HadesNL

Does it ?

I just read:
http://boardingarea.com/onemileatati...unge-is-empty/

BA Gold (OW emerald=*G) seems useless if partner airline's lounge doesn't admit due to "supposed" capacity constraints.....

At least in the old overcrowded FRA A26 lounge//tower lounge LH admitted everyone with the idea of creating the zoo-ambiance ;-)

The answer is or:
TG: have multiple *G lounges at every concourse in BKK, if one is full then there's another one on the other side of the corridor
SQ: make a seperate *G lounge thats not a business (SEN-ness) lounge in SIN (seperating *G in Y from Business Class passengers) as mentioned before
Both airlines provided their own solution while keeping to alliance obligations

what sometimes wonders me is that as a *G flying not on your own FFP//airline but on a *partner you can take a guest (+1) with you.{Example: I'm SEN flying on SQ and my guest is non status flying on TG and we are both accessing the UA lounge in HKG}... that surely is a cost aswell to pay access for a non-status pax (hopefully this won't be enhanced away though)

vincewy

This post sums up the best of all the pages I went through, No. 3 will not fly unless

1. LH assigns different lounges (lounges for FT or other contract lounges), or
2. There are other *G lounges Y passengers can go to at particular airports.

Chances are other *A carriers will reciprocate (retaliate) by denying SEN passengers flying Y as well.

If LH can get away with it, others will surely follow (SEN lounges aren't the only ones crowded) and the whole *G becomes useless.

Koby

Do you know that SEN lounges are (on paper at least) a better version of the "normal" LH business class lounges - and that there is always at least one business class lounge next to every SEN lounge?
So "No. 3 will fly" without problem (if and when this rumour ever proves to be true of course ).

vincewy

Like what I said, as long as LH provides something for *G (doesn't have to be Senator), it'd be fine. Not that I really have to use lounge before every flight, but this would, in principal, devalue *G. Just look at Skyteam E+ as an example.

stifle

To me this is a problem that could be fixed if Star had distinguished levels of lounges and more separate alliance-wide levels. Oneworld, for example, has Sapphire status which gets access to business lounges and Emerald which also gets access to first lounges. Airlines can still set up higher or more special lounges (such as BA's Concorde room).

vincewy

I believe it's a matter of when, not if, just look at how TK and A3 give out *G.

There would probably be *Gold and *Platinum (or *Diamond, etc) as most member cariers do have at least 2 tiers at/above Gold. *G will probably give lounge access to the card holders only (no guests).

jfk747

Even less reason to fly lh and have loyalty to them even on business fares. The middle eastern flights have great j pricing for y fares.

LH4116

Well SK are also giving out gold cards like free candy. Now there's a promo out where you can obtain EuroBonus Gold status for less than €400… Flying is involved of course.

TRAVELSIG

The question is- how will that help short haul within Europe?

The GCC carriers cannot really help with this area.

LH1597

We have had this years!, so why the kerfuffle now, it couldn't be that certain FTLs are being monitored and having the rules changes that affect them. If that is so! then Lufthansa and co are Mickey Mouse companies and not worth continuing with. AnyWAY *G is a star alliance matter and NOT M&M matter, so *rules are affected, and that means everyone has to give consent, not just M&M. BTW the qualification for FTLs would get you GOLD on AF/KLM program, not bad eh! So I would quieten down on trying to remove benefits for other FTLs

gojko88

Not really. *A only guarantees lounge access for *G, not what type and level of lounge it will be. Kicking *G to BIZ lounges wouldn't break any rule *A has in place.

NewbieRunner

Exactly. Just because LH happens to operate two levels of lounges (apart from the First Class lounges) it doesn't follow that *G must have access to SEN lounges. In my (not so extensive) experience, LH BIZ lounges are much better than any United Clubs in the US I've visited.

TRAVELSIG

Just look at SIN as another example.

NewbieRunner

Where Business Class pax have access to a better lounge than *G in Y? Currently it's the opposite in LH lounges.

TRAVELSIG

Yes- in other words *gold does not have to mean a nicer lounge- so if LH decides to move gold pax to the business lounge they will not have any issues with star alliance.