The HfP chat thread – Saturday 4th December

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• Scott says:

  4 Dec4 December 10:23

  Following on from a topic yesterday regarding the BA arrival lounge being closed.
  Is the AA arrival lounge in LHR T3 still closed, or closing for the same reason?

  Got a 6:50am or so arrival time, and can’t check-in for a few hours.
  Handily, I’ll have my car in the car park so I won’t be stuck with my bags for hours. Will pop into Central London if need be.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    4 Dec4 December 10:27

    Completely breaking the rules on you must self isolate on arrival until you get a negative pcr test result …

  • Andrew says:

    4 Dec4 December 10:39

    The AA arrivals lounge never reopened since closing last year – hopefully will reopen are some point in the future. I think once the BA lounge reopened a couple of months ago you could go to T5 and use that one if you were an eligible AA customer – but of course that’s now unlawful, so not an option either. You’ll need to book a hotel for the night before your arrival and advise them you’ll not be checking in until the morning and go directly there from arrivals, “going into central London” is not allowed unless it’s en route to your point of isolation.

    • Scott says:

      4 Dec4 December 12:00

      Don’t understand the logic behind this anyway, but everything Covid related isn’t that logical!

      I can transfer, sit for a few hours in say up to 3 lounges in T5, mix with hundreds of others passengers there (and throughout the terminal), potentially spread anything to all of them who in turn spread it all over the world, but that’s fine.
      An hour in an arrivals lounge with a dozen people tops on some occasions before going wherever and that’s bad.

      Has anyone actually been checked up on yet?
      I put the info in for a Day 2 PCR test on my return from the US a few days ago, but didn’t end up taking that test due to flight changes etc. (so the PLF info wouldn’t have been correct on arrival).
      Did book another though, with a different provider and at a different location (that came back negative).

      • TGLoyalty says:

        4 Dec4 December 12:46

        The logic is that the vast majority of those people you mix with in all those places during travel will taking a day 2 test if they enter the U.K. and going into central London for a walk about doesn’t limit the spread if you’re indeed positive.

        Closing the arrivals lounge limits the number of staff that are in contact and tries to ensure you get “home” asap to isolate.

        You should be limiting your contacts as much possible!

      • JDB says:

        4 Dec4 December 12:51

        If your travel/test details change you are supposed to do an updated/new PLF

      • John says:

        4 Dec4 December 13:52

        Well all over the world is not the UK’s problem, but if we were doing this properly domestic flights would be segregated and airport workers would be treated like incoming passengers. But it’s too difficult

        • Jonathan says:

          4 Dec4 December 14:24

          Public health is never intended to be perfect & all-encompassing. It’s about getting significant outcome benefits as efficiently as possible.

          If 50% of people reduce their contacts by 50% that will have a big impact on R number. Some of the other 50% will be allowed to mix for practical purposes (eg. transferring passengers or key workers in the initial lockdown), some will just be those who think their desires outweigh any wider benefits to society & ignore the rules.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          4 Dec4 December 15:21

          They aren’t going for a zero covid approach it’s an isolate those they can easily identify and limit the spread approach.

• FloriGuy says:

  4 Dec4 December 10:27

  Does anyone know if I can change an Avios booking online where I need to change one of the destinations?

  Absolute nightmare on hold to BA. Cannot even find an option on MMB to change the booking.

  • Graham C says:

    4 Dec4 December 11:03

    You could try the chat but you cannot do it yourself.

  • Richie says:

    4 Dec4 December 11:22

    You have to call. You can’t even change a London departure airport online if you want to change an Avios flight.

• Michael C says:

  4 Dec4 December 10:32

  Anyone know if Bournemouth Hilton exec. lounge is closed? Not seeing any room offers for Feb. half term (and yes, our future planning has been reduced to this!).

• ShopBig says:

  4 Dec4 December 10:41

  Is the apple store in Covent Garden on the amex CG offer? given the pdf of participating locations doesn’t even work….

  • tintin38 says:

    4 Dec4 December 10:53

    Yes it was on the list a few days ago

  • Andrew (@andrewseftel) says:

    4 Dec4 December 12:56

    I think this is the list https://www.coventgarden.london/experience/things-to-do/american-express-x-covent-garden/

  • David says:

    4 Dec4 December 13:58

    It was when the offer ran in the summer (and worked)

• Gary says:

  4 Dec4 December 10:42

  DP: First visit to a Morrison’s as BLC 10% & Amex plat 10%. Had to escalate for BLC offer to be applied both at kiosk (for champs, oddly kept separate from off license section, why?) & check out counter (for GC/groceries). Staff seemly unaware of BLC offer (GC excluded). No questions asked re Amazon GCs though. Shopping experience was one of a kind.

  • Paul says:

    4 Dec4 December 11:01

    BLC?

    • TGLoyalty says:

      4 Dec4 December 11:04

      Blue light card.

      They actually changed the till set up as you used to be able to click employee discount and scan you nhs discount etc but now needs an employee to authorise.

    • Graham C says:

      4 Dec4 December 11:04

      Blue light card

  • Andrew says:

    4 Dec4 December 12:03

    For the NHS offer, it’s only valid if you are registered as NHS staff on the Morrison’s app and present the relevant discount barcode on the App. Isn’t the BLC the same arrangement?

