Our Co-op Smilemore current account, for which we pay £15.50 a month, gives each of us two passes a year to airport lounges before flights. It is administered by DragonPass.
On 4 March this year we were refused access to the Escape Lounge at Manchester airport, despite it being 4.15am and the lounge almost empty. The receptionist claimed she had a busy day ahead and could not accommodate us, even though we only wanted to stay an hour. We have enjoyed this facility for many years and to be refused was disappointing, and as we don’t fly regularly the benefit is lost for the year.
GM, Blackpool
Many readers will be bemused as to how a retired couple could be turned away from an empty lounge at 4.15am? DragonPass’s managing director told us that his terms and conditions state that capacity constraints may occur at “peak travel times leading to refusal if the lounge is at full capacity”.
He said that on that day a number of ski operators had pre-booked a significant amount of the lounge’s capacity, and that was why you were turned away. “We appreciate this might not be ideal, which is why DragonPass has developed a platform which will allow customers to pre-book lounges, where applicable, to avoid disappointment.”
Bizarrely, the DragonPass website states the opposite. Its frequently asked questions page says: “As a DragonPass member you don’t need to book your lounge visit.” The Co-op Bank website also makes no mention of the need to pre-book.
As a result I would complain to the Co-operative Bank and insist on a refund of the DragonPass’s value – say £30 each – given that in your case it has proved impossible to use and therefore worthless. Other customers take note.
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