warakorn

This should not become a rant, so I am trying to stay objective.
This has happened to a colleague to mine.
He was flying on SK from LHR to CPH on a SAS Plus fare. Moreover, he holds a EuroBonus Diamond status (not Silver!).
His meeting ended early, so he showed up at LHR T2 about 4 hours before the flight (around 4pm).

After clearing security he walked over to LHR T2 to check out and use the Singapore Airlines lounge.
It was clearly open, as he could see other people entering the lounge.
The ladies at the entrance denied him entry. They recommended him to use the Lufthansa lounge with his status.
My colleague called me. I explained to him that he needs to ask the lounge ladies, why they have been refusing him entry. Maybe, the lounge was overcrowded and the ladies exercised some form of capacity control. Well, I also queried whether his status is shown on the boarding pass. He said yes, the Diamond status is shown.
After that he didn't call me again. A couple of days later we were texting again and he told me the following story (I am not quoting).

>> He asked whether the lounge was full and that's why he refused entry. The lady said no. She told him that there is an internal agreement between the airlines that Lufthansa and SAS passenger should use the Lufthansa Business Class lounge. They were very surprised to see a passenger with a SAS boarding pass, this doesn't happen every day.
As he didn't want to make a fuzz, and went his way to the Lufthansa lounge. While doing that, he almost got lost and won't try this game again, because he usually has to work while waiting in the lounge. He was perfectly fine with the Lufthansa lounge offering.

My question is: What has happened here? I mean, I was not in his shoes on this day. Probably I would have asked the ladies whether SAS would have not accepted a bill from the Singapore lounge, because SAS does not depart from T2B. However, I did not want to bother my colleague with that kind of burden. He was in rather bad mood because the meeting earlier in the day didn't go so well.

lighthand

Right I just checked on SAS website, and the lounge list do not include SQ lounge at LHR.

Access available into UA, LH and Plaza Lounge (UA at T2B).

Kacee

The answer is that SQ is renowned for ignoring Star Alliance lounge access rules and wrongly refusing admission. As a *G, the passenger was clearly entitled to access.

warakorn

Thus, you are confirming that Singapore Airlines does not operate a Star Alliance Business Class lounge in T2B? There is no Star Alliance logo there?

I've heard that SQ was quite stingy in SFO of not letting in Non-UA Golds on domestic itineraries. I always thought that was a loophole and it was "fair" by SQ to stop people from using that loophole.

Kacee

They do it elsewhere randomly, too.

In fact, I believe there were reports of wrongful denials at the old LHR SQ lounge.

If you search using the *A lounge finder, you will see that it confirms pax was entitled to SKL access.

AlwaysFlyStar

I fly from LHR several times per month, (usually intra-Europe) and I never have had any problem getting into SQ lounge. (Including on SK, LH, UA and AC) Perhaps they suggested LH lounge (as they frequently do to me when on Euro-flight) and he mistook it for denial? Or perhaps there was someone new there who is unfamiliar with the rules? I have about 7 hours there tomorrow before an SN flight, and will see if anything is said then. But unless they are no longer calling themselves a *G lounge, there is no reason they should be denying access.

Phaze

Idiotic lounge dragon is what happened. He could have shown her the Star Alliance lounge finder site and plugged in his details, it would clearly show that he's allowed to access that lounge. But seeing as he didn't want to make a fuss then fair enough. Distinctly average lounge in any case.

HadesNL

At BKK SKL they have this habit of trying to steer you towards the TG lounges when they even spot your *gold card in the distance. As if alarm bells go off and they are ready to tazer and shoo you away.

To kill some time in transit i usually have a walk around the terminal and drop by the SKL to see if the SKL attitude has changed over time by providing first my LH *G card on top of my F/C boarding pass and the next time just the (F)boarding pass only.

I do this too at the AC FRA B-lounge and the ladies there are always offering a warm welcome to enter but apologise that their lounge is not an F-standard and that i should rather use the LH FCL for more amenities. There have no problems when entering using only the *G card with a C boarding pass. That's in my opnion a much better customer approach.

TPJ

Oh so we go in circles No longer any issue to get access in BKK & SYD, but now they play the same old game in LON...

SIA747Megatop

I understand the situation at BKK and SFO is due to the size of the lounges, SQ pax alone fill up the place. Have seen TG pax turned away because the lounge was "too busy" at BKK, seen the same at SFO.

Tokyoite

any updates?

warakorn

Just an update:

Last week I visited the Singapore Airlines lounge in London Heathrow, albeit only for 5 min..
Boy, I was very glad that the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge was just around the corner.

Maple Leaf Lounge: airy, very good presentation of food, comfortable seating
Singapore Lounge: stuffy, crowded, entrance area looks like a toilet, food okay'ish

I do not know how to say it in English words.
After you pass the entry checkpoint of the Singapore Lounge, you go through a narrow hallway - and again I felt I am entering a dirty toilet area (I cannot come up with a better comparison).

Sorry to be so frank.

djjaguar64

Whats the point of a Star Alliance? I just don't get it.

Phaze

Depends on the time of day you're there too. But yeah, regardless, it isn't great.

Be grateful, though. The T3 lounge was just

warakorn

Just wonder which lounge the "sex tourists" are sent to, because I visited the lounge about one hour before the TG A380 was started boarding.