Oneworld Lounge Access Question
 

Hi friends,

My friend is a CX Green member (non-elite tier), she will be taking Biz class from NRT To HKG, does anyone know whether she can use the JAL Sakura Lounge instead of the CX Lounge in Narita airport?

Per the rules in OneWorld website :

In all cases, lounge access eligibility is based on:
Departing carrier - you must be flying on your next onward segment, on the same day, on a flight marketed and operated by a oneworld member airline AND
Frequent flyer tier status - you must present a current frequent flyer card equivalent to oneworld Emerald or Sapphire status, OR
Class of travel - you must produce a First or Business Class boarding pass for the journey's international segment on the same day.

It seems that she can as she is flying with CX (oneworld flight) and holding a Biz class boarding pass. Am I correct?

Thanks for your help!

The paragraph quoted is the condition for lounge access. As fast as the lounge for access by COS, it is governed by:
"Customers flying First or Business Class have access to the equivalent class of lounge regardless of their frequent flyer status. (First Class passengers may be accompanied by one guest travelling on a flight operated and marketed by a oneworld airline).
..."

There have been many discussions on whether a passenger can be admitted to any OW lounge of his/her choice by COS, but different people interpret the rule differently. BA is very strict, but I don't know about JL. She can try to see if she can get in. It won't hurt asking.

Thanks! By the way, COS means class of services??

Yes, in theory. In practice, I wouldn't count on it - at least not without a lot of arguing.

COS = Class of Service

I have definitely used the JAL lounge when flying on Cathay in business class. But I don't know if they let me in because of the COS or my frequent flyer status. They didn't seem to really think very much about it and just waved me in quickly.

If you are not a OW Sapphire or Emerald, you can not enter JAL lounge without flying F or J on JAL... unless CX doesn't operate their own lounge at that airport and the JAL lounge has been designated as the handling lounge for CX passengers ... in which they would have some sort of display at the entrance with the CX logo... at NRT, CX does operate their own lounge.

Think of OW as an alliance of mileage programs not an alliance of all airline operation. If you notice the entrance of all lounges, it clearly informs you who does or does not have access to the lounge. For example, the CX lounge in HKIA would say "First Class Lounge" and underneath that would have a OW logo followed by a green oval.

Not quite... JL should let OP in. The only reason JL could deny OP is by capacity restriction.

CX J class ticket will get you into NRT's JAL's Sakura Buz lounge with no issue...even without any status...was there in May in fact....and did not even bother going to the CX lounge

not correct.

just wondering if you possit this view without having ever tried? in fact, it was pretty seamless when the JAL agents look at your CX boarding card and enter you into the system.

Not true.
JH1981 is right. A Biz ticket only give access to THE lounge designated by the carrier, not to ANY OW lounge. This is only the case for OW saphire or emerald. And then the capacity restriction could sometimes apply.
The rule is quite well known and I doubt that the JL dragon at NRT would not apply it. Sometimes, at outstations the lounge dragon works for a third-party and might not be aware of it. But that should be rare.

this also is not correct. the one world rules are clear on the point and in practice, as of May 2010, showed J CX boarding card for CX 504 and was allowed into the JAL lounge with my spouse and 3 year old..also in J and none of us had status...

...i personally do not think it is a matter of BA being strict, but just wrong...but that is my 2 cents.

in fact...here are two photos that i took on my trip in May...

http://i690.photobucket.com/albums/v...uraLounge1.jpg

http://i690.photobucket.com/albums/v...uraLounge2.jpg

and my entry was certainly not luck...

Mkjr, I do not question your one experience (and I assume that you have no OW saphire or Emerald staus?). Lounge dragons are often untrained or "lazy" and rules tend to be quite complicated especially with codeshares and the like.
However, the rules of OW are quite clear and the experience of hundreds of pax who have raised this issue in numerous threads in all the OW airline forums are moostly consistent with the rule. The "ANY lounge" only applies to OW saphire and emerald (status), not to J & F pax (cos). You might have your personal reading but I suggest that you look at various threads on this topic in many forums.