    • TGLoyalty says:

      4 Dec4 December 12:47

      BLC is for all emergency workers not just NHS.

      They removed the Morrisons discount from BLC in May and said you needed to register with M’s themselves if you work for the NHS.

      • Andrew says:

        4 Dec4 December 12:52

        I’ve found the rules now.

        It’s not valid on spirits in England or any alcohol in Scotland or Wales – so depeding on where Gary is, that might have been part of the problem.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          4 Dec4 December 15:22

          Doesn’t matter what’s being purchased they changed the system which now requires authorisation. Not sure why they have because they didn’t check anything on my app.

  • Mike says:

    4 Dec4 December 12:52

    No just show just show your BLC at the till – only back being 10 % off in Morrisons until 2 Jan 22 – I stacked up last week with lots ( I mean lots!!) of Moët down to £22.40 and Villa Maria Sauv at £4.80 with BLC combined with Amex offer combined with Morrisons wine offers

• Graham says:

  4 Dec4 December 11:00

  Hi, does anyone know if you can cancel Avios bookings with a companion voucher on line? I am hoping that the recent IT upgrade has enabled this again?

  Thanks

• Paul says:

  4 Dec4 December 11:02

  I assume the old trick of inputting any old number onto PLF works fine with the new PCR requirement?

  • Sam G says:

    4 Dec4 December 11:05

    How will you isolate until you receive a result ?

    • Paul says:

      4 Dec4 December 11:06

      I won’t, like (I would assume) most people?

      • TGLoyalty says:

        4 Dec4 December 11:09

        Why don’t you try it and see how it goes … or just buy a test and follow the law.

      • Sam G says:

        4 Dec4 December 11:14

        I think you assume wrong. Most of us a) follow the law and b) are pleased that travel is even still possible and happy to jump through a few hoops to keep it that way

      • Paul says:

        4 Dec4 December 11:22

        we all know this isn’t going to stop, or do much to slow down, the Omicron variant. It will already be spreading rapidly in the community in the UK right now.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          4 Dec4 December 11:43

          It may well be starting to spread. Rapidly might be a massive over statement.

          Obviously, that doesn’t mean you should do your bit to slow the spread down.

      • Aston100 says:

        4 Dec4 December 12:48

        “I won’t, like (I would assume) most people?”
        Most people will follow the law.

  • Graham C says:

    4 Dec4 December 11:05

    Do you not need to upload a photo these days?

    • TGLoyalty says:

      4 Dec4 December 11:08

      A photo of what? Needed a photo to confirm your LFT result.

      • Graham C says:

        4 Dec4 December 13:00

        Ah fair enough.

    • JDB says:

      4 Dec4 December 11:30

      It’s not a photo any more as you need a PCR, so the provider inputs the result into the system, so no PCR result is flagged.

  • Danny says:

    4 Dec4 December 11:29

    And then rob an elderly blind person because that crime probably won’t be caught either?

    Book and take the PCR, isolate (for only 5 hours and £59 if you use Halo at Heathrow), don’t rob old people. It’s not that hard

  • Maria says:

    4 Dec4 December 14:10

    https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/travel-pcr-test-loophole-allowing-holidaymakers-to-evade-covid-testing-and-game-the-system-1331531

  • Jonathan says:

    4 Dec4 December 14:33

    Once the press start running with stories about this (see i link below) then the government might decide to allocate the tiny resource required to match up PLF booking codes with results & fine those who’ve been playing games.

    Considering providers have to upload booking & result info daily it would be a very simple task to merge these databases & see who’s been taking liberties…

    • TGLoyalty says:

      4 Dec4 December 15:24

      Since you can legitimately use the code on many PLFs how can they!

      I could fill in a PLF tomorrow then my flight/plan change and fill in one the next day etc etc I’m not forced to buy a new code and I shouldn’t be. I also need to fill in a new form if my circumstances change after I arrive but would fill in the same reference.

      • Jonathan says:

        4 Dec4 December 17:04

        Yes but they could still run a simple data sieve & then ask you why you’d used the same code multiple times. You could then demonstrate leaving the country within 2 days of arrival or changed itinerary etc. Paul would just be left with his pants down!

• Nathan says:

  4 Dec4 December 11:08

  I have a Eurostar return booking that was originally for 3 weeks ago I paid an exchange fee to move the booking to December 10th-13th the ticket was £220 and then £110 for the exchange fee so total £330.Now Eurostar have cancelled my outbound on December 10th and are saying I can change my ticket or claim a voucher for future use.My question is am I entitled to a full refund including the exchange fee ?

  Many thanks

  • TGLoyalty says:

    4 Dec4 December 11:49

    I’d say no because it sounds like the £110 was to allow you to change the date. Your ticket is/was still £220.

    If I’m wrong and the £110 was because the ticket on the new date was actually £330 then yeah you’d expect £330 back.

  • Rich says:

    4 Dec4 December 11:49

    Did you pay a change fee, or a difference in fare?

    If you paid a difference in fare, then I would have thought you get the full amount paid back. If you paid a change fee, then I don;’t think you get that back, because you have indeed received that ‘service’ (your booking was changed).

    Change fee would be £30 per leg in Standard, £40 in SP, £0 in BP. But waived if done > 7 days before departure at the moment.

    • John says:

      4 Dec4 December 13:53

      In practice seems to also be waived if the new ticket is cheaper

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