In fact HND F lounge isn't the first JAL lounge OW Emeralds have problems getting into. Refusing entry to lounge due to capacity constraint is not a violation of OW rules. Airlines should take care of its own customers before taking care of their partners'. Even CX does that sometimes.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...times-7-a.html

That doesn't suprise me - Gold / Sapphire is the new Silver / Ruby - there are just too many of them.

But OW Emeralds should still be looked after. Even though there's plenty of them as well, it's not easy to maintain. Fortunately AA Platinum is not OW Emerald, you need to be Exec Plat.

B.S.

I walked into the F side of the lounge (with the agent running in after me) to see what I was missing. There was not a single person in there. And it isn't all that small.

Just like CX's case at TPE, JAL is reserving the space for the JMB elites that might show up at any time. That's nothing wrong with it. You can always fly on another carrier, e.g. *A's and Skyteam's, or another airport if being invited into the Sakura lounge instead of the F one at HND is a deal breaker for you :)

Just to make sure, are you sure the lounge agent didn't mix up the eligibility of the F lounge and the JAL Arrival lounge?

Yep. Was told by the CX agent at check-in and then again by the agent in the lounge.

I do see something wrong with it.

JAL is part of the oneworld alliance. The alliance has certain rules. If JAL wants to be in the alliance, they need to abide by the rules. If they don't want to, leave the alliance.

I gain status in the alliance and have a right to expect certain benefits that I am told in advance that I will receive. When a carrier denies those benefits, I am directly affected.

Now the business class lounge was very nice, but that's not the test.

I shouldn't have to wonder at each airport what the local carrier will provide at its whim.

Frankly, I'd like to see all the oneworld carriers at HND boycott the JL lounge and send their passengers to the NH lounge. That would probably get JL's attention.

well I agree that all OW airlines should look at what they agree to give tiers, publish it and stick to it so OW tiers know what to expect. sounds obvious to me but then I don't work in the airline industry :P

As stated before, denying entry to lounge due to capacity constraint is allowed by OW and JAL did not violate any alliance rules here unless they only deny certain partners' Emerald but not all.

But if OW Emeralds simply don't get access to the F lounge at HND, OW should publish that on their website (which by the way still hasn't been updated). OW's press release states OW Emeralds will get access to the F lounge will looks like that's not the case and therefore should update that (just like they did for the arrival lounge)

I suggest you made a formal complaint to Oneworld.

If you have been AA forum, you will see from time to time, someone is complaining not gaining access to BA F in LAX/ORD, QF in HKG...
It's so normal

I flew BA SFO-LHR last week. My CX status and number was on the BP. In addition, the check-in agent also saw my MPC card. However, when I got to the lounge, I was still asked for my MPC card. The lounge agent volunteered the reason - the MPC status on the BP does not necessarily reflect my status on the day of travel. Afterwards, I have been to three BA lounges - two in LHR, one in EDI . They have not asked for my card anymore.

When you are a BA Exec Club member, you are always required to show your membership card at the lounge as apparently the status that shows on your boarding pass can be overwritten manually by the check in agent.

Based on your membership alliance certain *A top tier lounges does not grant entry to *A Golds, only to their own elites, such as LH. I was refused entry when I was an AC Gold to LH FRA FC lounge a long time ago.

So BS to you too.

Yes but you're missing the point here. On the *A website, it clearly states that *G members only have access to designated *G lounges (usually business class or similar tier lounges), which doesn't include the LH first class lounge. However, the issue here is that OW Emeralds are being denied first class lounge access at certain ports, even when first class lounge access is a published benefit for OW Emeralds. Different alliances, different lounge access policies.

Lounge access is subject to capacity constraints. This is stated clearly on OW website. So OW doesn't guarantee elites to have access to all of the lounges listed.