Originally Posted by
Darlox
To be honest... I've never looked at that as a consideration. And I'm not just playing Devil's Advocate there. If I picked up an itinerary where I had like a 4-hour layover on my return, then yeah, I suppose it would be a consideration.
So I take the point, and it's valid. Just, for me (and a lot of other non-coasters) it's rarely a major consideration due to inbound Int'l flight timings. The outbounds are always the ones with potentially-excessive layovers!
Yes, I think if you have a 1-2 hour connection it doesn't matter as much and 3-4 hour connection starts to matter more.
FWIW, here's a whole recent thread where someone was trying to make just this decision (UA w/ PL access vs *A partner and no access) so it definitely does factor in for some:
Hobson's Choice or False Dilemma? TATL LX(OS) no lounge on arrival or UA w/ PL access