Feb 19, 2015, 12:28 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
HELP DESK: Lounge Access, Access Rules. Will I Have Lounge Access? (2016)
Please read this wiki carefully; some fine nuances exist.
Please read this wiki carefully; some fine nuances exist.
PLEASE DO NOT ALTER THE CONTENT OF THIS MODERATOR NOTE
The Lounge Access Help Desk
To assist members with questions about Lounge Access Rules that they have not been able to answer on their own using the above resources, the AA Moderator team has decided to institute this thread, the third in a series of "Help Desk" threads. N.B.: If you have questions about physical access to a specific lounge (e.g., airside vs. landside, different terminal, etc.), please search for and post to the appropriate specific thread for that lounge.
New threads on this topic will be merged into this one and bumped by the moderators as necessary. As such, we do not expect that this thread will develop into a searchable database, but that it will nonetheless provide a valuable resource to members. As well, we may shed / pare down posts from time to time to a trailing thread or similar device.
Our goal is to provide a place where members can feel welcome to post such questions and expect helpful, accurate responses. In this way, we hope to accommodate the needs and desires of both new and veteran members - those who aren't sure they are interpreting the available resources correctly can ask for help without fear of snarky-appearing responses; those who do not wish to participate in such threads are invited and, indeed, encouraged, to ignore this thread.
Please be forewarned: This thread will be subject to heavy moderation. Posts that are incorrect will be subject to editing (
Finally, a few guidelines for members posting queries to this thread:
- Please DO make an effort to review the listed resources before posting here.
- Please DO try to give as much information as possible, including your entire itinerary, with carrier for each segment and codeshares and stopovers clearly designated, your class of service and fare class purchased, whether or not you have Admirals Club or Qantas Club membership, a Citi AAdvantage Executive card (which includes full Admirals Club membership), and the number of guests and your family relationship with them, if any.
- Please DO understand it could take some time for answers (especially on holidays and weekends.)
- Please DO thank helpful members volunteering to reply to your questions.
Also see the future changes in lounges and access: Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge Changes, Renovations & Additions
As well, note Expanded Access to Flagship Lounge Coming "in Spring 2017"
Sincerely,
The American Airlines | AAdvantage forum Moderator Team
(Help Desk established by dstan)
=================end mod note===================
oneworld Lounge Access
Wizard by kduarte.
Help Desk: Lounge Access Rules / Will I Have Lounge Access?
Lounge Access can be obtained in a number of ways during travel on AA and its oneworld partner airlines. These include purchasing an Admirals Club one day pass, or via Citi AAdvantage Executive MasterCard (including, as of Dec 20-5, authorized card users), reciprocity agreements with other airlines, traveling on certain transcon flights in F or J, or traveling internationally with Platinum (oneworld Sapphire) or Executive Platinum (oneworld Emerald) status or in F or J classes of service. The last is often the greatest source of confusion, despite lounge access rules being described clearly on aa.com. Threads about these are linked to in the American Airlines LOUNGE DASHBOARD thread.
Admirals Club members paid or Executive cardholder members) are entitled guests as follows:
Up to two guests or household members (spouse, domestic partner and/or children under the age of 18) may accompany the member.
For AA status-based access (PLT or EXP),* passengers must: (1) be traveling on an international itinerary (Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and Mexico City, excluding the Caribbean and other destinations in Mexico), and (2) have an onward flight on a oneworld airline marketed and operated flight on the same day. PLT members are eligible for access to all oneworld Business Class lounges, including Admirals Clubs; EXP members are also eligible for access to all oneworld First Class lounges, including Flagship Lounges.
Lounges operated by third parties or premium lunges operating outside of oneworld rules (e.g. BA Concorde Room, Qatar Al Safwa or Al Mourjan lounges) may be excluded, and all may may refuse admittance if they claim they are crowded. There are other exceptions.
*Non-AA oneworld Sapphire and Emerald elites are not subject to rule #1 above.
Another confusing rule relates to transcontinental access. From member FriendlySkies:
Traveling on a Non-Stop Transcontinental* Flight? http://www.aa.com/i18n/utility/trans-con-access.jsp
On September 1, 2012, access to the Admirals Club® and Flagship Lounge® changed for customers traveling on an American Airlines certain non-stop transcontinental flight.
If you are traveling in the First or Business class cabin (on flights sold as three classes) in one of the following non-stop markets, we welcome you to visit the lounge as indicated below.
On September 1, 2012, access to the Admirals Club® and Flagship Lounge® changed for customers traveling on an American Airlines certain non-stop transcontinental flight.
