Originally Posted by
jezsik
Sorry go off on a rant here, but has anyone else experience this?
There was a lengthy thread about this a while ago, but it was a little nasty because of the personalities involved, so I will not suggest reading it for enlightenment.
Anyway, the T&C are perfectly clear from the AP website:
You must present your Air Canada Elite card at the lounge reception to enter the Maple Leaf Lounge, along with a confirmed same-day ticket for a scheduled flight operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, Air Canada code-share, or Star Alliance member airlines.
I personally don't think it is reasonable to suggest that having to carry the AP card on trips where you want to enter the lounge is inconvenient. It's not like it's one of those massive coins with the hole through the centre for a log to be inserted so that three or four men can haul it to the next village to purchase a wife. It's a little plastic card.
Also, any inconsistency on the part of the lounge people was in your favour, not theirs. Apparently there is pressure on them to scan the cards. They aren't making up those rules, although some of them will relax the rules for people from time to time. That's good service, not bad service.
I think your best bet, to avoid disappointment, would be to bring your card when you want to enter the lounge. You never know when the agent won't (or can't) bend the rules for you.