Golden Lounge on arrival at KLIA
Dec 1, 2017, 11:02 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Bellevue, WA - AA EXP 3MM
Posts: 2,756
Golden Lounge on arrival at KLIA
Will be arriving at KLIA on MH business class on a mid-haul flight later this month. Will be waiting for another passenger who will arrive ~6 hours later on another airline. Best place to wait is the Golden Lounge (First side due to OneWorld Emerald status). Read quite a few online reports of MH allowing access, at least to its own premium passengers although maybe not to elites. Anyone have relevant experience? Experience more recent than ~2014, the last report I saw from others?
And what to do about checked luggage? I'll be traveling with a fair amount, unavoidably. Ideally the lounge could call the luggage department and they'd retrieve my bags from the carousel for safekeeping, to avoid risk of theft by whoever might come along. Don't know how realistic that is. There won't be anything especially valuable in the bags, but inconvenient to be without our travel necessities.
Other options are easy for baggage reclaim, but add cost and some inconvenience (airport hotel) or much reduced comfort (waiting in the standard public groundside area).
Suggestions and experiences welcomed!
And what to do about checked luggage? I'll be traveling with a fair amount, unavoidably. Ideally the lounge could call the luggage department and they'd retrieve my bags from the carousel for safekeeping, to avoid risk of theft by whoever might come along. Don't know how realistic that is. There won't be anything especially valuable in the bags, but inconvenient to be without our travel necessities.
Other options are easy for baggage reclaim, but add cost and some inconvenience (airport hotel) or much reduced comfort (waiting in the standard public groundside area).
Suggestions and experiences welcomed!
Dec 2, 2017, 1:15 am
#2
Join Date: May 2017
Programs: MH Gold, AC Super Elite, UA Platinum, Accor All Gold, Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 497
Hi, I'm Oneworld Sapphire and will do exactly this today. Should be no any problem.
I'm coming in from Bangkok and have a connecting flight to Johor Bahru. Will stay in the Golden Lounge as the domestic lounge is still closed apparently. Will let you know in this thread if it was all going seamless.
Your luggage situation sounds a bit problematic though.. Maybe somebody else can comment on that.
I'm coming in from Bangkok and have a connecting flight to Johor Bahru. Will stay in the Golden Lounge as the domestic lounge is still closed apparently. Will let you know in this thread if it was all going seamless.
Your luggage situation sounds a bit problematic though.. Maybe somebody else can comment on that.
Dec 3, 2017, 12:53 am
#4
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Will be arriving at KLIA on MH business class on a mid-haul flight later this month. Will be waiting for another passenger who will arrive ~6 hours later on another airline. Best place to wait is the Golden Lounge (First side due to OneWorld Emerald status). Read quite a few online reports of MH allowing access, at least to its own premium passengers although maybe not to elites. Anyone have relevant experience? Experience more recent than ~2014, the last report I saw from others?
And what to do about checked luggage? I'll be traveling with a fair amount, unavoidably. Ideally the lounge could call the luggage department and they'd retrieve my bags from the carousel for safekeeping, to avoid risk of theft by whoever might come along. Don't know how realistic that is. There won't be anything especially valuable in the bags, but inconvenient to be without our travel necessities.
Other options are easy for baggage reclaim, but add cost and some inconvenience (airport hotel) or much reduced comfort (waiting in the standard public groundside area).
Suggestions and experiences welcomed!
Other options are easy for baggage reclaim, but add cost and some inconvenience (airport hotel) or much reduced comfort (waiting in the standard public groundside area).
Suggestions and experiences welcomed!
Risk of theft? Really? Then best be safe and go get your luggage then. Honestly.... just claim your bags and go to your hotel first. Not worth hanging around 6 hours just to wait for your friend. The Regional Lounge is the only lounge that is open right now and they may not let you in from an arriving flight because the lounge is going to be packed as it is.
Dec 3, 2017, 12:42 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Bellevue, WA - AA EXP 3MM
Posts: 2,756
just claim your bags and go to your hotel first. Not worth hanging around 6 hours just to wait for your friend.
Dec 3, 2017, 3:55 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 305
You would be able to use the regional lounge on arrival and I dont think the staff would say no just because the regional lounge is busy. I have been granted entry on arrival when it was busy, with no hesitations - just show the inbound boarding pass.
As for checked bags, the risk of theft is always there even if you did not linger at the lounges. From experience - and have done this twice - there will be MH ground staff attending to each belt assigned to MH flights and they will group unclaimed luggage, having taken them off the belt, and deliver them to the storage area. You just need to go to the luggage office to retrieve your luggage when you are done with the lounge visit.
As for checked bags, the risk of theft is always there even if you did not linger at the lounges. From experience - and have done this twice - there will be MH ground staff attending to each belt assigned to MH flights and they will group unclaimed luggage, having taken them off the belt, and deliver them to the storage area. You just need to go to the luggage office to retrieve your luggage when you are done with the lounge visit.
Dec 3, 2017, 5:33 pm
#8
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: 1A
Programs: Elite Diamond Purple Dot Gold Silver Titanium for life
Posts: 1,821
Six hours at any lounge in the world and you'll be bored.
Can you change your flight to depart later? Can your friend arrive earlier? Otherwise, as others suggested, I'd get a day room at Sama Sama for a warm shower and nap.
Can you change your flight to depart later? Can your friend arrive earlier? Otherwise, as others suggested, I'd get a day room at Sama Sama for a warm shower and nap.
Dec 3, 2017, 8:47 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Bellevue, WA - AA EXP 3MM
Posts: 2,756
As for checked bags, the risk of theft is always there even if you did not linger at the lounges. From experience - and have done this twice - there will be MH ground staff attending to each belt assigned to MH flights and they will group unclaimed luggage, having taken them off the belt, and deliver them to the storage area. You just need to go to the luggage office to retrieve your luggage when you are done with the lounge visit.
d00t, I know the MH Regional lounge. It's not great, and I agree that this plan isn't great. The apparent alternatives are also not great. Anyway, I appreciate the additional information obtained in this thread. Thanks to all.
Dec 4, 2017, 12:07 am
#10
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 305
There is a small snooze area in the Regional lounge but only has 3, maybe 4, “beds”. Unless you plan to watch a movie or two on your ipad, you may find you still have two remaining idle hours out of your original six hours after you have done whatever that can be done at the Regional lounge.
You may also consider leaving the lounge earlier, retrieve your checked lugagge from the luggage office and go landside and then take the free shuttle to the nearby Mitsui outlet mall and spend a couple of hours there, window-shopping or have a meal if nothing else. You may want to leave your luggage at the Left Luggage place (next to burgerking at KLIA arrivals level) for a fee whilst you venture out to the mall.
You may also consider leaving the lounge earlier, retrieve your checked lugagge from the luggage office and go landside and then take the free shuttle to the nearby Mitsui outlet mall and spend a couple of hours there, window-shopping or have a meal if nothing else. You may want to leave your luggage at the Left Luggage place (next to burgerking at KLIA arrivals level) for a fee whilst you venture out to the mall.
Dec 7, 2017, 2:26 am
#11
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 126
Do you know it pre or post refurbish though? It only re-opened again in October.
Dec 24, 2017, 1:49 pm
#12
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Posts: 10,075
Surprised to find this recommendation, on two occasions. The CIP lounge is very basic, and in comparison, the regional lounge wins hands down
Jan 3, 2018, 6:03 pm
#15
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: HH Diamond, GHA Titanium
Posts: 1,961
I flew J on SIN - KUL - ICN 2 weeks ago, and the KLIA airport staff "advised" me to go to the Regional lounge instead of the CIP one.