Steve_Hun

Statement 1 - Correct
Statement 2 - Incorrect => Any EU citizen w/ a valid EU ID card can travel to ANY of the EU member states, regardless if they are part of the Schengen agreement, or not.

aama

You're right, my bad.

intuition

I think we've been down this road before.
The right to travel on ID alone outside schengen is not a "global" right. For instance, Swedish citizens are not allowed to exit sweden to UK on a ID alone. IIRC, someone said that Finns are, since they have a legal right to re-enter Finland even without carrying any ID.

Facts of life, there will be differences in how the memberstates apply the regulations. If that is a "violation of freedom of movement" I guess anyone having the energy can start a legal process. I guess we won't find a commong ground discussing it on a board.

skba1

Statement 2 - Kind of...

Up until 1/july/2015 it was impossible for Swedes to leave the Schengen border in Sweden if not carrying a Swedish passport. I.e. A Swede could not travel on national ID card ARN-LHR, but e.g. a German could!

This has now been changed, but I believe your statement is only true for nationals of another EU country. The 'home' country can have different laws. In the Swedish case it was a 1974 passport act that was still in force and ID cards were not available back then, and nobody updated the law until 2015.

I am not sure if there are any other EUR countries left with ancient rules though!

skba1

Intuition - that was updated last summer and now works fine. Used it a few days into the new law and the border officer commented on me being the first to use it with him.

I used to live in the UK and always flew via CPH when I didn't have my passport with me to avoid issues...

aama

That's so true. And FWIW I always travel with my passport. It's not that heavy

intuition

Let me just backpaddle on that one, since Swedish authorities altered policy july 1 2015. They now allow travel to any EU-country on ID-card.

Steve_Hun

Wow... OK, just learned something new.

secutor

Indeed, you are right. I think I can appreciate the situation better now.

I was mainly surprised to see OWS allowed access to a premium lounge, even AY+ Gold for that matter (although that can be viewed as a special AY+ perk!)

But since one of the reasons seemed to be to ease the overcrowding of the business lounge, I can understand their thinking.

Now with AY+ Silver excluded from access soon, the situation should improve further.

Although I still feel that a business class passenger paying full fare should be allowed access to the best lounge, especially when a OWS traveling in Y is accepted!

warakorn

I do not get your point. What do you want to say?

German ID card is perfectly acceptable to enter the UK or Eire.

warakorn

I stand by my statement.
Try to pass the Finnish border exit control checkpoint (on Finnish soil) with a valid German ID card at the border stations at Imatra, Nuijamaa, Vainikkala, and Vaalimaa.
The Finnish border guard is going to allow you to pass!!! That is a fact - and clear violation of EU rules.

Moreover:
At Salla and Lotta-Raja-Jooseppi border crossing points -> EU citizens without a Finnish passport are not allowed to exit Finland there.

warakorn

I believe most of you do not understand the point I am trying to make.

Example (its weird, but possible):

I purchase a ticket on AY from HEL to FRA. Lets say I am an OWS.
After passing security and strolling through the airside Schengen departure area, I want to access the Finnair lounge on the non-Schengen departure area.
I pass through the automated passport checkpoints. While walking through the non-Schengen departure area to get to the lounge I get a call from my boss. He tells me that due to some urgent stuff I need to fly to LHR as soon as possible. I should abandon my trip to FRA.
My company buys me a walk up fare on AY. I receive the boarding pass on my cell phone. 2 hours later I board my flight to LHR.

The Finnish border guard service wants to tell me that I stayed illegally in the non-schengen zone between entering it and my company buying me a new ticket? Based on what law?

Steve_Hun

But the Russians will not allow you into Russia w/o a passport & a valid Russian visa, so that is your problem at the end, not the fact that you can leave Finland w/o a passport.

intuition

Yeah, I always thought it was something like that causing it but didn't look into the details. And since I didn't have any reason to go to/via UK for a while I didn't realise it had changed.

teemuflyer

Just so ya'll know, this thread has gone WAY off topic..

I was checking the latest Lounge Access rules for this lounge on the OW site, and was a little surprised by the wording:

Notes: This lounge is exclusively for oneworld Emerald and Sapphire card holders and their guests. Finnish Sauna is hot and available all day long.

If this is the case, why would any OWS ever choose to go to the "regular" Non-Schengen Finnair "Business" Lounge?

I thought there was some special allowance for AY Golds, but not all OWSs..