DCAstudent

I will be going to MGA for the first time next week. I have done a search and it looks like that at least as of earlier in 2006 AA did not have one of the business class lounges that several other Latin American stations have (the ones where elite status and/or AC membership doesn't matter; only class of service does). It looks like there is an airport VIP lounge that requires a reservation. Does anyone know if this is still the case? Does AA give a voucher for business pax to use that VIP lounge, or has AA opened its own business class lounge?

In general is there much to pass the time at MGA?

Thanks in advance!!!

JDiver

AA seems not to have opened an Admirals Club at MGA, according to aa.com's list of Admirals Clubs, the best place to look that up. I don't know if AA gives one vouchers to use the VIP lounge, but the following posts seem to be consistent only in their inconsistency of lounge access.

As of June 2010:

"La nueva sala VIP del Aeropuerto Internacional Augusto C. Sandino cuenta con una excelente y amplia ubicación. Está situada en el segundo nivel, contiguo a las salas de abordaje y de la salida internacional de pasajeros. / The new Augusto C. Sandino International Airport VIP Lounge offers an ample and excellent location. It is located on the second floor, contiguous to the boarding lounges and international passenger departures."



N.B. See ricktoronto's post #7 below... $30 + IVA = USD $35. Still accurate in 2010.

According to the Empresa Administradora de Aeropuertos Internacionales (EAAI) Managua International Airport website, information for the new "Salón VIP" (VIP Lounge,) (link in Spanish) includes (only information germane to the OP's question is translated and posted):

Normal rates: US$30 plus Value Added Taxes (IVA) per passenger. All the (traveling) public welcome (at this rate, of course); Services include document and baggage checking with immigration, customs and the airline you are traveling on. Bar allowance: three drinks and one plate of hors d'oeuvres.

Payment accepted in cash or by credit card at the time of entry.

RESERVATIONS:
With 6 hours advance notice.
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: (505) 233-1624; ext. 2355, 2399
Hours: 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS:
Limit of two guests per passenger.
Smoking is prohibited.
Consumption beyond that included with the admittance fee must be paid by cash or credit card.
Wear appropriate clothing (sorry, Paris and Brittney.)
Arrive at the VIP Lounge two hours before departure.

DCAstudent

I had already found that information, but thank you.

Does anyone know if AA maintains at MGA one of the business class lounges that it has at other Latin American stations? By business class lounge I don't mean the VIP lounges maintained by the airport or an Admirals Club, but instead the lounges that are maintained by the local AA station/country team and limit access to business class only (not AC members or elites). I've read several posts about these lounges in the Caribbean and have personally used the one at Guatemala City, but was hoping there would also be one at MGA. The one at GUA was extremely nice and extremely empty.

JDiver

You're welcome. Well, then, since there was little indication you had the current information, here it is for anyone else who might be headed that way. It is nice to share, and that is what FT is all about.

Perhaps you might see your way to posting more about the GUA lounge some AA passengers can use, location, access rules, hours, etc. as an exchange for requesting information?

DCAstudent

The only information I have was posted in the thread on the "premium" Latin American lounges (for lack of a better word) from around 4-6 months ago. GUA maintains one, like other Latin American stations, and it is open on to passengers with business class boarding passes. They serve some snacks and drinks. It's just like a mini-AC. I don't know the exact hours. It seems that these lounges are run entirely by the station managers or country managers and therefore nothing appears about them on the AA website.

JDiver

Thanks DCAstudent - ¡buen viaje! and leat us know what they've got. Maybe the "Salón VIP Super-Especial Cesar Augusto Sandino," except that's presumably a contradiction in terms...

ricktoronto

I am in MGA right now on my monthly trip. There is a VIP lounge free for Clase Ejecutiva on COPA. AA users pay US$35 for admission (which includes them checking you and luggage, worth it for that alone), private security entrance, three drinks and a plate of snacks, free wireless or wired internet. You have to call the day before and reserve. Well US$34.50 which is 30 +IVA.

Bone up on your Spanish. They have not gotten my name right in about 15 visits. Once just one letter of my last name. Even the receptionist thought that was a weak attempt at recording my name.

It is quite nice and AA AC attendants could learn a thing or three about service quality.

There is no mention on the AA site it has zero to do with them. It is run by EAAI who own and run the airport. Not sure what station managers means, it doesn't apply here.

If you are arriving with tons of stuff you can call ahead and for the same 35 bones they will admit you on arrival and do the arrival and customs stuff then come get you when all that is done. Since arrival formalities take all of 4 minutes and customs ignores non Nicos, it is a true waste of time and money to do this route.

The number is 011-505-233-1624 then extension 2399 on the IVR response.

To the post below CO is not free. CO is not COPA here that's for sure. Two hours is only if you are checking bags. Also on AA the smart ones (me, e.g.) check in at Plaza Espana the day before and thus the VIP lounge only collects the debarkation card copy and they don't need 2 hours to do anything.

If you have maybe a RPG launcher in your carry-on they might spot that. The security is pretty painless. I don't even bother taking off the watch and belt as all it means is a 1/2 second swipe , half-heartedly with the wand.

JDiver

Thanks, Rick!

All the information anyone needs is in post #2 above - telephone number, e-mail address, etc. Now we know how much they charge AA members, and the "$30 plus VAT" = the $35 you paid. As they say, "the public is welcome" as long as it is paying public, unless on COPA (and, I thought, CO, but I was wrong, as posted by ricktoronto above. Gonna have to wait for PTY to access a free lounge for CO/CM pax.)

