Originally Posted by
tris06
Question: Did you not bring this up with the check in agent? Was she a china airlines agent or the local staff? Sometimes I have found staff not actually working for CI but checking them in under contract sometimes do not know.
Really I always would make a fuss if not given an invitation, Also check CI website firstly. If there is no Skyteam lounge at that airport you have to insist on the invitation. Also I always keep an eye to make sure the first class stickers go on being an Emerald.
I know it should be automatic but in the real world these things happen. You might get something so it does not hurt trying.
@tris06, the check in was... weird.
I was standing in line behind about 10 other people, don't know if they were a group or individuals, and they specifically called me out of line to get me to a check in counter faster. At the counter, I handed the agent, who was local staff, my passport and my frequent flyer card. She looked at me and asked for the credit card that I used to book the flight as well. Upon asking her why she needed it, she said it was to charge the airport departure tax. This was strange to me as Indonesia started including that in the cost of your flight about two years ago; I still remember having to pay upon departure but even then it was ALWAYS in cash.
After that though, she gave me my boarding pass(es) and pointed me to the security. At this point, she hadn't tagged the bag and another gate agent set my bag behind the lady checking me in. I asked about the bag and they said that the machine wasn't working and they were resetting it, my tag would print out after the issue cleared and they'd set it on its way.
Either way, I will send an email as you're right, it doesn't hurt.
Regarding the lounge, they had/have a SkyTeam lounge as it is a focus city/hub for Garuda Indonesia. However, the current lounge is under construction so they had a temporary one. It's not great by any standards but it's nicer than having to sit in the really hot terminal while waiting.
Thanks for all the advice.