moonwoo

Sakura Lounges in Tokyo are listed as Admirals Club Partner Lounges. I have an Admirals Club membership and will be traveling through Japan with my children. I wanted to ask if anyone had success entering the Sakura lounge as Admirals Club member while flying on JAL metal? On the way to Asia, I'll be arriving on an AA flight, connecting onwards on JAL, and on the way back to the US, I'll be on a JAL flight to LAX with AA flight number. Fine print says same day departing AA flight is needed but I wasn't sure if they would allow some flexibility as Admirals Club member with AA flight numbers. Please let me know if anyone has any data points. Thank you in advance!

bchandler02

I had no issues accessing it pre-covid. Was flying Tokyo-DFW on AA ticket on JAL metal, in PE. Admirals club member.
I was able to visit both the AA and JAL clubs that day.

fender5787

FWIW you also had Sakura Lounge access because you were on JL PE (JL offers their PE pax lounge access)

AlwaysAisle

Also, you had an accsess to Sakura Lounge due to AA Plt, OneWorld Sapphire. I do not think Admirals Club membership alone will provide accsess to Sakura Lounge.

moonwoo

Gotcha, thanks everyone. That is what I was afraid of. The fine print says that I have to be flying on an American operated flight. I just didn't know if this rule was flexible if I was traveling on JAL with an AA flight number. That's a bummer.

dw

Yes, unfortunately one place they will definitely be a stickler for the published rules is Japan

RioAg

I have a DFW -- NRT (3 hour layover) -- BKK

DFW to NRT (American)
NRT to BKK (JAL)

We would not be able to use our Admirals Club Membership to access this partner lounge? Is this correct?

JJeffrey

Correct, you need a same day departure on AA metal from that airport.

RioAg

Ouch.. thanks. Terminal 2 NRT lounge options look rough (priority pass).

BrianV

I'm flying KIX-HND-LAX with my wife and son in a few weeks. Having just done BKK-HND-LAX as OWE, I enjoyed the Sakura lounge in BKK and First in HND. After reviewing the OneWorld lounge site, it looks like I can only sponsor one companion. As a Citi Exec AA holder (primary), can I get access to Sakura in KIX and HND?

KIX - HND = JL metal, JL flight number (not code share), booked with AA on AA PNR but no code share, Y class
HND - LAX = AA metal, AA flight number, Y class

I had no idea there was any cooperation with AC membership, but thought I'd ask to see what access I may have as I thought i was out of the woods. My wife said she'd shop and I could take my son to the lounge to hang.

Finally, I also have Priority Pass Select obtained from my Hilton Aspire AMEX, not sure if that gives me any options.

JJeffrey

AA doesn't provide Admirals Club members with access to any and all partner lounges. Rather, AA provides AC members access to certain partner and 3rd party lounges, but these are only located in international outstation airports that AA serves but where there's not an actual Admirals Club location, and access is only provided with a same day departure on AA metal.

So as an AC member you won't have any lounge access at KIX as AA doesn't serve KIX and doesn't have an agreement with the JL lounge there for AC members.

But at HND you will have access to the JL Sakura Lounge (business) for you + wife & son. AA serves HND and has an agreement for AC members there, and you're departing on an AA metal flight.

And as you noted as a OWE you of course can access the JL lounges at KIX or the F lounge at HND via your status, but that is limited to you + only 1 guest.

A full list of these partner lounges that AC members can access when departing on AA is at aa.com:

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...-locations.jsp

BrianV

Thanks, good to know on Sakura at HND! Looks like there are some PPass lounges in KIX we can use.

It's also worth noting that AA does have partner lounges in the US, so it's not limited to just International per your first comment. A couple examples are the COS lounge and SAN Airspace lounge.

MasterPlanner

Careful though— just FYI I was in NRT recently with two children and was told I could only bring one guest into Sakura despite my being OW Emerald from EXP (flying economy on JAL). On the return all of us were in AA J and were admitted (to the business lounge rather than first which I presumably could have entered with just one guest as OWE).

JJeffrey

Acessing any oneworld lounge via status you are always allowed only guest, so nothing surprising there as they were just following the rules.

The poster above would be departing on AA though accessing the Sakura lounge via their AC membership which allows for immediate family as guests.

Completely different scenario.