tya

My parents are at HKG now, and they told me they were asked to go to other lounges when they identified themselves as *G. The reason staff there gave was the lounge is full. But right after my parents stepped out, they saw a flock of people (7-8 persons) walked in and allowed entry.

Is it normal that SQ lounge at HKG would deny entry? Anyway they can go into SQ lounge at HKG now?

dvs7310

The 7-8 people could have been on a SQ flight or another airline departing from that part of HKG (ET & CA also use gates near the SQ lounge).

The vast majority of *A flights depart from another part of the airport and that's where the TG and UA lounges are.

It's hard to say from the limited detail in your story but it sounds like your parents are flying an airline where it makes more sense to use the TG or UA lounge and if the SQ lounge was near capacity then the attendant felt it more prudent to send them there and reserve remaining space for passengers departing from gates in that part of the terminal.

I do agree, if I have a lot of extra time on my hands, I'd rather use the SQ lounge (other than the fact it has no restroom) because I like their food more than the TG or UA lounge, but if I were on a connecting flight and not coming from the immigration area then I wouldn't go out of my way to get to the SQ lounge.

reimondo

Looking at how they manage the lounge access at Singapore Changi airport where *G flyers travelling on economy class are given an inferior lounge (called 'Gold lounge') to use rather than their standard SilverKris lounges, I won't be surprised of what they do elsewhere! :P

dvs7310

I've used their HKG lounge quite a few times, never once flown SQ out of HKG. There are quite a few complaints on Flyertalk of SQ lounge attendants denying access to *G when its busy though.

tya

They were flying a Non-SQ Star flight indeed (BR back to Taipei), and they were able to use SQ lounges when flying BR before. I just hope it was indeed a capacity issue today rather than a new norm that they don't allow *G entry, so asking here to see what is the situation now. =)

Often1

What was the operating carrier of their flight and what is their "home" *A carrier, e.g., through what carrier are they *G?

There is no way to determine whether OP's parents were properly or improperly denied entry without knowing the basis for the other passengers' entry and neither OP's parents nor OP can know that.

It would be simplest if OP's parents would each separately send a complaint to their *A "home" carrier noting that they attempted entry to the lounge at the given date & time when they were ticketed on the given carrier's flight and presented *G credentials and were denied. They should then each file separate complaints with the operating carrier of their flight (if it is different than their home carrier).

SK AAR

You suggest that the OP makes a formal complaint that the pax were denied entry because the lounge was full? I doubt anyone has the right to enter a full lounge.

How do you suggest the OP to substantiate that the lounge was in fact not full and the lounge dragons were lying and other pax were allowed to enter? Seems to me like a complete waste of time - the OP will get nowhere with this.

Kacee

Yup. Even when I'm flying SQ J they act like they're doing me a favor to let me in

Won't accomplish anything. SQ makes its own rules.

LAX/HKG

There is restroom inside the lounge.

SunLover

Agreed. The lounge Dragons can anticipate the club being full in the next few hours based on their own SQ departure schedule and play that card. It's a fools errand to lodge multiple complaints and expect any recourse here.


SL

YuropFlyer

Never got denied access to it (when flying Non-SQ *A) as Gold member. Staff was always very welcoming. Since the renovation my favorite *G lounge, and according to my experience, more and more fellow flyers are realizing that too. I've seen the lounge fairly full (say, over 75% of seats taken) at which I can imagine them asking Non-SQ pax to go for one of the other lounges. Not nice, but kinda understanding.

l380

I have never been deny entry to the SQ lounge while flying both BR Y and J class with flights departing at around either ~3pm and ~9pm.

Do you mind sharing when did your parents visit the lounge?

theworld

I've never had a problem using the SQ lounge either when flying SQ or another *A airline with my A3 gold. However whenever I've gone the lounge is generally quite empty.

However, as your folks were flying BR, they had the ability to use the Virgin lounge, which in my view is much better than the SQ lounge.

Kacee

I was there yesterday on a UA boarding pass. Arrived around 11 am and it was dead empty. Had started to fill by the time I left around 11:45.

Some decent food options, but the space itself is kind of cavelike.

None of the *A HKG lounges hold a candle to the CX options.

tya

They were TK *G on BR 856 leaving HKG 1705. There are two SQ flight leaving behind at 1850 and 1955. Not sure if that was the reason. They used to fly BR 956 at the same time in the day before and was granted access. Simply wanted to check if there is a policy change, or just they had a bad luck that day

SQ lounge in TPE is also welcoming though. Never been denied entry there.