Originally Posted by
xliioper
Arrival access benefit for D1/Skyteam J passengers actually only applies to DL Sky Clubs, not all Skyteam lounges. I suppose DL website could be more helpful about this (that it is an SC only rule, not joint Skyteam), but Skyteam website does mention it. There's no logic in website or App to tell which lounges you will definitively have access to (parsing all DL and Skyteam rules is still left as an exercise for the user).
https://www.skyteam.com/en/lounges/
Most foreign carriers have always distinguished arrival versus departure lounges, with some permitting access only before a longhaul J segment but not before a connecting flight on the same carrier, same ticket, and same PNR.
I presume the no arrival access rule doesn't apply to the VS arrival lounge at LHR.