tbeard

Greetings, I have a flight next week connecting in CDG. I have a 4 hour layover. I am a Diamond on Delta and selected the executive sky club membership with one of my choice benefits. I have the Am Exp reserve card and will be in paid D1. I always struggle for some reason getting access to the lounges at CDG. What method of entry do I need to show them? Also any of the lounges have showers available? Thanks

jalves

Your D1 Boarding Pass should do it

xliioper

Access to AF lounges will based on your international D1 flight or Skyteam Elite Plus status. A Sky Club membership or DL Amex Reserve card are not valid entrance means at AF/KL clubs. These only work at actual DL Sky Clubs (and Amex Centurion lounges for Reserve card). There are no Sky Clubs outside of the US currently (although HND is supposedly going to get one at some point). There's a few international Centurion clubs, but none at CDG. Your boarding pass should be sufficient for entrance. The only reason you might have issues is if you are not connecting to an onward Skyteam flight.

orlandodlplat

Make sure your DL number is in the AF record. That way, your BP will have your Elite plus status printed on it.

tbeard

[QUOTE=xliioper;33447873]Access to AF lounges will based on your international D1 flight or Skyteam Elite Plus status. A Sky Club membership or DL Amex Reserve card are not valid entrance means at AF/KL clubs. These only work at actual DL Sky Clubs (and Amex Centurion lounges for Reserve card). There are no Sky Clubs outside of the US currently (although HND is supposedly going to get one at some point). There's a few international Centurion clubs, but none at CDG. Your boarding pass should be sufficient for entrance. The only reason you might have issues is if you are not connecting to an onward Skyteam flight.[/QUOTE

thanks I am connecting on to PUF on an Air France Flight

bsagator

[QUOTE=tbeard;33448327]I pretty much have the same qualifications as you and have never had an issue in CDG. I was just there last week, and was flying out of 2F. It was a hot day and the terminal was extremely crowded so it was very hot. The lounge had a minimal amount of items available, and I found the bottom floor to be much cooler in temp. The showers are surprisingly decent for a dingy lounge.

SUPERTRAVEL

[QUOTE=tbeard;33448327]Is PM considered Elite Plus, or just DM?
Assuming PM is ok, Skyclubs will allow my wife entrance for free without using a guest pass, when I travel internationally. Will an AF Lounge do the same?
Thanks!

bsagator

[QUOTE=SUPERTRAVEL;33449232]Diamond, Platinum,, and Gold are Elite Plus.

flyerCO

[QUOTE=SUPERTRAVEL;33449232]Yes E+ gets you plus one other flying ST airline in.

WillBarrett_68

the +1 guest for skyteam elite plus is a blanket skyteam rule for all skyteam-airline-operated lounges

andrewk829

Maybe slightly off-topic, but I thought I would offer this anecdote. Two weeks ago, I flew SEA-AMS-KBP (Kyiv, Ukraine). SEA-AMS in Delta One, AMS-KBP on Ukraine International Airlines in "Europe Business Class" . . all one ticket . . . bought from Delta . . . the Ukraine Int'l flight was a KLM code share so my ticket carried a KLM flight numnber. I am Delta Gold Medallion.

At the AMS lounge ("Lounge 52"), the lady would not admit me because the onward flight was on Ukraine Int'l Airlines, which, although the flight carried a KLM flight number, is not a SkyTeam member. It was a 5-hour layover so I asked if I could purchase a daypass; she said yes and directed me to the desk. But, at the desk, the lady told me I qualified for complimentary lounge access and waived me in. Thank goodness the lounge dragon who rejected me was not the one selling day passes.

Anyway, it was a bit disconcerting that the lounge access rules apparently vary according to employee . . . but more annoying is that a SkyTeam codeshare might not yield lounge access if the operating airline is not a SkyTeam member.

I had a similar situation many years ago on Star Alliance when an inbound Austrian Airlines business class flight into O'Hare carrying a United flight number and bought from United, connecting to United domestic first, did not qualify me for admission to the United Club at O''Hare.

It is striking to me that a passenger pays thousands of dollars for a business class ticket and then ends up being denied lounge access . . . isn't code sharing all about complete reciprocity on all accounts? I pay thousands of dollars and my presence at the lounge, assuming I nibble on a few snacks and drink two glasses of wine, costs the airline what, ten bucks?

WillBarrett_68

the first person you spoke with is correct. Skyteam elite plus access is determined by the operating carrier for the onward flight, not the marketing carrier. KLM is within their rights to extend access to others if they wish but by the book you should not have access in that case.

this is a quite different situation since 1) you're accessing via a business class ticket rather than status and 2) both of those operating airlines are *A members. this sounds like you may have actually been improperly denied access but I don't know Austrian/UA's rules.

andrewk829

To be clear, my claims to lounge access rights in this case stems from three qualifying factors: (1) SkyTeam Elite Plus AND (2) having flown business class on the inbound flight AND (3) flying business class (albeit "Europe Business Class", which is a joke) on the onward connecting flight.

flyerCO

You dont get "arrival" lounge access. As you were not flying a ST airline onward you were correctly denied access by 1st agent. It doesn't matter you were in J or E+, your connecting flight didn't grant access.

As for LX/UA you were incorrectly denied access if this was a United Club. If it was a Polaris lounge im not sure.

Firstboss

@andrewk829, the first agent was correct to deny you access to KLM lounge 52.
only continued international flight operated (!) by any Skyteam airline + business class or + elite plus status qualifies.

Out of curiosity I searched for the lounge available to Ukraine Airlines business class passengers - Aspire Lounge at AMS airport:

https://www.flyuia.com/nl/en/services/business-lounges