If you are traveling in the First or Business class cabin (on flights sold as three classes) in one of the following non-stop markets, we welcome you to visit the lounge as indicated below.
The following exceptions apply:
First and Business Class customers who do not hold Emerald or Sapphire tier status are not eligible to access American Airlines lounges when travelling on solely domestic flights within the U.S. or between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico [except Mexico City], the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean; customers travelling in First or Business class on U.S. transcontinental flights between JFK-LAX, JFK-SFO and MIA-LAX (and vice-versa) are eligible for lounge access. one world lounge access page - link
First and Business Class customers who do not hold Emerald or Sapphire tier status are not eligible to access American Airlines lounges when travelling on solely domestic flights within the U.S. or between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico [except Mexico City], the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean; customers travelling in First or Business class on U.S. transcontinental flights between JFK-LAX, JFK-SFO and MIA-LAX (and vice-versa) are eligible for lounge access. one world lounge access page - link
In the Flagship Dining subsection, they state:
Beginning in early 2017, the Flagship Dining experience will be available in select cities with 3-class service:
● Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
● New York (JFK)
● Miami (MIA)
● Los Angeles (LAX)
First Class customers on American’s 3-class international and transcontinental flights will have exclusive access to Flagship Dining in 2017
● Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
● New York (JFK)
● Miami (MIA)
● Los Angeles (LAX)
First Class customers on American’s 3-class international and transcontinental flights will have exclusive access to Flagship Dining in 2017
All Admirals Club visitors receive free Wi-Fi access at Admirals Clubs (password is available at front desk and throughout the Club on signs), some non-alcoholic and "well" (lower price tier) alcoholic beverages and counter snacks (fruit, some kind of snack mix, cheese cubes, hot cereal mornings and soup evenings are the most common - recent additions have been made); free computer terminals are available for all passengers, and many Clubs have Business Centers and tethered Samsung Galaxy tablets in seating areas. Passengers accessing Admirals Clubs based on status or class of service on international travel are entitled to free drinks coupons usable for higher-tier non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages and bottles of water.
Flagship Lounges (JFK, LAX, LHR and ORD) offer extended beverages and upscale snack services as well. See below for link.
NOTE: US Airways Clubs have been rebranded as Admirals Clubs; full consolidation has occurred. Some Clubs are undergoing refurbishment.
Citi Prestige MasterCard holder Admirals Club access ends July 23, 2017.
American Express Platinum cardholder Admirals Club access ended 21 March 2014.
NOTE: It has been verified more airports are allowing multiple terminal access on one's day of departure. LAX has been one since mid-2014, so this has added the oneworld Business and Qantas First lounges at the TBIT international terminal for passengers departing TBIT; the Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge, and Alaska Airlines Board Room to the scope of lounges one might access (depending on status or class of service eligibility).
Admirals Club access is granted the day of flight for statusholders flyingone world and those flying F or J, or the following day at the first port of arrival if flying overnight and arriving by 0600.
Airports requiring Lounge users have a same day departure boarding pass include BOG, CCS, CDG, GIG, GRU, LHR, MEX, NRT, SCL, YYZ.
N.B. Qantas Lounges and Clubs require Smart Casual (sic) dress as of May 2015; those not meeting the standard may be turned away. They also require AAdvantage members be traveling on a departing AA marketed flight.
Please see the following resources for full details on Lounge Access Rules: (and see below)
. . . ● oneworld Lounge Access Wizard, created by FlyerTalk member imagineertobe
. . . ● AA.com: Lounge Access Rules
. . . ● AA.com: American Airlines Flagship Lounge Access Rules
. . . ● AA.com: Reimaging our lounges
. . . ● AA.com: Admirals Club Membership Guide in a downloadable PDF format.
. . . ● oneworld.com: Lounge Access Rules and Search Tool
. . . ● Wiki: Lounges
. . . ● FT: American Airlines LOUNGE DASHBOARD
For various threads on membership, access by status, transcon service, class of service, Flagship lounge access, lounges directory with links to specific lounge threads, Club member access to partner lounges, recipripocity agreements, etc.
. . . ● FT Help Desk: Lounge Access and Lounge Access Rules [ARCHIVED]
ARCHIVE: HELP DESK: Will I Have Lounge Access? Access, Rules (2016)
Jan 5, 2016, 1:52 pm
#16
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Lake Villa, IL
Posts: 2
Flights are ORD-CLT-BCN. All in paid Business booked through BA but flights on AA planes. Will we have access to a lounge in Charlotte? Because of a recent time change on the flight to BCN, we will have about 7hrs between flights.
