FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Advice for Lounge Access without my Platnium Card?
Old Nov 28, 2008 | 9:29 am
  #9  
shadesofgrey1x
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: FLL
Programs: AA PLT 2.7 MM, DL GLD, UA Prem, BW Diamond, PC PLT, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,285
Originally Posted by domaintraveler
Hi All:

As my wife and I started a round-the-world trip, I had my Platnium card and got into the AA Lounge in Dallas - no problem.

Problem... Unfortunately, somehow, my card has gotten lost. I contacted AA while in the UK and they said they will issue me a new card to my home address and they wrote a nice e-mail to me that explained I was a Platnium Member for the One World partner lounges.

OK what did I do wrong? So we go to the BA lounge at Heathrow T5. My boarding pass shows that I am One World Sapphire. My wife is Gold, so a Ruby (no lounge except through me). As soon as I handed the lady our boarding passes she asked "Can I see your card?". I proceeded to hand her the e-mail from AA and quickly she said "What is this? I'm not reading this? I want your card not a piece of paper" (In a really snotty tone). I stated that I had lost my card and AA wrote this in place of my card. She then stated that neither of us were allowed in the lounge until I produced a card showing my status. I pointed her to the boarding pass saying "Sapphire" and she said "unacceptable". I asked to see a supervisor and she said "I am the supervisor". No other BA employee offered to help. I then asked her to call AA, where she proceeded to tell me that it wasn't her fault I couldn't produce evidence of my status. We had to walk away -turned away from the lounge. What was I supposed to do in this situation?

What do I do now? We are flying with Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong tomorrow. Later we will fly Qantas to Sydney. Then Qantas to Cairns. Qantas to Auckland. Finally Qantas/AA back home.

This is going to be terrible if we can't go in the lounge when we have earned the privlidge to do so.
I have seen this happen in the BA lounges many times myself. Unfortunatley, in your case BA is in the right as to the letter of the law. If you look up OW lounge access poicies it clearly states that you need to produce the card. I have seen even PLT-EXs turned away for this.

But, as other posters have mentioned, it can not hurt to try. Most likely all the AA lounges will take the paper. Most of the time when I go in an AA lounge they just look at the BP for status and do not even ask for the card.

Good luck, hope the other partners will bend a bit more for you.
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