When Lounge Dragons say you should/must use the other lounge closer to your gate
Jun 7, 2018, 7:04 am
#1
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When Lounge Dragons say you should/must use the other lounge closer to your gate
Often I'll get off a plane in transit at a major airport, look for the nearest Priority Pass lounge (or nearest airline lounge if flying in premium class), eyeball it to see if it looks OK, and then attempt to enter. And it's not uncommon for the staff to tell me that I should or must use a different lounge closer to my departing gate. Is this a real rule? What difference does it make if an eligible passenger chooses to use the lounge then walk 10-15 towards departing gate v. walk 10-15 minutes towards departing gate and then use the lounge? Is this worth standing my ground on, or must I just slink off towards the unknown lounge closer to my gate that could be closed, full, or marginally crappier?
Jun 7, 2018, 7:58 am
#2
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I've never had a lounge tell me I had to use one closer to my gate. I think if you're encountering suggestions, its likely they want to make sure you know there are other options since they don't know if you know the airport or if its your first time there, and figure many people would rather use a lounge closer to their gate, all else being equal, so they can stay there longer until boarding.
Jun 7, 2018, 3:12 pm
#3
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I can't say I can recall an incident of this happening to me, and there are a few PP lounges where there are choices. Generally the lounge does want us signing in, in order to get the lounge payment. For airline lounges the only example I can think of are a few places like AA at CLT where one Club is huge (C) but the other lounges can get over-crowded (B).
Is this one airport in particular?
Is this one airport in particular?
Jun 8, 2018, 4:01 am
#5
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I've had a happen several times at several airports. Most recently at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. Was connecting from Oslo going to Belfast. Went to priority pass "Lounge #26 " after getting off the flight from Oslo and the lady told me I had to use lounge 41 because it was closer to my gate and past the passport control for flights exiting Schengen to the UK. I told her I preferred to use the lounge I was at, she said it was against the rules.
I've definitely had them at least "suggest" that I use another lounge at other airports, like where there are multiple AA or UA lounges across different terminals.
I've definitely had them at least "suggest" that I use another lounge at other airports, like where there are multiple AA or UA lounges across different terminals.
Jun 8, 2018, 7:45 am
#6
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...Amsterdam. Was connecting from Oslo going to Belfast. Went to priority pass "Lounge #26 " after getting off the flight from Oslo and the lady told me I had to use lounge 41 because it was closer to my gate and past the passport control for flights exiting Schengen to the UK.
Jun 10, 2018, 3:29 pm
#7
Join Date: Feb 2015
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AMS is the only place I've had this happen to me, and it's definitely well justified. Passport control into the Schengen waiting area can have a much longer wait than people expect.
The guides at passport control will allow people to the front for close connections - due to flight schedule, not due to a personal choice to spend time in the lounge. By forcing you to use the lounge on the other end, this cuts back on the number of "last minute" people trying to get through passport control, saving it for those who actually need it. While the lounge shouldn't directly care, it prevents complaints from both passengers and the airport authority for the problems that this creates.
The guides at passport control will allow people to the front for close connections - due to flight schedule, not due to a personal choice to spend time in the lounge. By forcing you to use the lounge on the other end, this cuts back on the number of "last minute" people trying to get through passport control, saving it for those who actually need it. While the lounge shouldn't directly care, it prevents complaints from both passengers and the airport authority for the problems that this creates.
Jun 11, 2018, 4:43 am
#8
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AHA! Thanks. I'm glad I didn't freak out on her and demand written proof that she wasn't making up the rule on the spot. That would have been embarrassing.
Jun 13, 2018, 6:50 am
#9
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I've sometimes had attendants tell me another lounge was closer, for example, when going to the lounge in the terminal where I was arriving, when there was another one in the terminal I would be leaving on for my connecting flight, but it seemed to me just to let me know should I prefer that. Though I also get the whole Schengen/non-Schengen thing. Usually, the non-Schengen lounges are better anyway, since for long haul (except in BRU, for some reason).