Sally,

Thanks for the info on LHR and *A lounges. We'll get our first gander at it in December.

No surprise over your inability to find good information from US. Tempe makes no comment about the closure of the *A lounge in MAD when we flew in July ( the *A lounge in MAD was Spanair's lounge located adjacent to where you clear security after check-in . . . the lounge is still there, but Spanair has closed it ). We were given a pass for the Sala Lounge which is located in the other direction. It's a large lounge and quite busy. Now I'm just guessing here, but I suspect that Sala Lounge access from US is only for pax booked for business class travel ( we were given a voucher to get in ). The *A web site still lists the Spanair VIP lounge so I'll find out what is happening soon as we're in Spain right now doing the timeshare thing in Costa del Sol and will transit out via MAD.

Tempe remains ambivilant ( or is incapable a better word ) about acknowledging that it is both a smug lcc carrier and the hybrid TA carrier which carries grown ups. I myself do not see how US will keep operating US Clubs at all but a few airports. As mentioned, it costs them money each time we use it so they're gonna lay low and play don't ask, don't tell.

I'm still trying to figure out what we will do next year when we drop to silver. I'm considering Priority Pass and am verifying that we will find lounge access in the places that we travel to. US accepts priority pass customers. However those non-business folks flying TA must use the US Club at B/C terminal and not the Envoy lounge. That will work fine so long as they keep those lounges.

If only mental midgets had not bought this airline we might not have to keep looking over our shoulders all the time to figure out what is happening.

Barry