Star Alliance - *A F lounge in SYD

Travelling F with TG SYD-BKK on 31/07 at 16.30.

Anyone know if TG have a dedicated F lounge or section for F only?

Or if any *A partner has such a facility which would be open at that time.

Thanks,
Caledonian

NZ lounge is the best *A in SYD. Has an F section with limited hours but should be open for the TG flights.

Enjoy the lounge - it is very good.

As Kiwi Flyer mentioned, there is an NZ F lounge, but it hasn't been open whenever I have been around. Admittedly, that is usually for the afternoon UA flights to the US. None the less, there NZ Business lounge is still very nice. Decent booze, and nice snacks.

SQ has an F lounge, and while the booze might be better, the ambience of the NZ Business lounge is better. The SQ F (or C) lounge can't match the NZ views at all. I don't know the times the SQ lounge is open, but I know they only open for their flights. Check the SQ website for the SYD lounge opening times.

UA used to have an F lounge, but now it is just a seperate room usually reserved for F and UGS pax. It is quieter, but has the same snacks and drinks as the Business lounge. You probably wouldn't be able to get in there, but you aren't missing anything. In fact the NZ Business lounge blows it away.

There is no TG lounge in SYD AFAIK.

Thanks for this. Singapore have their last flight out at 3.40 so may not really be able to use the SQ lounge, AirNZ have a 6pm flight so that may be the option.

Any idea if TG will direct us to any specific lounge - also a *A G member if that will help add some flexibility to my choice.

Caledonian

TG may well direct you to a specific lounge that they use for their non-staus premium pax.

I was assuming you were *G btw :cool:.

There's only 3 *A lounges at SYD - UA, SQ and NZ. IIRC TG uses NZ.

When I flew TG SYD - AKL (this is about 2 years ago) I was told to use (and did use) the NZ 1st class lounge. It's VERY nice.

Will

TG F uses the NZ F lounge - note it closes around lunchtime and opens again at 2 or 3pm.

Great lounge as said before, but a lounge is a lounge.

Mark

The SQ lounge is open during the lunchtime closure of the NZ lounge though... I got shunted over on my last trip.

Love the NZ lounge in Sydney. Used it on Tuesday..surprised at how quiet it was...there around 1pm before my UA flight to LAX.

Another thumbs up for the NZ F lounge. I think the UA F lounge is a pitiful hole and only used it when NZ closed for cleaning and booted me. :) I would actually prefer the comfort of the main terminal to the UA F lounge.

Last week I was flying F on UA and naturally didn't want to use the UA lounge at SYD. I went to the NZ lounge and asked whether their F lounge would still be operating (knowing that NZ doesn't have F anymore on their flights). The warden told me "yes" but it is only open for TG pax. I asked whether the lounge would be open at the moment and she said "yes, but only for TG pax not for anyone else"... :mad:

So, after a longish discussion with her she wouldn't allow me to access the F lounge with my UA boarding pass. I was only allowed to enter the C lounge and also only because I had a SEN *Gold card....she didn't want to let me in with just my F boarding pass and told me that I would have to use the UA lounge if I only had the boarding pass on UA. :confused:

I left and walked over to the SQ lounge and the lady there was quite stressed because she had "so many people in the lounge today". She also wouldn't want to let me into the F lounge. Only C lounge. She also said that she absolutely hated the *Alliance rules that everyone could access any partner lounge with a *Alliance ticket!

I'm sure that I read here that people were able to use the SQ F lounge if travelling on UA in F. Not sure whether the NZ F lounge is still accessible for people travelling on UA...

What is it that I'm doing wrong? What kind of document do I need to print out from the *Alliance website or another site that would allow me access. Or which phone numbers do you need to carry with you all the time. I find it really frustrating that you always have to fight for lounge access even as a premium pax flying F. After all, how much difference does one pax make in the lounge and why is it that these lounge wardens always get such a great satisfaction out of turning eligible pax away from their lounge....do you have to be a sadochist to be able to work as a lounge warden :td:

All you should need is a printout from here...

http://www.staralliance.com/star_alliance/star/frame/main_10.html

If you have an F ticket, there should be no stopping you going into ANY lounge (even if it is not designated a *G lounge).

*G status is lower than an F ticket whilst travelling on the *A, when it comes to lounge access anyway.

If NZ still operate the F lounge in SYD then they cannot discriminate which F passengers use the lounge... I would have asked to see the Station Manager myself. As you ARE permitted to use it.

All you should need is a printout from here...

http://www.staralliance.com/star_alliance/star/frame/main_10.html

If you have an F ticket, there should be no stopping you going into ANY lounge (even if it is not designated a *G lounge).

*G status is lower than an F ticket whilst travelling on the *A, when it comes to lounge access anyway.

If NZ still operate the F lounge in SYD then they cannot discriminate which F passengers use the lounge... I would have asked to see the Station Manager myself. As you ARE permitted to use it.

I used the link above but was just dropped to the front of the Staralliance home page. Where does it say that a F class international ticket allows you access to a first class lounge?

Sorry, my boob...

Go to http://www.staralliance.com

Then Loyalty Benefits, Star Alliance Benefits, in the Star Gold section click on Airport Lounge Access.

Also available quickly here http://www.staralliance.com/star_alliance/star/content/lounge_access.html, but doesn't have the Star Alliance bits on the page to print off - thus probably not good enough to show to a Lounge Dragon.

Thank you for the link. I will take a printout with me from now on.

However, the problem with the NZ lounge seemed to be that they claimed it's only open for TG pax. I understand that NZ does not offer F on their flights anymore, so they really might have a special agreement with TG but I really don't understand why on earth they would send a F customer away if the lounge was open anyway. The more I think about it the more I must agree that she was probably just BS-ing me around. :mad: I think I'll need to write a letter to NZ and ask for an explanation...

I would write or email (there's a feedback form on www.airnz.co.nz) to bring to their attention and improve their training.

I can understand not wanting to open up if outside whatever hours they have arranged, but to refuse entry when it is open is bad.

Agreed - write and send an email to flightcomment@airnz.co.nz - after all it's not long since there was that problem of *G pax flying UA being turned away by the lounge staff (things like that make you wonder how long it will be until *G = lounge access to whichever lounge the airline your travelling with designates)