Alitalia Gold Benefits on Etihad Airways Partner airline
 

Hello All,

Recently I was status matched to Freccia Alata Plus and was able to get Freccia Alata for wife also. She already received her Gold card physically.

Last saturday she was traveling from VIE to BOM via CDG. The CDG BOM leg was on Jet Airways. The Jet Airways website (http://www.jetairways.com/EN/IN/Trav...n/Lounges.aspx) stats that they use Etihad lounge at CDG airport. I advised her to head to Etihad Business lounge on her arrival from VIE flight using her Jet boarding pass and Alitalia Gold card. She was refused entry to the lounge on Alitalia Gold card saying it is not valid on this lounge and also Jet Airways staff was unable to add her Al Italia FF number on her boarding pass when she tried at the gate.

I was under impression that with Etihad Airways Partner program she should be able to access lounge flying in one of the partner airline and having another partner airline gold card.

Also, the alitalia webpage (http://www.alitalia.com/en_en/millem...t-airways.html) clearly shows earning chart on jet airways flights so why they were not able to add the alitalia ff number is strange for me.

Anyone has experience regarding this or knows how it works?

She still has her return journey next weekend so any pointers would be great.

Thanks

If the flights were booked as 9W flights, then there should have been no issue.

If, however, they were booked as codeshares - even EY, for example - then there may be some other issue at play.

"Etihad Air Partners" is not a full alliance in the same sense that Star Alliance, etc, are, and lounge access may be more of an issue unless you are travelling on the "right" flightcodes.

Access to Etihad lounges can be problematic at the best of times. You may not be aware of this, but in Abu Dhabi, Etihad's status passengers that happen to be travelling in economy do not have access to the Etihad lounges (there is a third party lounge provided, but it's not of the same standard).

It's also been reported here that the Etihad lounge in Sydney no longer accepts status customers travelling in Economy:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/etiha...ge-access.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/etiha...ccess-syd.html

It could perhaps be that the Etihad lounge in Paris also now refuses customers that are not travelling in First or Business. I don't know for certain.

But it's probably more that the Alitalia Gold card will only get you into the Etihad lounges only when travelling on EY- or AZ-coded flights. (Remember - Etihad Air Partners is not a full alliance). When travelling on 9W- flights, it would get you into the Jet Airways lounges (where they are operated - the Jet Airways page on the Alitalia website lists them). That 9W uses the EY lounge in CDG means that 9W business pax, and 9W/EY status pax are covered - but not AZ (or JU/AB etc) status pax.

As for inputting the Frequent Flyer number, this seems to be more of an issue with Alitalia than with most other airlines (I've had trouble adding it to Air France/KLM bookings, too). May I ask - why did you/your wife not add the number yourself at the time of booking, or subsequently? Did you try, but were you also unable to do so?

In general, you should pad the number with leading zeroes until the system accepts it. In my experiences with Air France/KLM, this has sometimes involved making an 8-digit number (starting with a single 0) or a 10-digit number (starting with 000).

I'm also Freccia Allata Plus and will be flying Air Seychelles (an Etihad partner) from CDG next week, hoping to use the Etihad lounge. I'm curious how this will go.

I'm refused lounge access in Bangkok today, flying BKK-AUH on AZ-ticket, EY-flight number and EY-metal. I have AirBerlin Topbonus Gold and Alitalia Elite Plus. They told me it's only for Etihad Guest Gold and premium passengers. Not for 'equity partners'..... what's in a name?

Neither Etihad not Alitalia has their own lounge in Bangkok. [If either Alitalia or Etihad had their own lounge in BKK, then of course you would have entry]

Therefore, you are in a "third party lounge" situation.

Etihad contracts the Thai Royal Orchid Lounge in Bangkok. This covers passengers in First/Business on Etihad flights, and Economy passengers having the requisite status in the Etihad Guest programme only.

Alitalia does not have any contract with any lounge provider in BKK - so your Millemiglia status does not get you any lounge access.

airberlin does not have any contract with any lounge provider in BKK - so your topbonus status does not get you any lounge access.

How did it go? I know it's old post but there's not a lot info about it. Ignore, found another post of yours.

Hi guys,

Just want to asks some clarifications. I have both TK Gold and Alitalia Gold. If I take a flight with 9W, can I ask my miles to be credited to TK, whilst using the perks with AZ (i.e. extra baggage and lounge)??

I just flew AMS-YYZ on 9W and at check-in, the Jet Airways agent insisted that AZ and 9W were not partners, that AZ status has no priority, and that the AZ # could not be added to the boarding pass. So, I'm not sure what extra perks you had in mind re: Alitalia status.. if 9W does not recognize the relationship, then I don't think you'll get anything out of it.

Just my opinion.

That agent was wrong.

Given that it seems that 9W is now using the Aspire lounge in AMS (they haven't opened their own lounge, which they had in BRU) you may not gain lounge access in AMS now; however, all the other benefits should be awarded.

From the AZ page on Jet Airways:

Amazing results today -- 9W miles posted 7 days after original flight taken.
No need to contact AZ retrocredit.
^

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I'm struggling to get my head around the application of Etihad Partners benefits.

1) A few months ago (Jan), as Freccia Alata Plus, travelling EY economy, access to First Lounge and Spa. ^
2) Yesterday, as Freccia Alata, travelling EY economy, access to Al Reem only.

However, reading the Etihad Partners page, it seems that Al Reem is for Silver / Ulisse members. :confused:

I really missed the First lounge :(

It's for both Silver and Gold members flying through AUH.