wanaflyforless

How have I not answered this?

My above post covers when AA offers AA customers AAdmirlas club lounge access, when UA offers UA customers Red Carpet lounge access, when US offers US customers lounge access to the US Airways Club, when DL offers DL customers access to the Delta Crown Room, when Continental offers CO customers access to the Presidents Club, and when Northwest offers NW customers access to the NWA Worldclubs for free based on status.

How have I not communicated?

Please re-read my posts or explain how I have not answered your question.

Are you trying to ask for a list of airlines who let you into their lounges even when you are not flying them based on status? If so, as I stated in my last post, no US airlines do this for US based residents. Many international do, but I don't have that list off the top of my head (the number of airlines is vast - probably more than 100).

But when it comes to lounge access, alliances cannot be ignored; you cannot be an LH senator without being a Star Gold, giving you unlimmited access to LH clubs anytime but also UA clubs when you fly UA domestically. I understand your goal is domestic lounge access? You can be a Star gold on another Star carriers having only flown UA and US crediting the miles to other Star carrier. If you are not allergice to UA/US YUP fares, BMI star gold would only take you about 18K of flying UA/US discounted F per year to attain.

Kiwi Flyer

Again, most non-US airlines, as long as flying on that alliance. A smaller set of airlines and statuses (many non-US top-tier statuses for example) also provide access even when not flying.

Punki

Thank you for your patience and explanations, Kiwi Flyer and wanaflyforless. You both obviously fly a lot more airlines than we and have thought a lot about these access issues, which have simply never concerned us.

OK, here is our personal situation, and a very specific question.

Please understand that Hunki and I, who are both 1ks and RCC members, only fly internationally in biz or first and frequently use the international RCCs (as well as other *Alliance lounges). So, we have simply never had occasion think about the basis of lounge access for coach passengers. We just assumed that we gained access to the RCC based on our RCC membership and our class of service, not our status.

Are you saying that if we were not RCC members and were flying internationally in coach (perish the thought) that we would still have access to the international RCCs?

OBTW, Kiwi Flyer, thanks again for passing "Night Over Water" along. It has pretty much hooked me on Ken Follett. I picked up one of his books last week and two more of his books at the book exchange at my gym this morning. I always think happy thought of you when I read his books. ^

Kiwi Flyer

Yes on international *A itineraries a 1K has access (plus 1 guest) to the designated *G lounges even when flying economy. Non UA/US *G's additionally have access (plus 1 guest) to domestic lounges within USA, when flying *A in any class (thus for these there is no point in having paid RCC membership - just throwing money away).

Rudi

if we were not RCC members and were flying internationally in coach (perish the thought) that we would still have access to the international RCCs?

yes - and to all StarGold lounges (most SEN lounges are StarGold lounges too)

Punki

Thank you very much. That explains a lot of RCC meet-ups with folks who were not members and were flying in coach.

For us, Kiwi Flyer, RCC membership is crucial to our business, as we frequently fly US domestic transcons with connections and need a place to conduct business--often tracking down missing crates on our way to shows.

Kiwi Flyer

Perhaps you miss the point. If you had other *G status, say with AC, then you would not need to purchase RCC membership in order to use RCCs when flying *A domestically in USA.

Similarly on One World, have non AA Sapphire or Emerald status and you can use the Admirals Clubs (and Flagship Lounge for Emerald) when flying OW domestically in USA.

Punki

For us, Kiwi Flyer, the point is that we only fly about 125,000 revenue miles these days and the bulk of those miles must be on UA, for two major reasons:

A. To maintain 1k status and receive our 6 SWUs, 8 CR1s, and God only knows how many 500 mile upgrades each per year; and

B. To hit 1,000,000 BIS miles and attain lifetime UA Premier Executive status before we move into our retirement.

Therefore, we really do need RCC membership to access US domestic RCC lounges. I still kick myself in the behind for not allowing Hunki to buy a lifetime RCC membership for something like about $200 many years ago. I had no idea what that would have meant for us today.

So far, it looks like we will stick to our original retirement FlyIRA plan:

A. Attain lifetime PremEx status on UA and accumulate several+ million UA miles.
B. Accumulate several+ million AS miles.
C. Accumulate about a half million miles each in AA and NWA.
D. Accumulate a few million HHonors and SPG points each.
E. Continue our RCC membership for life, paid with miles.

This should provide us a lifetime of free and tax-free, luxury travel all around the world. What more could we ask?

I would be curious to hear others lifetime plans.

Rudi

Unfortunately most carriers now charge taxes and additional fuel costs on award tickets too (for sure LH, Swiss LX, OS, TG, SQ, SAS do, and I think UA did introduce this same policy late automn 2006 as well?). Free is no longer free (of taxes and fuel-costs).

Punki

Yes, that is true Rudi, but at least for now (pray God this never changes), we don't pay any taxes on the actual value of the miles and points themselves, which could be a pretty hefty sum.

Wouldn't it be something if all Americans were required to give say 25 or 30% of their miles and points to the Government which would in turn used them to offset its travel expenses.

wanaflyforless

For me, no significant miles will get saved for retirement. They devalue, so I use the miles now and earn interest on $ in the bank.

So say I have 5 million miles and $100K.
- I could use the miles now for $200K worth of tickets, or in 20 years from now for $150K worth of tickets.
- I could use the money now for $100K of spending power, or in 20 year from now for $250K worth of spending.

What should I use now?

My lifetime airline plan is lifetime status and lounge access. I already have lifetime AA Saphire status on Oneworld (so alliance wide Oneworld lounge access and double miles), and hope to gain BMI lifetime Star Gold if their program stays around. If BMI doesn't stay around as a desirable program, I may settle for UA lifetime Star Gold (assuming UA is still UA). As for Skyteam, I am contemplating a CO lifetime lounge membership; just trying to figure out how much I will be flying Skyteam though. None of Skyteam programs are as rich as my Oneworld/Star options, so not sure...

Punki

It is all dependent upon one's personal circumstances. Your plan sounds like a good one for a younger person, wanaflyforless.

As long as we are working, most of our travel is paid for by our business and we have the opportunity to earn lots and lots of credit card miles and points without any real effort on our part. Once we retire, we will have to pay for our own travel and our primary mile/point earning power will go away, so for us, it makes sense to make hay with the sun shines.

Since we would like to retire within the next few years, we only have the opportunity for lifetime status on one airline--UA--unless we dramatically overhauled our credit card system, as start putting the bulk of our purchase toward AA. That's something I have thought about, but it has always seemed like too much work to shift everything around.

After we retire, we will only travel on miles and points so we will have very few earning opportunities. Since all of our international tickets will be in biz or coach, however, lounge access will not be an issue.

wanaflyforless

Agreed. ^

Years until retirement are a major factor. As is the number of tickets you pay for. (In my case, I'm self-employed, so the equation is a little different.)