UK Airport Weather Disruptions - Premium PAX benefits?

[simongr]

Just watching the coverage of the weather debacle in the UK and I was reminded of the scenes during the "liquid bomb plot". I was passing through LHR that week and as a J pax I was ushered past the proles and into the high speed queues.

I was just wondering if the same thing is happening now? Also - do the lounges get limited by numbers? Although I wouldnt like to spend too long in a lounge if travelling on business it would seem to be better than lieing in a doorway on top of your bags...

Any similar experiences here?

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

I normally would be over there now but had to change my schedule this year, lucky me.

 

[ANstar]

Sitting in the F lounge at LGW currently (2.30pm on Sat 23rd)

There were queue's out the front of the terminal. I kindly asked one of the staff about F/J check in. They ushered me straight into the terminal. Once in the termianl - check in was relatively empty. The main backlog was security. I beleive the line outside was due to the security line as they didn't want to over crowd the terminal.

So to answer your question - yes, if you could check in at a F/J counter you would probably save about an hour of queueing in the 5 degree weather!

 

[chevalier]

Both Heathrow & Gatwick were absolutely shocking two days ago when all domestic flights were cancelled as well as a few european routes.

Landed at LHR from HKG with a connection to DUB via Gatwick (with BA)..you can't even move in the airports. As we did not know when we could get out of London, made alternative arrangements via trains, underground, taxi, bus & finally ferry to Dublin, crossing England & Wales in the process..46 hours after leaving Perth! Even missed a couple of train connections due to it arriving late, thus having to use a taxi to cross Wales for the ferry connection (two and a half hour taxi trip!)

Had we stayed in London to take our chances, we would be sleeping on the floor of the terminals like may people there. All nearby hotels were booked solid..
All in all, a very stressful experiance but glad to be able to make it to Ireland for Xmas...the sort of thing one would look back at and laugh over but definitely not at that time!!

Merry Christmas to all and a safe & happy new year

 

[Tooner]

It all reminds me of 14/09/01. We were flying home from LHR on Royal Brunei in J. As others have said, check-in queues out to where the lifts come up from the Heathrow Express, then found the "special" J/F queue, well looked after etc. We used the AA lounge which wasn't chokkas, but full. Lots of tense Americans about to fly home, clearly wanting to go, but apprehensive none-the-less. We were apprehensive too, for obvious reasons, including the prospect of AN surviving long enough for us to fly home from PER!

Very clear after that, if you are going to be in LHR when it is madness, make sure it is in J or F!

 

[serfty]

... We were apprehensive too, for obvious reasons, including the prospect of AN surviving long enough for us to fly home from PER!

Very clear after that, if you are going to be in LHR when it is madness, make sure it is in J or F!

Great post; could feel, even imagine the circumstance.