Lounge at ORD
Sep 28, 2018, 11:00 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: New Zealand (most of the time)
Programs: Air NZ Elite *G, Honors Gold, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 6,099
Yes as mentioned you'll get access flying in BP as per Polaris access rules. This applies at SFO at present.
It's interesting to see Air NZ have opted for the SAS lounge at ORD rather than a UA club. It certainly looks like a vastly superior lounge to the UA club there!
It's interesting to see Air NZ have opted for the SAS lounge at ORD rather than a UA club. It certainly looks like a vastly superior lounge to the UA club there!
Sep 29, 2018, 4:56 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 184
Air NZ leaves from T5 which does not have a UA club. T5 is not connected to the other terminals airside. It would be a hassle for anyone to access Polaris and then having to come out of security, take a train to T5 and clear TSA again, let alone doing so for the UA club.
Sep 29, 2018, 10:04 am
#5
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: AKL, YUL
Programs: NZ*GE, UA*G
Posts: 319
Sep 29, 2018, 10:42 am
#6
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: AKL, YUL
Programs: NZ*GE, UA*G
Posts: 319
what I'd really like for ORD is access to showers when not flying J. usually I'm in Y or PE because J is too pricey for my work, so I don't have access to the Polaris lounge. It looks like the other *A lounges at ORD don't have showers, though, like at SFO. :**(
Sep 29, 2018, 9:47 pm
#7
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: New Zealand
Programs: Air NZ *E
Posts: 142
In the long term, non-constant J flying Elites will suffer in the US re: decent lounge access.
Sep 29, 2018, 10:18 pm
#9
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: New Zealand (most of the time)
Programs: Air NZ Elite *G, Honors Gold, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 6,099
There has been some speculation that the TBIT midfield concourse probably won't have a *A lounge but that at least two *A carriers will probably have their own lounges there.
I still find it interesting that other than EP1 that no NZ pax can get access to the *A first lounge - you'd at least thing they could let Elite's flying BP have access.
Sep 30, 2018, 12:45 pm
#10
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: AKL, YUL
Programs: NZ*GE, UA*G
Posts: 319
I'm not aware of there ever being plans for a Koru lounge in SFO - there was however a plan for a *A lounge much like LAX. Unfortunately the days of *A lounges seem to be over with everybody going back to their own lounges.
There has been some speculation that the TBIT midfield concourse probably won't have a *A lounge but that at least two *A carriers will probably have their own lounges there.
I still find it interesting that other than EP1 that no NZ pax can get access to the *A first lounge - you'd at least thing they could let Elite's flying BP have access.
There has been some speculation that the TBIT midfield concourse probably won't have a *A lounge but that at least two *A carriers will probably have their own lounges there.
I still find it interesting that other than EP1 that no NZ pax can get access to the *A first lounge - you'd at least thing they could let Elite's flying BP have access.
Sep 30, 2018, 2:19 pm
#11
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: NZ GE, QF
Posts: 389
I also think the Polaris lounges have raised the bar leaving NZ way behind in the lounge area. If you pay NZ's high prices for BP you should be getting better than the AKL lounge which is often an overcrowded zoo/pub.
Sep 30, 2018, 3:19 pm
#12
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: New Zealand (most of the time)
Programs: Air NZ Elite *G, Honors Gold, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 6,099
Sep 30, 2018, 5:13 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 182
My understanding is that, for J class passengers flying on NZ metal, access to the Polaris lounges (SFO, LAX, ORD) is limited to departing passengers only. Arriving or layover passengers are not admitted (unless connecting to a qualified departing flight, not including domestic UA services in any class). This is true, apparently, even for NZ flights ticketed on UA's 016 stock with a UA code-share flight number.
There's a fairly lengthy thread on Polaris lounge access questions here.
There's a fairly lengthy thread on Polaris lounge access questions here.
Sep 30, 2018, 5:22 pm
#15
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 182
CORRECTION: Never mind [[url=http://url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Litella]Emily Litella]. I see that my understanding of the ORD Polaris lounge's location is incorrect.
Last edited by Thorgils; Sep 30, 2018 at 5:40 pm