irishguy28

But looking down your nose at others does?

bgriff

No. The FAQs and small print make it clear that Clubhouse access is only if flying to and from the UK. However if you fly Delta-metal J JFK-LHR then you do get access at JFK. When flying Delta-metal J LHR-JFK you would not get access since the Clubhouse is in a different terminal.

bgriff

It seems unlikely Delta would move to T3, given all the hard work that's gone into getting the alliances mostly into the same terminals at LHR and the creation of the SkyTeam hub at T4. But who knows. There's not room for VS at T4, so if VS does join SkyTeam the alliance terminal concept will be kind of busted anyway.

However, if VS does join SkyTeam, I would not be the least bit surprised if they find a way to carve out an exception to the STE+ rules for limiting access to Clubhouses (or if VS created a second-tier lounge system for elites to use, similar to what SQ does in SIN with a separate lounge for Star Golds different from the lounge for their own Business Class passengers). Which, in my opinion, would be a better outcome than the only other realistic option: if VS were to water down its lounges to the standard of other SkyTeam lounges.

DLATL777

Manchester United arguments on a BA flight are part of the whole flight!

In all seriousness, I'm not sure "red neck" crowd is the same as "trashy"-is it? Who's to determine that mystery eh?

BER Flyer

OR - they would degrade GM back to just SkyTeam Elites ( no "+") systemwide and would therefore "enhance the Club experience".

pbarnette

The number of grammar and spelling errors in your post is shocking. If you want to be a snob, it helps if you don't come across as uneducated. Otherwise, it makes you look like a striver desperate to win acceptance from the "elite".

A few to look for: it is "highbrow", without a hyphen. It is "flip-flop", with a hyphen. It is "the other poster and I", not "me and the other poster".
And "thats" is not a word. There are more, but I will let you find them.

Now, just so we are clear, I don't care about grammar, but the type of people you are trying to impress by calling others "trash" probably do. You can thank me for the lesson later - I'm the one wearing t-shirts (and shorts, in the right weather) in business class.

ClipperDelta

It's actually more likely that DL will move to LHR T3 to join VS. Both sides have often indicated that VS has had quite a bit invested in T3 (lounge, drive-through check-in,etc.) and that it would make more sense for DL to move. While it's nice to have SkyTeam all under one roof, DL doesn't use those ST connections much at LHR (i.e., all those destinations can be reached via AMS/CDG anyway); LHR is mostly and O&D market for DL.

bgriff

Who knows -- but the bigger problem would be that if VS was in SkyTeam, there are lots of STE+s from other carriers who would also be crowding the VS lounges. (Not to mention that moving GM back to STE would still be more permissive than the current "only PM and DM and only when traveling to and from the UK" rule.)

Perhaps SkyTeam would implement a new rule that you are only guaranteed lounge access for the lounge of the carrier you are flying, rather than open access to partner lounges, or would introduce a third elite tier similar to Oneworld with VS lounges open only to the top tier.

But...I would still argue that those outcomes are better than VS watering down its lounges to the standard of a SkyClub. Better to have an awesome lounge out there that you get to use occasionally than a lousy lounge that you can use any time.

NYTA

Yes, although depending on what they do with ongoing codeshares, I can see a scenario where, for example, someone wanting to fly to Milan from San Francisco could fly SFO-LHR-LIN on Virgin and Alitalia, or the same to Prague on CSA, Moscow on SU etc. since none of them fly to SFO. Admittedly, I'm sure DL would prefer that people fly on their metal to those destinations from JFK, but personally I'd rather fly Virgin.

bgriff

True. Though right now there's not room for Delta to move to T3 either, so in all likelihood any moves will be some distance into the future. And VS doesn't really offer Delta any onward connections either (other than Little Red, which isn't even at T3), so the value of getting VS and DL under the same roof would just be about reducing customer confusion on which terminal to go to for their departure and offering a consistent experience to premium passengers. Given the split LHR terminal operations that BA has used for a very, very long time, the VS-DL split doesn't have that much pressure to be corrected.

nwncl

I am not seeing any information on SWU. Can we expect this be the same as on AF flights?

Wish Little Red would start flying into NCL!

TheMadBrewer

The big question is: Does VS serve Gordon's Gin and Vodka in their lounge? And to be up to SkyClub standards, they most only have Budweiser and Miller as their draft beers. Standards must be kept!

And Scoresby's Scotch -- can't forget the Scoresby's.

bgriff

"As an enhancement for our new Delta Air Lines partner customers, we are replacing the top shelf liquor in our fabulous Clubhouses with well-drink swill. We were concerned that Delta's customers would be so overwhelmed with the quality on offer that they would drink themselves to death, which would really bring down the whole vibe, dahling."

DLATL777

Thanks for proving my point

slinky09

I can't recall how many types of gin and vodka (and other spirits) VS serves in the London Clubhouse, there's also a Grey Goose loft for Grey Goose specialty cocktails and martinis that opens after 4 pm. Take a look at the picture in this list of the bar - it's small but you'll get a flavour.

Take a look here for the current menu - it doesn't list all the spirits but features the cocktails at the main bar.