weero

I became the victim of two lounge entry rejections which - oddly enough were documented but undercut *A lounge access rules.

Both happened in ZRH in temporal separation of 6 weeks but they concern LH tickets and hence I post it here.

The first one is the - in FRA - well known 'rule' that a companion must be on the same flight ... but this was the first time this happened to me in ZRH. I had a Biz ticket and friend was in coach on a flight which left earlier than mine and LDs would for the first time in my history not budge. When I started to get loud, the sup provided me with a printout which actually said that status holder and companion must be on the same flight. I had the printed *A rules with me but the sup explained that they are no longer allowed to make exceptions.

I guess that is just in sync with LX' and LH's rapid transmogrification into the premier European LCCs.

The second one was infinitely odder - days before travel I and a friend of mine noticed that we were on the same flight. He in coach and I Biz (lucky for once, doesn't happen that regularly anymore).
LD denied us entry as status holder and companion must be in the same class of service! She also had the tastelessness to invite me to use the lounge alone and the guts to take offense in my use of expletives.

The icing came when she tilted her screen so I could read the "same class of service" part.

I am still convinced that this was just a glitch or an extremely poor wording but it was good enough for her and her colleagues to stay adamant.

I did not fly StarAlliance much anymore this year, so I start to loose the overview. But is this the current level of privileges and services? Or is ZRH just trying to impersonate the hellhole chez FRA?

hdogan

I must say, never ever happened to me. Neither of the two cases. I was denied companion access at some contract lounges, but I have "sponsored" co-workers on different flights, and in different classes of service on M&M fully integrated airlines' lounges.

What does annoy me is the inconsistency - why do LDs in OS lounges ask to see the physical card, although my BP clearly has SEN status indicated? If it's for identification, I'll gladly present my passport. On one occasion I didn't have my card with me, and I was travelling with a coworker who is an FTL. The LD wouldn't budge. I told her I'll log into my M&M profile on her computer if she wants to. After a short discussion, she allowed me to enter BIZ lounge, as she "made an exception, just this one time." (!!!)

I mean, not that the SEN lounge in VIE is that stellar, but if I can just whizz by with my BP at every LH-operated lounge, why can't I do the same at OS?

AlwaysFlyStar

It is funny, I have heard quite a few of these complaints, but must admit, I have guested people on different flights several times within the past 2 months in both FRA and ZRH. And while FRA wouldn't surprise me in the least, I would be very surprised in ZRH. They usually seem so pleasant. (Especially the blonde Canadian woman. I quite like her.)

weero

It wasn't the Canadian.

I was bounced in FRA only once for the 'same flight' rule and that was by a Slobovian pre-moat dragon outside of the lounge. I went inside and complained and the LD overrode her decision.

All LDs hate me, so I am much less surprised by the way they act then by the factoid that they had a printed sheet that said guests must be on the same flight as the sponsor.
That is penny-pinching beyond all reason.

And the same class of service is just bizarre - so when I fly in coach I can bring a guest but not when I fly in Biz????

NewbieRunner

What document?

It must be a special rule for people with the weero flag. According to LH's lounge access rules:

I suggest you contact the LH lurkers and alert them that the lounge access rules on the website need updating.

weero

As stated. She had said rule amendment(s) on her terminal.
I carry that stuff with me ... did not save my behind. Neither in FRA nor in ZRH.
I thought that LH enhanced the lurker upon repeated demand by the best customers ?

pdsuk

Irrespective of who is right and who is wrong, I am not at all surprised that she took offence at your use of expletives.

A poor show.

treppenlaeufer

Couldn't agree more with pdsuk.

El Puerco Volante

Well, it would look to me that LH/LX does not appreciate your business,do they ?

Arguing only makes you nervous and usually does not solve the issue.
The only way businesses may learn how to treat customers is when customers leave for competition.

Make sure you explain how much you spent with them, why you won't use their services anymore and sent this info to as much people as possible at the company. Higher up usually produces better results.

Then you need to be consistent and actually do not use them

Outcries on forums won't have any effect on LH/LX - losing revenue will

Regards,

El Puerco Volante

palmanfr

Wow, LH clearly blew a fuse here... Never experienced that personally, as I often travel alone, but when travelling with Family, I was never denied to bring a lounge companion. Even more surprised this happened in ZRH (less surprised in FRA)
Last april, when travelling from SFO to FRA (388, in Y), I pretty much chatted with my seat neighbour all the way to FRA. I was connecting to GVA, and he was connecting to BUD, with no status at all. When we arrived to the former infamous lounge A26 Schengen, we gave both BP and said to the LD "We are coming from the same long-haul flight from SFO, I am not sure that I can bring a companion in the lounge, can I ?" She replied : "That's ok, both flights are leaving in about an hour, so this is fine... welcome !". I was maybe lucky... Maybe with another *G card, I would have get a different reply, especially in FRA.
I know that for a few months now, the LX SEN lounge in GVA asked for the card with the BP, even if it shows in big "SEN" on it... in the past, they were just asking the card for other *G card holders and for SEN, were just asking if I was a LH SEN or a LX SEN...

Often1

They all go to the same worldwide conventions and business sessions and that trickles down the chain of command. Seems clear that carriers are tightening up on lounge access. That's fine or not as a business decision.

But, in this day and age, keeping one's website up-to-date is easy and good business practice. It ought to simply be part of the business process associated with any policy change: "how do we inform customers, if it's relevant?" And, here it's relevant.

Clearly there are complaints about over-crowding in lounges and the cost is rising, so carriers are looking for ways to keep crowds and costs down. But, again, that's got nothing to do with not making the rules plain.

That said, arguing policy with low-level employees is pointless. All it does it sells more blood pressure medication. And, well-run marketing operations document this stuff to see if people mean what they say. If you say, "I'm taking my business elsewhere" then do it. They will see it. If you say it and fly them 3 days later, they know you don't mean it.

And, don't kid yourself. When you write or speak with someone, they know exactly who you are, what you spend and what it means if you leave. You may just be a calculated statistics: "we'll lose 10 customers and save Eur X..."

iainbhx

The best customers were all those who were filling the seats on BHX-TXL the other day, paying a lovely £59 each. That's LH's best customers these days.

I must admit, I have found LX's dragons a bit off lately, especially in D SEN where they prefer no verbal communication at all.

Just had an awful FRA-BHX, purser needs shooting, complaint heading to LH head office, but B SEN dragons let me take a companion in without a problem.

weero

She had it coming, my son.

Some people need the truth to be shoved into their faces and I was the messenger in this case.

weero

You may remember the outrage when SEN lounge privileges went the way of the toilet a bit more than a year ago - the unclear, blurry, and misleading language is a firm part of the LH business model.

Their German is as bad and clumsy as is their English and that cannot be pure coincidence.

There is no centralized universal rule, they pull the "rule of the day" for capacity management and the likes.

weero

I am neither in a position nor in the mood to better LH.

My goal is not to spend any money on the *A anymore if possible.

And I disagree, ranting, complaining, squeezing employees, getting loud and unpleasant ... all relaxes me a great deal. More than writing letters to a defiant management.