The secret British Airways status
If you’re familiar with the British Airways Club (formerly the Executive Club) then you’ll know that there are four tiers: Blue, Bronze, Silver and Gold. The latter has a few variants: Gold Guest List, and a lifetime version of Gold. There is, however, a secret tier that BA doesn’t discuss. There’s no mention of it on their website at all.
What is the British Airways Premier status?
BA do not talk about the status, nor (officially) how you can achieve it.
What we do know is that it’s invitation only, and it’s given to people who have influence over significant corporate travel budgets. This is unlikely to be the person in charge of the budget, but rather someone in the C-suite who owns the budget. It’s also been noted that being famous may put you in a position where you would be considered for a card, but that would be true A-list rather than a reality star.
- Owning a significant corporate travel budget (i.e. C-suite)
- Being an A-list star who flies frequently, although this has been culled recently
- Travelling at an inordinately high rate. To the point where you are spending more time in the air than on the ground.
There is evidence to suggest that BA will use the Premier card and status to retain corporate travel accounts, specifically deploying the cards as contracts come to an end or decisions are about to be made.
The cards last for one year, and can be cancelled if your business is no longer a significiant driver of revenue for BA.
If you’re a Premier then your status will be visible in the BA app. The Account Details page will have a black background, and in the top left it will say “Premier”.
What are the perks of Premier?
If you’re used to the somewhat meagre perks of frequent flyer schemes then Premier will impress you. It is, after all, meant for elite travellers who live in luxury. The benefits are so plentiful that I’ve split them into categories.
Making travel easier
- BA will hold the plane for you if your connecting flight is delayed. This is likely to be in very specific circumstances, and with a cut-off time (i.e. they will not hold a plane for an hour)
- Access to the BA Special Services team, a group of elite BA staffers who support you before, during and after your flight. This is within airports that the Special Services team operate. Their services include:
- Driving you to your plane
- Picking up your luggage from the carousel
- Taking priority over other passengers if your flight has been cancelled or delayed, i.e. for alternative routes, you will jump the queue.
- A guaranteed seat on any plane, even if it’s full.
- Fast track security and passport control.
Upgrades & Lounge Access
- Being Premier will mean you are far more likely to be upgraded if there are seats available.
- You’ll also get an annual upgrade voucher, allowing you to jump up one cabin (plus one other traveller).
- You’ll also get access to the most premium BA lounge at any airport, no matter what cabin you’re flying in, and even if you are not flying with BA.
- You can bring upto two guests into a lounge with you
The perks above are on top of what you would get as a BA Gold, which includes:
- Access the BA arrivals lounge at Heathrow T5 when travelling in any class on an inbound long haul flight
- Priority boarding
- Free seat selection
- Additional baggage allowances
As a BA Premier you’ll be able to give Gold status to one other person, and Silver status to two other people.
Will BA really hold a flight for you if you’re a Premier?
This is the most interesting perk, given that your late arrival will mean every other passenger on a held plane will be late too. Not only that, there’s operational issues for BA when a plane departs late.
There are a number of individuals who are Premier, or who know one, that have stated that flights will indeed be held for late arriving status holders.
Are the perks just for BA?
The highest value perks are for British Airways only, however you will get oneworld Emerald status. This gives you:
- Access to First and Business class lounges if you’re flying on a oneworld airline. This varies by airline, for example you cannot access the Al Safwa lounge in Doha if you’re an Emerald flying with Qatar.
- Access to first class check-in
- Extra baggage and priority baggage handling
- Priorty boarding and priotity when on a waitlist.
These are useful, but compared to what you get as a Premier they feel somewhat insignificant.
How do you get a BA Premier card?
As you might guess, you can’t request a card online. This is an invitation only tier, there are believed to be around five hundred Premier cardholders in the World.
The guidelines for who can be a Premier have been tightened in recent years, meaning it’s even harder to get a card. The reality is that unless you’re a solid A-lister or, more likely, that you have a significant travel budget, you won’t even appear on BA’s radar.
The perks of the Premier card provide significant value, and therefore they come at a cost to BA. That cost is recouped through revenue, and that’s the flights that someone, or someones company, will take.
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