bdemaria, ESpen36, yes you are both correct in that a 3 class service is now an added requirement for admittance to the FL. I looked at a previous copy of the web page which I have (I'm a pack rat) and there is no reference to the three class of service requirement; any nonstop transcon with a Z fare was OK for admission. I don't know when this change came about requiring a three class service.

Thanks for pointing out that new requirement; I was not aware of it and I was never refused admission into the FL at LAX for my LAX-MIA and LAX-BOS Z trips. In fact the key card was given to me without my asking for it. I guess I was lucky.

The one time I would expect to be admitted to a lounge on a transcon A is upgrading from a J fare on a three class plane to first class (into A inventory). In that case, I'd expect to be allowed to use the AC, as it is a J fare.

First, it appears the rules are posted on the AA website, (in regards to F/Z transcon fares). Am I reading the rules correct on international premium fares? My kids and I are flying Australia to US and return on AA (Qantas)
D class fares with various flights in the USA in First (A -fare bucket) Can
we access the lounges on the same day in any US airport as our international flight?

Also, can I access the DFW AC lounges, we fly from SYD to LAX D class, Then
LAX to DFW A class, then DFW to SGF on Y class. ? Thanks in advance for any responses.

It's a pretty recent change--it happened early in 2008.

With "international" flights (defined as Europe, Asia, Central/South America, India, and Oceania), fare bucket doesn't matter. As long as you are flying in First or Business on eligible OneWorld "international" flights, you can use all of the OneWorld lounges that you might encounter connecting to or from the "international" segment on the same day.

So, yes, you can use all of the DFW AC lounges as long as you are connecting to or from the international premium-class segments on the same calendar day (departure and/or arrival in the case of red-eyes).