Flying (domestic, mid-con) F but denied lounge access!!!
 

Can anyone please explain to me the obsurd rules around how I'm not allowed lounge acces when flying First.

i purchased three F tickets JFK to MCO a year ago, we've just arrived at JFK and they've denied me access to the lounge stating that I'm not flying first it's business even though my ticket states first and that first customers don't get lounge access only business.

how can an airline that sells tickets as first then not allow lounge access!!!????

is this right? If so it will be the last time I ever pay extra money to fly first with AA no perks I might as well have saved hundreds per seat and booked economy or jet blue etc

An F ticket does not include lounge access, except for a few transcons. Hasn't been that way for many many years, although many movies make it seem so.

US airline lounges use a membership model for access. Class of service access is for international and a few transcontinental routes. Status access is available, in the case of AA, for those with Sapphire or higher status on Oneworld airlines other than AA itself.

AA domestic First is really Business except for a few transcontinental routes and the ticketing classes were changed to reflect this last January.

So why does my ticket clearly state first

The rule is quite clear on the admission to the Admiral's Club.
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...lub-access.jsp

The rules are really quite simple. A domestic front cabin ticket (excluding JFK-LAX/SFO markets) does not entitle you to club access. If it did, they'd be more crowded than they already are.

The only domestic airline that is an exception to this rule is Alaska Airlines.

Well I've never flown first / up the front and been denied access to a lounge of some description.

i will never waste my money on AA first ever again, please tell me why anyone would waste money on a premium ticket for a non premium service!

i might as well just have flown with a low cost carrier. The o let advantage for paying 4 times the cost is a slightly larger seat. An absolute joke!

Calm down. It's no different on other major U.S. carriers on non-flagship/transcon/etc routes.

Lounge access is not included.

Period.

Spend your money accordingly. ^

Don't let it ruin your day, you'll soon be at the Happiest Place on Earth!

With respect, why would you buy a product for the first time without making any effort to understand what it actually is that you're buying?

My take is that he has flown first before and has managed to get into lounges even though he shouldn't have previously, but is upset now that the rule is being enforced.

I don't even think that's overly likely.

I kind of understand where the OP is coming from. Everywhere else in the world a premium class ticket gets you lounge access. Only in the US it doesn't. I'm guessing the OP is Europe based.

It really does suck, though. In the US you get a bigger seat but no lounge access. In Europe you get lounge access but a horrible seat. Asia seems to get it right, where you get both a bigger seat and lounge access.

And lounges have real food.

It is what it is. I much prefer the US model where lounge access is an optional add-on, as I'd never pay for use of a lounge on a domestic trip (and wouldn't appreciate that being bundled into my ticket cost).