JMB777

I've been wondering about this topic for a while. It does make sence for airlines to charge a fee for lounge access. My guess is that the airline providing the lounge access (frequnet flyer program or class or service) pays for it unless operating airline provides it (customer flying in business, first or py for some case).

I've done JL C to AA domestic flight several times. Everytime agents scanned both JL boarding pass and AA boarding pass. One time, an agent wasn't sure how to "register" me (she was talking to an agent next her saying "I don't know why I get an error message. I am not sure if JL pays for it") At the end, she reprinted my boarding pass led me in to AC.

When I used CX and AA's lounge at NRT, agents at both lounge wrote down my flight number and seat and looked for ow status (which I don't have). I guess JL would get bill for both situations. Or If I had an ow status, a fee may have been split into two parts?

My question is when airline uses the third party lounge (like AY at CDG), which airline would be responsible for paying a "fee". My guess is that AY will pay first, but aren't they "charge back" that fee to carieer that provides lounge access?

I guess this kind of information is not available to publicmc, but any guess/comment is welcome!

IanFromHKG

Access could be by status or by travel class. If you have both, but with different airlines, I am not sure which pays. However, I do know that the airline operating the lounge is paid a fee for each visit by the airline from whom the pax is getting access rights (if you see what I mean), that it is paid per lounge visited not per flight (so if a CX pax visits both BA and AA lounges at Heathrow then CX has to pay the full lounge access fee to both), and that the fee paid isn't standard across oneworld. I have heard rumours of fees as low as US$60 in some places but know (from a very reliable source) of one lounge that charges US$250. Hope that satisfies some of your curiosity...

daumueller

If retail DAY Passes can be bought as low as 50USD for the Admirals club for example, i kind of doubt a price of 60USD per VISIT for a partner airline...

JMB777

Thanks for your post! I do see what you mean and that does make sense.
It also makes sense that "lounge fee" is not standard as quality (as I would like to call) differ from one to another.

USD250? It is just wow It must be very nice first class lounge somewhere in the world.

JMB777

This discussion is not limited to the Admirals Club if I wasn't clear about it. I assume AA charges less than $50 for partner airlines, but it should be higher for Flagship Lounges.

I wouldn't surprise that some lounges cost more than USD100, but $250 is probably over-charged in my opinion.

skunker

The AC in SAN is only $25 as it is co-branded with AirSpace and it is used by AA, BA, and JL (plus anyone else that wants to pay).

ernestnywang

IIRC, in OW, the airline the PAX departs from pays, whereas in *A (and possibly ST, too), the airline the PAX holds the status from pays.

JMB777

So are you saying that, say a pax is traveling on BA and has lounge access because of MH status, BA is still paying "fee(s)" to lounge operating airlines not MH (the one providing access to lounge assuming a pax is not traveling business or first)?

ernestnywang

I believe that is in line with the OW practice I know of, and it is also what people reported here before. Obviously, that's assuming the pax is travel in Y.

JMB777

This is very interesting if it is true. American isn't making any money at ORD when pax travels on AA Y but has lounge access because other OW elite status

77W_12A

I've heard something similar as well. This is coming from someone I know who works for a ow airline in HKG. The fee is HK$ 450. Example. QF passenger traveling on QF, using the Wing.

jagmeets

ernestnywang's point could also explain the reluctance of some carriers to give other airline elites access to contract lounges- we had a thread about MH@PNH denying a while back..

(In Y, I was however given access to contract lounges by MH in DEL and HKT. UL went a step further and proactively asked if I had any guests, when checking in @ SIN..and the Lounge Invite read something along the lines 'Due to CX DM card/OW Emerald'..UL's bp/invites actually state Cathay Diamond along with emerald)

beardoc

This question has had me wondering for a while - whilst there are some propositions that make sense, is there any hard evidence that backs up whether it's the operating carrier or the certifying carrier (the one bestowing the status) that pays the fee?