Hi all,

I will be traveling EWR-HNL-NRT, NRT-LAX-EWR in economy.

(1) I am a little confused about star alliance gold lounge access policy. I believe that I can visit ANY *alliance lounges on departure for international travel. Is this right? Can I also visit them on arrival (esp for LAX)?

(2) What are the nicest lounges I should stay at in HNL and NRT?

Thanks.

1. Yes, you will have lounge access as long as you are traveling on a Star carrier.

2. There is a PC at HNL. Not sure about other options.
NRT - UA RCClub will be closest to UA/CO gates.
ANA lounge - is closer to ANA/SQ gates.
I like the ANA lounge at NRT.

To clarify, you only have access to the *G lounges. In NRT there are first class lounges for both UA and ANA, which you will not have access too.

now since of the OPs Outbound HNL and not EWR will be their Gateway for their Intl flight and on their Inbound NRT is their Gateway and LAX isnt will they beable to access the PC at EWR or LAX?

since they do ask for the BP of the Intl trip and at both they will only have a Domestic BP

Assuming the travel is all on the same day, yes. The rule for *Gs is that you have to be on an international itinerary that day, not necessarily from that airport.

For the OP, you will have access to the PC in EWR and the PC or RCC in HNL on the outbound, assuming all travel on the same day. On the return you will have access to the NH or UA clubs in NRT and to the UA or CO clubs in LAX, again assuming same-day travel.

It has been my understand that on the outbound that the international flight doesn't have to be departing from the airport one is at but on the inbound that the person has to be leave the airport on an international flight. That would be in line with the following information from the *A website:

So if you are a US, UA, or CO Gold *A member then they will most likely turn you away at EWR and LAX. That is how I read this information.

Scott6067, see this post by COInsider.
You will understand better.

As to OP's question about comparison of lounges at HNL and NRT:

HNL - RCC is nice but unspectacular. Haven't visited the PC there.

NRT - RCC and ANA lounge are both very nice. RCC has better showers and shower amenities, if you are looking for that, and more convenient outlets for laptop cords. ANA has better food, including wonderful bowls of real ramen (not the dried stuff reconstituted with hot water). It's really hard to go wrong.

This is correct.

There is no such thing as outbound or inbound in the *G rules. Access is granted only based on departures, not on arrivals. For a *G to have access you must have a *A boarding pass for the same day and the travel must be "travelling in conjunction with a Star Alliance international flight." That means same-day itinerary by most interpretations.

So if the EWR-HNL-NRT is all on the same day then the EWR access is granted by having a CO BP and for being in conjunction with the HNL-NRT flight. On the return it is the same idea. Access is granted in LAX based on departing the local airport on a *A flight and because it is in conjunction with the NRT-LAX flight.

If there is a stopover, even just overnight, you'll lose the access at EWR or LAX.

thanks for the confusion clearup - I hadn't seen that coinsider's post.

much appreciated!

OP, here are some photos I recently took of both ANA lounges and the RCC at NRT

Page 6 and 7 has photos of the ANA lounge at Satellite 5 (Gate 50s area, 4F)
Page 7 and 8 has photos of the RCC, including the shower amenities at the time I went (I GOT TRICKED!! I THOUGHT IT WAS H2O STUFF, IT WASN'T!!)
Page 8 and 9 has photos of the ANA lounge and shower at Satellite 3 (Gate 40s area, 2F)

I wouldn't advise going to the ANA lounge at Satellite 3 since it's at 2F, which means you really kinda have no view of the outside. The photo doesn't show it, but this lounge also has the free udon/soba.