DCAstudent

Thanks, RickToronto, for all the details. Is there anything else of interest at the MGA airport?

Station Manager is the title of the AA employee in charge of a particular airport's operations. Country Manager oversees all the stations in that country. The country manager for Chile is always used in the ads for U Miami's MBA program that are targeted in South American business magazines (and I believe I've seen it in Nexos as well). I'm told it's often easier to promote employees who live outside the US to station manager or country manager at other international gateways because of more flexible labor rules.

ricktoronto

Whoever the station manager is for AA they have nothing to do with the EAAI owned lounge.

There are a few overpriced duty-free stores, also unusually there are some on arrival in the luggage area for those who forgot in MIA. A good Casa del Cafe but a lot more expensive than in Los Robles. Coffee by the bag is terribly overpriced vs. the La Union or La Colonial or Pali grocery stores.

Rum is $9 in duty free and about $6 in a grocery store or even a gas station so I don't know where these so called duty free prices come from. Cigars are only available in duty free stores, as almost 100% are made for export in the country. The ones in the city, e.g Mercado Oriental or Huembes are fakes.

The whole airport has undergone revisions and the ticket/check-in area is huge and modern (finally) . However using the Salon VIP and the AA pre-check in at either Centro Commerical or Plaza Espana means you will never use these facilities.

There is a pharmacy in arrivals with OK prices, they sell everything including ED pills if you need them. No prescription required of course.

DCAstudent

Here's my report:

AA gave vouchers for first class passengers to use the airport's VIP lounge, which is just like the picture on the website, except there were probably only 10 passengers (5 AA) and around 10 airport employees on breaks watching the televisions (one TV was on WWF wrestling and the other was on a music video channel). It looks like AA gives out a lot of vouchers because the check-in agents had a little pad that said access to VIP Lounge and then filled out the passenger name and passport number, and stamped the back with an AA stamp. That pad had definitely been used a lot. The website says two drinks, but the bartender didn't keep track. I didn't ask for snacks, but others got a plate of finger sandwhiches.

Check-in at the AA counter took around 10 minutes. There's no security questions like at most international stations, and only a few random bags were hand-searched (there is only one guard, so not many get searched). The ticket agent individually walked each AA passenger to the Salon VIP after they were checked in. It was a nice touch, I thought.

The departure lounge seemed very crowded, and the airport cafe closed before the second AA flight left, which I thought was odd.

ricktoronto

How strange. You check in at AA to use the VIP lounge, the principal purpose of which is not to have to check in at AA. I will have to ask the guys at the CTO next time if they have these passes there, since lining up to get the pass to get the ability to bypass the lineup is pretty circular logic.

Never having actually checked in at the AA counter these passes have not been offered to me and I only fly in J. Up to the very recent reopening of the checkin area the construction made the lineup and access to the counters nearly impossible. Now it is quite open and maybe worth checkin in there for the free pass. Note there is no First Class on this route.

They have enough staff and time to walk each passenger the 100 meters to the VIP salon entrance? What do the other passengers do while the agent leaves? Are there more agents for J check-in to accommodate this?

DCAstudent

Sorry for saying first class instead of business.

As for staff, there was one woman placing people into three lines - one for business, one for coach, and one for people who already had boarding passes. There were around 7 open check-in stands, which seems quite generous for one flight at a time (either A300 or 737). Based on how few people where elligible for the business line, I don't think any of the agents were actually dedicated to it. On my flights most of the people in the business cabin were nonrevs who had gone to visit family over the weekend. There were five AA pax in the lounge, so I don't think it took them much time to escort people, and it also looked like it was their chance to take a smoking break (my agent stopped to pick up his lighter on the way). Right now there is some construction in the hallway between check-in and arrivals, so to get to the special security checkpoint for the VIP lounge you have to walk outside for 20 feet, then re-enter at the next door, so I am assuming that's why they escorted people individually.

Check-in was not a hassle at all. The lack of the AA security people as well as the lack of business class/elite passengers made it faster than any other intl destination I've been to on AA.

The check-in area is now roped off so that only passengers can go inside. They don't actually ask to see proof, but it looked like they stopped anyone without bags. As a result, it was quite spacious, and definitely one of the nicest buildings I saw in Managua.

ricktoronto

Yes I saw the area 2 weeks ago and before if you are not familiar with it, the checkin area was maybe 20 feet wide and the same length as now maybe a bit shorter. They rarely opened the doors from the roadway so everyone crammed in the entrance you mention, and regrettably AA was at the end of the row. WAY at the end.

The preventing no-passengers part is interesting to see as you are right they don't ask and you can stroll in or not, mostly families being held back by a rather bored looking guard. But there certainly is a lot of room to roam inside and AA has a way better location now.

I pre-checkin at the CTO at Plaza Espana but I think I will drop by the counter when I leave 8/12 and give them my yellow card and ask for a free pass to the VIP lounge. I will mention to Jose at the CTO that for the last 18 trips it would have been nice for someone to point it out since I have paid $30 a time.

ricktoronto

AA advised me today only when there are delays do they offer up VIP chits in MGA for free. Otherwise, you pay. Previous news said otherwise, so get your $35 out. Worth every penny when you experience the security check, such that it is.