ProleOnParole

Every business should continually adapt to meet the needs of its customers. If there are people doing this then the airlines should recognize the demand and reach out to allow them lounge access without the need for pretend flying. Monetize it with some allowance depending on tier status, followed by a charge for any subsequent visit. Going after the most loyal customers and dispatching "corporate security" squads to investigate every fraudulently consumed donut doesn't seem very much like a businesslike response.

Steve M

They do already. In most cases, lounges have a day pass option. Many of the posts we see here about people buying fraud tickets to get lounge access are for lounges that have a ~$50 day pass option. It's not that people can't get into the lounge, but that they don't want to pay the price.

pinniped

Still feels like a stretch. (Especially 2 and 3...airlines have never promised us power outlets. ) I know I'd personally struggle to use that logic to a friend or colleague, let alone explaining it to an airline agent if I actually got caught.

They kind of do that already. If you're a midtier elite on a major alliance going on almost any kind of long-distance trip, you probably have lounge access. If you aren't, you can usually buy a daypass.

I have the Citi Prestige card that costs me a net $200/yr. It includes AA club access when I fly AA and Priority Pass lounges when I don't, both with 2 adult guests permitted. To me, that's incredibly cheap lounge access. I use the lounges, using this card, around 20-25 times per year, at least half of those with 1-2 guests. It's like $5-10 bucks per visit, even if I don't value that credit card for anything else.

Lounges are *more* accessible now than ever.

third_wave

This is honestly laughable. People using more electronics is a reduction in benefits by the airline? There are plenty of actual examples of cutbacks that you shouldn't need to resort to this.

lhrsfo

I can see the circumstances where, for one reason or another, your appointment gets cancelled while you are in the lounge - at which stage you cancel the ticket, leave the Lounge and try to leave the airport (although how you would actually do that is open to question).

But the cost of getting to the airport just to have some free food and wine would surely outweigh the cost of having the equivalent free food and wine in town.

So, not only is it theft, it's also stupid.

Efrem

I don't really disagree. I was mostly raising these points for the sake of debating.

retiredsw

All the time. It might be F but for B list and down, it's usually commercial. I guess "crowd" is relative...10-20 people airside trying to get autographs, etc. can seem like a lot.

pinniped

+1000.

This is the same guy who sneaks into a Fairfield Inn to score that awesome breakfast they're so well-known for...

LondonElite

Indeed. I'm in Frankfurt a lot, which has probably one of the top F lounges in the world. Now Fankfurt itself is not the most happening place in the world, but there is no way I'd choose a free entry to the FCT over any of the great restaurants in town, never mind blocking thousands of $ for the privilege!

pinniped

That lounge in particular would be pretty awkward to leave without flying... You would absolutely be noticed.

Tchiowa

Part of cost cutting to keep ticket prices down. Want to pay higher ticket prices?

Same as above. We voted with our wallets to have smaller seats on the plane in exchange for cheaper tickets.

Seating capacity on the ground isn't the airline's problem.

So don't use your phone so much. I never have to recharge at an airport.

But the bottom line to all of this is that the services you want are available. At a price. But a premium ticket, get premium service. Buy lowest cost you can get ticket, get low cost service.

You pays your money, you makes your choice.

JY1024

For a variety of reasons, I think it's time we put this thread to rest:

1) OP has gotten several links and anecdotes in response to the original question
2) Posts are veering off-topic
3) This activity is prohibited under most airlines' Contract of Carriage, and promoting fraudulent activity upon a company is not allowed by the FT Rules.

Thanks for your understanding.

/JY1024, TravelBuzz co-moderator