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British Airways is to close its Galleries Club and Galleries First lounges in Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo International Airport) for refurbishment from Thursday 23 May 2019.
The new lounges will open in October 2019. It is not known what format the new lounges will take and whether BA will adopt the “Concorde Bar” format adopted in Dubai and Singapore, which is exclusively for ticketed First Class passengers only.
In the interim, First Class passengers will be able to use the Slow lounge. This lounge is used by BA’s franchise partner in South Africa, Comair. It is located after security, on the upper level of the international departures terminal.
Passengers in Club World, and Silver and Gold Executive Club cardholders in World Traveller Plus and World Traveller will be able to use the Aspire lounge. This lounge is located after emigration. Passengers are advised to follow directional signage to gates 7-30, passing through the duty free shop. The lounge is on the left just before the esclator to the International Pier.
Given this route is served by an Airbus A380 and an 86 Club World seat Boeing 747 that depart within two hours of each other in the evening, crowding is likely to be an issue.
This is the last lounge closure of the planned refurbishments for 2019. BA’s lounge in Geneva will close for refurbishment on Tuesday 28 May 2019. The San Francisco lounge is currently closed for refurbishment and should reopen this summer.
Update: The refurbished lounge has now reopened.