Jan 15, 2016, 5:14 am
#17
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Midlands, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, Sixt Gold, Alitalia Ulisse, AMEX,
Posts: 24
Lounge access for AA newcomer
Hello, first of all excuse me if this is not the most appropriate section to post this, so feel free to move it obviously.
Next month I'm going to fly ex-DUB to SFO with a stop in PHL with AA travelling in J/F. I have understood that I will have lounge access for my first two legs and before my last leg of my return journey in PHL. What I cannot understand is if I will get lounge access in SFO before my SFO to PHL leg since connecting to an international service in J. I have tried to contact AA customer service but I was ignored. Can someone please clarify this to me?
Thanks in advance
Next month I'm going to fly ex-DUB to SFO with a stop in PHL with AA travelling in J/F. I have understood that I will have lounge access for my first two legs and before my last leg of my return journey in PHL. What I cannot understand is if I will get lounge access in SFO before my SFO to PHL leg since connecting to an international service in J. I have tried to contact AA customer service but I was ignored. Can someone please clarify this to me?
Thanks in advance
Jan 15, 2016, 5:30 am
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: LHR
Programs: DL DM 2MM, BA Bronze, Various Hotels
Posts: 10,187
Hello, first of all excuse me if this is not the most appropriate section to post this, so feel free to move it obviously.
Next month I'm going to fly ex-DUB to SFO with a stop in PHL with AA travelling in J/F. I have understood that I will have lounge access for my first two legs and before my last leg of my return journey in PHL. What I cannot understand is if I will get lounge access in SFO before my SFO to PHL leg since connecting to an international service in J. I have tried to contact AA customer service but I was ignored. Can someone please clarify this to me?
Thanks in advance
Next month I'm going to fly ex-DUB to SFO with a stop in PHL with AA travelling in J/F. I have understood that I will have lounge access for my first two legs and before my last leg of my return journey in PHL. What I cannot understand is if I will get lounge access in SFO before my SFO to PHL leg since connecting to an international service in J. I have tried to contact AA customer service but I was ignored. Can someone please clarify this to me?
Thanks in advance
Keep in mind, there is US pre-clearance at DUB and the lounges are before US security/customs clearance. Just be sure to give yourself enough to take care of this after using the lounge.
Jan 15, 2016, 6:46 am
#19
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
Hello, first of all excuse me if this is not the most appropriate section to post this, so feel free to move it obviously.
Next month I'm going to fly ex-DUB to SFO with a stop in PHL with AA travelling in J/F. I have understood that I will have lounge access for my first two legs and before my last leg of my return journey in PHL. What I cannot understand is if I will get lounge access in SFO before my SFO to PHL leg since connecting to an international service in J. I have tried to contact AA customer service but I was ignored. Can someone please clarify this to me?
Next month I'm going to fly ex-DUB to SFO with a stop in PHL with AA travelling in J/F. I have understood that I will have lounge access for my first two legs and before my last leg of my return journey in PHL. What I cannot understand is if I will get lounge access in SFO before my SFO to PHL leg since connecting to an international service in J. I have tried to contact AA customer service but I was ignored. Can someone please clarify this to me?
~Moderator
Jan 15, 2016, 9:52 am
#20
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Midlands, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, Sixt Gold, Alitalia Ulisse, AMEX,
Posts: 24
If flying in F/J on an international itinerary, you should have lounge access in DUB/PHL and SFO/PHL for your DUB-PHL-SFO and then SFO-PHL-DUB trip.
Keep in mind, there is US pre-clearance at DUB and the lounges are before US security/customs clearance. Just be sure to give yourself enough to take care of this after using the lounge.
Keep in mind, there is US pre-clearance at DUB and the lounges are before US security/customs clearance. Just be sure to give yourself enough to take care of this after using the lounge.
thanks
Jan 18, 2016, 12:40 pm
#21
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 124
I just asked a similar question of AA on twitter, my route is DUB>CLT>BNA and all I waned to know was whether I'd get the lounge in CLT, they don't seem to know their own rules as they said no. (they also thought DUB was Dubai but thats another story ...)
Last edited by Microwave; Jan 18, 2016 at 1:20 pm Reason: Removed quote of moderator post
Jan 18, 2016, 12:51 pm
#22
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: BNA
Programs: AA CK, SPG Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 273
aa.com and oneworld.com have information that appears to conflicting. As an AA EXP, will I have access to BA Galleries and First lounges at ORD on a domestic AA itinerary? I'm flying BNA - ORD - TVC on AA. aa.com seems to exclude only Admirals Clubs from status-based access on domestic itineraries, whereas the oneworld site seems to state that no status-based access is given to AA EXPs to oneworld lounges (though the way it's written, it still could be referring specifically to Admirals Club access and not other airlines' lounges).
