of British Airways flyers, but it’s certainly still worth shouting about.

Previously, Gold Guest List members only earned a Concorde Room Card after earning 5,000 Tier Points. This afforded them access to the Concorde Room no matter what cabin class they were flying. This is no longer the case.

First class passengers, irrespective of Executive Club status level, will continue to have access to Concorde Room lounges.

Final Thoughts

Lounge access is often considered one of the most valuable perks of having airline elite status. So, when efforts are made to improve passenger experience by improving these benefits, we like to celebrate it.

Given that British Airways has one of the strongest U.S. to London networks of the major transatlantic players, there’s a high chance that you could be making the most of these changes on your next flight across the Atlantic.

Daniel Ross's image

About Daniel Ross

Daniel has loved aviation and travel his entire life. He earned a Master of Science in Air Transport Management and has written about travel and aviation in publications like Simple Flying, The Points Guy, and more.

INSIDERS ONLY: UP PULSE

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse

Get the latest travel tips, crucial news, flight & hotel deal alerts...

Plus — expert strategies to maximize your points & miles by joining our (free) newsletter.

We respect your privacy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's privacy policy and terms of service apply.

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse
DMCA.com Protection Status