Originally Posted by
AlwaysFlyStar
Well, it is certainly a good reminder of why one should hold a non/US gold card. It is really ridiculous that Star Alliance Gold benefits don't apply to the US based members. (Yes, I know the lounge benefit is specifically for non US carriers, however, it seems rather ridiculous that they charge for the benefit. But speaking of this, if a UA 1K flew PEK-PVG, would they get lounge access? If not, does HKG count as international? What about TPE?
*G benefits DO apply to the US based members. What you do is you approach the front desk with your ID, your status card, and your int'l itinerary and BPs and say "I'm *G on an international itinerary. I should have access to this lounge per *A lounge access policy." I do this every time and have never had a problem.