courcoison

Good Morning.

While flying on a First Class Lufthansa reward ticket I was denied access to the United international First Class lounge upon my return while waiting for a United Airlines connecting flight.

I tried to clarify United Airlines policy with the 1K desk but I am still confused.

Can you help after you read the details below ?

I am attaching my exchange with the 1K customer desk.

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-----Original Message-----


Good Day:

I flew FIRST CLASS from Europe today on Lufthansa .

Upon arrival in San Francisco I tried to get access to the United Airlines First Class lounge to take a shower but was denied entry.


My understanding was that as a United Airlines 1K travelling FIRST CLASS on a Star Alliance flight I should have had access to the United Airlines First Class lounge.


Am I mistaken?

Considering I had to wait over 4 hours for my connecting flight to Phoenix, it would have been nice to be able to freshen up.


The supervisors in charge at 3.00 pm indicated that the United Airlines First Class Terminal was only available to United Airlines First Class customers and not to Lufthansa's.


Please get back to me with what is the actual policy.

Thank you.

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1KVoiceReply


I see that you were traveling on an Mileage Award ticket. Our website provides the following information. It is basically stating that you need to be on a full fare ticket before noon.

Arrivals Suite
Start your day refreshed with United Arrivals SuiteSM. A retreat where international United First and full-fare United Business customers traveling on a same-day ticket and arriving before noon may enjoy a shower and continental breakfast.

We offer locations in the following cities:

Chicago-O’Hare
Frankfurt
London-Heathrow
San Francisco
Sao Paulo

The following is also information that may be helpful to you in regards to our airport lounge policies:

For admission to an International First Class lounge, Star Alliance lounge, or Red Carpet Club, present your same day international First or Business Class ticket, or Star Gold card, on the appropriate carrier along with your boarding pass or United Red Carpet Club membership card. Customers ticketed and traveling on United will have access to United lounges throughout their travel itinerary. Other Star Alliance carriers permit access at the departing airport only.

Dues-paying members of the Red Carpet Club have access to designated partner clubroom lounges or contracted Business Class lounges in some cities. A Red Carpet Club membership card and a same-day ticket or boarding pass is required to gain access.

Please visit www.united.com for additional airport lounge information.

I am concerned you were told that our First Class lounge was only available to United and not Lufthansa customers. You would be allowed in on a full fare same day Business or First Class ticket.

As a 1K Million-Mile customer, ...., we appreciate your understanding.


Regards,

.........
United Airlines Customer Relations

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Thank you for your response.



However I was not referring to the United Arrival SuiteSM but to the access to the First Class Lounge.



It is my understanding that First Class Lounges, where available, do offer shower access as well as "food" and a place to relax particularly in between two flights.



In my case I was flying on to Phoenix the same day.



Those First Class Lounges are distinct from the United Arrival SuiteSM; aren’t they?



In the past while flying United or Lufthansa I have experienced the First Class Lounge in Munich, Frankfurt and Paris for example and was able to take a shower while waiting for my next flight.



It never was an issue.



Now with regard to the "FREE" ticket reference it has been my experience over the years that access to the First Class Lounge was granted regardless of the final $ amount collected.



I happen to be a Red Carpet Club member and I am familiar with the rules associated with this membership however your response leaves me very confused.



Thank you for clarifying United Airlines policy.



Was I denied entry to the First Class International Lounge in error at the San Francisco International terminal on Sunday ?

jgsx

The showers are part of the arrivals suite, even though that may be part of the first class lounge.

ozstamps

I've had a shower in the SFO first lounge (which is superb) and I do not believe it is physically connected in any way with the Arrivals lounge as the post above seems to suggest?

Lounge access policy in general is for DEPARTING pax, not arriving pax however. The "Arrivals" lounges were built to offer things like showers and snacks.

The drone in Calcutta emailing you probably has no idea there are 2 different animals here, judging by his hopeless cut and pastes.

Glen

docbert

The important part is burried in the middle of their first response :

Your International First segment was on *A, so you would have only got access at the departure city, not in SFO.

livitup

Another nugget of wisdom is that any First Class fare will qualify you for Arrivals access, but only PAID (C, D) business class tickets will allow you Arrivals access.

So in your case, it is not the fact that you were on a free ticket that got you denied.

Was the (award) ticket on LH or UA ticket stock? Were you flying a UA codeshare flight operated by LH, or was it a LH operated flight on LH tickets?

The answer to this question is the key to wether you should have been allowed into Arrivals or not.

I have NO experience on getting access to the United IFLs, other than at my departure airport and when I am actually in F. The sentence quoted by docbert is rather confusing because it deals with admission to the IFL, *G lounges, and RCC - all of which have VERY different access procedures.

This brings up an interesting point... We've all see the RCCADMIT profile at various times on this board, but I wonder if an IFLADMIT profile exists.

ozstamps

Nugget wisdom update .. free award XC tickets get access to Arrivals. @:-)

Glen
.

SEA1K4EVR

Yeah unfortunately you were not entitled to shower access or IFL access (if you had flown UA you would have been).

xlaurens

really? Do you have a link to the rules... I've been told a few times it was only for paid full fare C or F. I've been denied on Z tickets.

MKEbound

If you arrive in SFO on UA metal from SYD in C, what lounge(s) would you get access too?

livitup

As have I, and Y->NC upgrades.

ozstamps

Does not surprise me. A revenue Z ticket is not a "free" XC ticket. @:-)

SEA1K4EVR

XC definitely gets access... it is considered full C. Z is not.

ozstamps

Paid C, or upgraded C, or award C, (or "Z" class C!) ??

Arrivals if XC or revenue C/D.

Or NC as I generally wangle if I need access, via a 'cute accent'.
.

livitup

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but assuming you have a domestic connection, you would only be allowed in the RCC if you are *G.

If your C ticket is actually PAID C (C or D fare) then you would get arrivals access. If you upgraded, you do not get arrivals access. I've never flown XC, so I'll defer to Glen's experience on that one.

So if you are a *nothing on an upgraded Y ticket, you get a nice comfy bench in front of the gate.

UALfromMSN

I agree with livitup on this. OP came in on a LH flight, went through customs, and then was waiting for a flight to PHX. He'd be waiting in the domestic terminal, where there's only a regular RCC.

I'm thinking OP has First Class Lounge and Arrivals mixed up, unless by some fluke they were running SFO-PHX flights out of the Int'l terminal, in which case, the First Class lounge would come into play, but he still wouldn't get access.