Wowzers, what an eventful morning! As a bit of background we flew TPA-DCA last night on US and had dinner with some FT’ers, and overnighted here near IAD for our IAD-NRT flight on NH a little after noon today. We would usually fly from TPA in the morning and connect straight out, but unfortunately UA has cancelled the early morning TPA-IAD, so we were stuck in DC, which turned out to be great! Since we all love the IAD RCC matrons so much, I thought we would leave to the airport extra early to give them their quiz. We got to the airport at 9:30AM, three hours early, checked in for our flight to Narita continuing to Shanghai, and took the moon buggy to the C concourse. With my Star Gold card, C boarding pass on NH, and access rules ready, we headed inside.
First of all, let me post the rules that apply to this specifically:
49NS/ * * STAR GOLD ACCESS - OA STAR ALLIANCE CUSTOMERS * * 50NS/ STAR GOLD CUSTOMERS `EXCEPT UA AND US AIR STAR GOLD) 51NS/ TRAVELING ON A SAME DAY STAR OPERATED FLIGHT 52NS/ HAVE ACCESS TO RED CARPET CLUB ON DAY OF TRAVEL 53NS/ CUSTOMER SHOULD PRESENT STAR GOLD CARD 54NS/ AND BOARDING PASS FOR STAR OPERATED FLIGHT 55NS/. * * SEE NOTE BELOW FOR UA AND US * * 56NS/ ** NOTE UA AND US STAR GOLD CUSTOMERS HAVE ACCESS 57NS/ ONLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL* * * 58NS/ GUESTS MUST ENTER THE LOUNGES WITH AN ELIGIBLE 59NS/ STAR ALLIANCE GOLD MEMBER AND MUST DEPART ON A 60NS/ STAR ALLIANCE MEMBER AIRLINE BUT MAY TRAVEL ON A 61NS/ DIFFERENT FLIGHT. 62NS/ TWO DRINK CHITS SHOULD BE PROVIDED AT GATEWAY TO 63NS/ *TRANSOCEANIC* TRAVELERS ONLY
I think we can all agree that the rules are quite clear. Star Golds traveling on ANY Star carrier on a transoceanic flight can use the RCC and receive two drink chits. OK, enough said, here’s the dialogue:
lucky: Hello
Agent: (It is worth adding she was actually friendly and smiling) Go ahead.
lucky: Thank you, could we please get some drink chits as well?
Agent: You are flying All Nippon, they have their own lounge, and you would only get chits there.
lucky: (put the rules on the counter) Ma’am, that’s not what the RCC admit profile says. Would you mind reading that please?
Agent: I know the rules, do you want to get technical?[/b]
lucky: Ma’am, I just want you to follow the rules!
Agent: (at this point breathing fire!) If you wanna get technical you are not entitled to use this lounge since you are flying ANA and they have a lounge, so do you want to use the lounge or should I call security to escort you out? (WOAH, WHAT THE YOU KNOW WHAT?!?!?! Talk about a fast decline in 1K service!
Agent: Ma’am, if you would just read the rules you would realize that you are wrong. All I’m asking is that you read the rules. If you don’t want to read them, please do call security and have us escorted out.
Agent: You know, I was doing you a favor by letting you in here, but you can forget it!
At this point the agent picks up the phone and calls security. She is trying to explain the issue to whoever she is talking to, and you can tell they are baffled. I was absolutely baffled. She was incredibly arrogant, and also refused to read the rules although I put them on the counter and asked her to read them. What kind of customer service is this?!?!?!
After a minute we decide to leave since it wont help to have security show up. I guess they can technically kick anyone out since it is private property, so nothing was going to be solved there.
We go to the customer service desk (which, much to my surprise was OVERSTAFFED! Yes, you heard me right!) and asked to see a supervisor because we were having issues at the RCC. As everyone here knows, supervisors are infinitely better than SD’s, and the agent gladly got one for us.
A very professional Sup showed up and I explained the situation to him and showed him the rules. He read them, and said “you’re right.” I also mentioned that she called security on loyal 1K’s, and refused to look at the rules, which shocked him.
He went into his back room and came out five minutes later. He said we were right, and asked us for our patience. Then after another 15 minutes he came back and apologized for the wait. He said that ANA didn’t have a lounge agreement here in IAD with UA, and therefore there was an issue with it. He nonetheless said that this issue is their fault, and not our fault, and therefore he would authorize the drink chits for us. He said he would call the RCC and let them know.
In excitement, hoping it would be the same agent that called security on us, we walked to the RCC. At this point there was a different agent, and we asked if she got a phone call from the Sup. She said no, and we said that the other agent must have gone somewhere else. Much to my surprise this lady said that the other agent was having a meeting with the Sup! BIG ^ to the Sup!^ ^ ^
She once again said we weren’t entitled to them, so I showed her the rules, and she said “Boy, you are prepared!” She read them, agreed with us, and handed us four drink chits.
Folks, before some of you non-hardcore FT’ers think I’m nuts, this whole thing was fought as a matter of principle, because the matrons at IAD have a reputation for treating passengers like garbage and denying them explicitly stated benefits. The agent was extremely arrogant, rude and stubborn, and even called security on me, so I think I did a good deed.
Now sitting in the ANA lounge, ready to go. Please keep it civil till I check my email in 13 hours from NRT.