Jan 18, 2016, 1:22 pm
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Melbourne
Programs: ►QFWP/LTG►VA WP►HyattExpl.►HiltonGold►ALL Silver
Posts: 21,995
Yes, the second part refers to "American Airlines Lounges", but it won't help.
https://www.oneworld.com/ffp/lounge-access
oneworld lounge access for frequent flyers by tier status...
...
2. American Airlines AAdvantage® members, regardless of their tier status or class of travel, are not eligible for lounge access when travelling solely on North American flights within or between the U.S., Canada, Mexico (except Mexico City), the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean. ...
oneworld lounge access for First Class or Business Class customers...
- First and Business Class customers who do not hold Emerald or Sapphire tier status are not eligible to access American Airlines lounges when travelling on solely domestic flights within the U.S. or between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico [except Mexico City], the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean; customers travelling in First or Business class on U.S. transcontinental flights between JFK-LAX, JFK-SFO and MIA-LAX (and vice-versa) are eligible for lounge access.
Last edited by serfty; Jan 18, 2016 at 1:28 pm
Jan 18, 2016, 1:33 pm
#24
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: BNA
Programs: AA CK, SPG Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 273
While you can access ORD T5 with a same day BP for a flight departing ORD, you will still have no access. Going by posted experience you would be denied entry.
Yes, the second part refers to "American Airlines Lounges", but it won't help.
https://www.oneworld.com/ffp/lounge-access
Yes, the second part refers to "American Airlines Lounges", but it won't help.
https://www.oneworld.com/ffp/lounge-access
Jan 18, 2016, 2:03 pm
#25
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
Jan 18, 2016, 6:41 pm
#26
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gig Harbor, WA
Programs: Delta Diamond, Delta 2MM, HHonors Gold, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 693
Lounge Access for JL J Arrival in DFW?
I have an AA award ticket that includes flying from NRT to DFW on Japan Airlines and then connecting to an AA flight in F from DFW to LAX. Due to a sked change, I now have a 4-hour connection.
Are we allowed to use the AA lounge after we go through customs and immigration in Dallas?
Thanks!
Are we allowed to use the AA lounge after we go through customs and immigration in Dallas?
Thanks!
Jan 18, 2016, 6:48 pm
#27
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM
Posts: 2,080
Yes. Per the oneworld lounge access guide:
First and Business Class customers connecting on the same day of travel, or before 6am the following day, can access the lounge when travelling between an international long haul (a oneworld international long haul flight is defined as an international flight marketed and operated by any oneworld carrier with a scheduled flight time longer than 5 hours) and an international short haul or domestic flight (and vice-versa).
Lounge access will be determined on the international long haul ticketed flight (either First of Business Class) regardless of the ticketed class of travel on the international short haul or domestic flight.
You must be prepared to show your boarding pass or itinerary showing travel in First or Business class on the international long haul flight, in order to access the lounge before your international short haul or domestic flight.
First and Business Class customers connecting on the same day of travel, or before 6am the following day, can access the lounge when travelling between an international long haul (a oneworld international long haul flight is defined as an international flight marketed and operated by any oneworld carrier with a scheduled flight time longer than 5 hours) and an international short haul or domestic flight (and vice-versa).
Lounge access will be determined on the international long haul ticketed flight (either First of Business Class) regardless of the ticketed class of travel on the international short haul or domestic flight.
You must be prepared to show your boarding pass or itinerary showing travel in First or Business class on the international long haul flight, in order to access the lounge before your international short haul or domestic flight.
Jan 18, 2016, 6:49 pm
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
What was the schedule change? Depending on the situation you may be able to ask AA to re-book you on an earlier DFW-LAX flight, or possibly even one of the NRT-LAX nonstops. But yes, you can definitely use the lounges at DFW during your connection (assuming your NRT-DFW flight is in J). Just save your JL boarding pass to show.
Jan 18, 2016, 7:40 pm
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat
Posts: 38,186
If you have an Amex Plat or Centurion card you can use the Centurion Lounge in D terminal. Much nicer than any of the Admirals Club.
Jan 18, 2016, 9:52 pm
#30
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: BNA
Programs: AA CK, SPG Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 273
That was the intention of my last question: I wasn't sure what the actual policy is, so I was asking whether denying access is a correct enforcement of policy or not. Reading how AA and oneworld state the policy, I wasn't 100% sure whether partner lounges were excluded. Thanks for the help!