ARCHIVE: Guide to Flagship Lounge Access (expanded 2017) thru 2018
May 19, 2018, 3:17 pm
#346
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: LAX
Programs: AAdvantage EXPLAT, Hilton Diamond, SPG/Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Citi Exec MC, Amex Plat
Posts: 1,443
The Flagship Lounge (FL) is AA's international business class lounge. AA does not admit its own elites on domestic itineraries to lounges at all. But it is part of OW, so it has to admit non-AA OWS passengers (just like CX or QF or BA do for AA elites traveling in their respective hubs). AA has FL open at LAX, ORD, MIA, and JFK. Then there is one under construction at DFW and two planned, one at PHL and one at LHR. They will not be putting one in (nor have they ever had one) at BOS.You can access Admirals Clubs at all airports without FL by showing your QF Gold card.
Is AA's policy exclusion because in the US, domestic and international flights are not segregated departure side?
May 21, 2018, 8:44 am
#347
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP, SPG / Marriott GLD, HHonors GLD
Posts: 520
Do other OW airlines like BA/QF/JL essentially limit their domestic traveler elites from their international business lounges by hosting domestic flights in an entirely different terminal? Thus, their elites would be physically blocked from even accessing the international lounges anyways?
Is AA's policy exclusion because in the US, domestic and international flights are not segregated departure side?
Is AA's policy exclusion because in the US, domestic and international flights are not segregated departure side?
A secondary reason is likely crowding - the US airlines seem to have much bigger mid tier and above frequent flyer populations and the lounges would be borderline unsusable if every Plat, Plat Pro, and EXP got access.
May 21, 2018, 9:37 am
#348
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: American EXP; British Airways Gold
Posts: 1,896
The ORD Flagship Lounge has some of the best food offerings as well. The FL lounge also has plenty of newspapers available, unlike the United Club in ORD which regularly goes "out of stock" by Noon.
May 21, 2018, 1:41 pm
#349
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Global
Posts: 5,998
AA's policy relates to the for-pay lounges which other OW airlines do not have (except Qantas - which has the exact same restrictions on their own travelers flying domestically who do not get access to the QF Business Lounges). So QF basically does as you suggest. I don't think that's true of JL or BA though. Since AA operates the Admirals Clubs as a membership program that anyone can buy into they don't extend access on domestic itineraries to their own elites. This is very common in the US as the other programs do it too. And many people do buy or their work buys memberships so I imagine they make some good money off the program.
A secondary reason is likely crowding - the US airlines seem to have much bigger mid tier and above frequent flyer populations and the lounges would be borderline unsusable if every Plat, Plat Pro, and EXP got access.
A secondary reason is likely crowding - the US airlines seem to have much bigger mid tier and above frequent flyer populations and the lounges would be borderline unsusable if every Plat, Plat Pro, and EXP got access.
May 21, 2018, 3:35 pm
#350
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin
Programs: AA EXP +2MM- LT PLT! HH Diamond
Posts: 6,087
China is inching closer fast, but not the same kind of market with lounges..
May 23, 2018, 8:44 pm
#352
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Sun Prairie, WI
Programs: AA Executive Platinum, HH Diamond, National Executive
Posts: 1,786
Well I finally booked my J ticket from LAX to MEL. I went with an AA code share on Qantas. It was a few hundred dollars more than booking directly on QF but I’m down one international trip this year so I may need the EQMs (plus work pays).
Anyways, I know I have access to Qantas F lounge but there flagship lounge is new to me.
Will I have access to the flagship lounge at LAX?
If so, will I have access to flagship dining?
Assuming my flight from PHX is on time I’ll have about a five hour layover to explore.
Anyways, I know I have access to Qantas F lounge but there flagship lounge is new to me.
Will I have access to the flagship lounge at LAX?
If so, will I have access to flagship dining?
Assuming my flight from PHX is on time I’ll have about a five hour layover to explore.
May 23, 2018, 11:48 pm
#353
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 146
Flying JFK-LAX-PDX this weekend in U. Found a mile saaver in business class, from what someone else said I am able to go to the FL lounge because I am flying JFK-LAX but does it matter that I'm coded as U instead of J?
May 24, 2018, 6:45 am
#355
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,691
May 24, 2018, 2:54 pm
#356
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: LAX, SNA, LGB
Posts: 453
Just wondering if an AA EXP would have access to flagship lounge at lax flying lax-sfo-jfk (same day) with sfo to jfk in J.
May 24, 2018, 4:49 pm
#357
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP, SPG / Marriott GLD, HHonors GLD
Posts: 520
Yes you will get access as a result of being in J on the transcon (not status related), just show the SFO-JFK BP. You can also get access on arrival in JFK if you want.
May 30, 2018, 6:24 pm
#358
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: The Indo Jungle
Programs: AA EXP, IHG Spire
Posts: 1,319
Would arrival HKG-LAX on AA in flagship first have access to Flagship Dining in LAX during connection to domestic flight?
May 30, 2018, 6:25 pm
#359
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP, SPG / Marriott GLD, HHonors GLD
Posts: 520
May 31, 2018, 11:55 am
#360
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 20
LAX & JFK flagship lounge access for 321T business
Will I have access to Flagship Lounge at LAX and JFK when flying business on their 321T (3 class) trascon?
Or is that only for the first class on that route?
Or is that only for the first class on that route?