Originally Posted by MarkXS

In USA-based airline FF programs in the big alliances (e.g. UA/CO/US, DL, AA), a domestic F itinerary or domestic C/J itinerary does not provide lounge access to those USA-based airline-operated lounges.

Similarly, mid-tier or even top-tier Alliance status (*G, OW Ruby or Emerald, ST Elite Plus) does not provide lounge access to those USA-based airline-operated lounges.

People who fly enough to have status and thus get upgraded, or who fly on F fares and thus are also frequent or hi-rev customers, are exactly the passengers to whom USA-based airlines want to SELL memberships to their lounge products, at around $500/year. If they gave the access based on an F domestic ticket, they'd be undercutting their whole market. It's a totally different equation than what the lounges exist for in other countries, where F-tickets or mid-upper-tier status gets you access.

There are a few transcon premium exceptions: I think UA's PS service, and DL NYC-LA/SFO transcons get lounge access based on an F-domestic ticket.

Now you might well be able to get access to the LH lounge in IAD, or the SQ lounge in SFO, based on a UA or CO all-domestic, F-ticket. even though those lounges are in the USA, they are not USA-airline-operated, so they allow access to all alliance elite or premium cabin passengers who 1) physically have airside access to it from where their domestic flight operates, 2) actually know about this policy and understand it, and 3) can explain it politely to the lounge dragonettes if they get pushback. I know you can get access, even on an in-alliance Y ticket, based on UA, US, or CO *G status, to those lounges because I've done it, as have many FTers.

So if your itinerary was purely domestic, you could have been in Super-Duper-El-Primo class on UA and you still wouldn't get into a UA, US, or CO lounge in the USA.

If you are on a same-day international itinerary, then you can get USA-airline-operated lounge access at all airports along the way, whether inbound or outbound connections. But that also takes sometimes knowing and "teaching" the policy. And UA drink chits only at the outbound "transoceanic gateway".

I have the PDF of the policy on my Android phone. Plus I can look up updates inside the terminal while holding it in my left hand. Not sure if you can do that on your iPhone, Steve. Sorry.