Sometimes the world works in mysterious ways, the stars align by chance and all is hunky-dory. Other times, however, events unfold in such a way that you can see there is trouble brewing.

Yesterday we covered the latest debacle in the gradual demise of the SLOW Lounge, FNB messaging their Platinum account holders and yanking the rug from under their feet. Our post set many tongues wagging and many readers spoke of their discontent with the way in which FNB and the SLOW Lounge have been operating. The message they sent bears repeating so here’s what those account holders received:

As you can see, that is something of a slap in the face to those who signed up for FNB’s Platinum account with the aim of enjoying their pre-flight wait in the comfort of the SLOW Lounge. As more FNB Platinum account holders flooded into the Lounge, the means of acquiring a Platinum account having become incredibly easy, the lustre with which it was once regarded has faded rapidly.

This leaves the REAL big hitters, the big dogs if you will, with nowhere to go. These are the guys with an Investec or Amex Platinum card, both of which are not easy to come by. Just like the original Bidvest users had to deal with their lounge aligning with the blue card holders, causing a massive influx and hindering their experience, so now do these big dogs have to deal with an overcrowded SLOW Lounge.

We joked yesterday about how the Bidvest Lounge may now become fashionable once more, taking a few pot shots at their outdated and (to be kind) retro furnishing and facilities. Then, as if by magic, this beaut hits the inbox a mere two hours after our original post.

You would have to say this looks decidedly like a planned renovation brought forward to amp up the pressure on the ailing SLOW Lounge. From their side it probably couldn’t have come at a worse time, and it looks like Investec are arming themselves for a hostile takeover in the battle to dominate what we’ll dub ‘The Lounge Wars’.

Shots fired, here’s hoping we see this one turn into a public battle and we can sit back and enjoy the ride.