Any ideas on which I should join: Admiral's Club, Red Carpet Club or Presidents Club? The airports I'll be in most often are Tokyo Narita, Dallas, Chicago, Hong Kong and Nashville. If I join one of the programs, I don't have to fly that airline to use the club, right? I like the free alcoholic drink thing, which I believe all three airlines provide at the overseas airports. I've been told that Continental's Presidents Club membership would get me into more lounges in more cities.

Sorry if this is the wrong forum to post this in.

Thanks!

I can't compare the lounges, but one option you also might consider is the Continental Presidential Plus World Mastercard. For $375 per year, you get a President's Club membership, plus Elite access at airports, complimentary Hyatt Gold membership and certain other perks. Available only for US residents. It could be a good value if you don't have elite status with Co and may be flying regularly with the airline. Check the t&c carefully, though.

An Admirals Club membership will not give you access to any lounges in Hong Kong so if international lounge access is a priority, I'd eliminate that one from the list.

What types of fares will you be flying? If you are on or upgrading to at least business class - or if you have elite membership in any of the airlines you will be flying - you might not need a membership if most of your travel is international as you might have lounge access as a privilege of either your elite status and/or your ticket class.

Yet another option: An American Express Platinum card gets you into American, Continental's, Delta's or Northwest's lounge if you are flying them that day. Status will help you get into international lounges, as will class of service.

Mike

I have been a member of Northwest's World Club for 10 years or so. Since I am Platinum, I can purchase a 3-year membership for $600.00 (a good deal). This membership also gets me into Continental's clubs and Delta's clubs.

Chris

You won't have access to Continental's clubs for much longer. I am going to let my Worldclub membership expire as I use the Presidents Clubs almost as much as the WC.

Also do a search for "Priority Pass". I'll let those threads speak for themselves, as I have no direct experience.

Although Priority Pass and the Amex Platinum have some advantages, one of the reasons I've been considering the Continental-branded Mastercard I mentioned in my earlier email is because it provides Elite access (e.g. on check-in) as well. I used to have a similar card for Aeroplan when I lived in Canada and flew Air Canada in Y in North America for business and to visit family. I almost never accumulated enough mileage to get Elite status with AC (I flew Oneworld in J for international trips), so I found it very useful to get business class check-in and lounge access with my supercharged Aerogold Visa. For me, it's the check-in privileges and not just lounge access that I value. Once my elite status with Air France expires (I'm Gold until Dec 08 and then Silver until Dec 09), I'll think about paying the higher fee for the Continental-branded Mastercard.

Hard to see going to clubs that aren't in the terminal you are flying out of.

Neither will the CO Presidents Club.

Not just hard, often impossible. At airports like DFW, where there are free and easy airside connections among all the terminals, that's not a major issue. However, at airports like ORD, you can't use the UA Red Carpet Lounge if you're flying AA, nor can you use AA's Admirals Club if you're on UA, since you won't have a boarding pass for a flight leaving from that terminal - and it would take the better part of an hour to get from either to the other airline even if you bought a refundable ticket on the airline whose club you belong to, or got a lounge pass for a "business meeting," to get past security.

So, unless you qualify for AmEx Platinum (has to be "real" AmEx Platinum, not one of the platinum-colored affinity cards AmEx offers with airlines and hotel chains) and it's worth the annual fee to you, I'd join the program of the airline you expect to fly the most.

And, if you haven't focused your flying on a single airline or alliance yet, this would be a good time to try to do that, too. Getting lots of miles in one program is better in just about every way than a few here and a few there. If you fly among airports as widely separated as Nashville and Hong Kong, you're sure to get at least entry-level elite status that way - probably mid-tier. With that, most airlines will let you into at least some of their clubs and their partners' clubs for free.

(Welcome to FT, too!)

Equally important is which airport will you be spending the most time at. If all of your connections are quick through one airport and a little longer at the next, find the best club at the second one. I never set foot in the clubs in my hometown just because security is so quick, I'm never 'waiting' that long!

Your point is true, but not about ORD.

ORD terminals 1, 2, and 3 are connected behind security. I have used the CO Presidents Club (T2) when flying AA (T3) or UA (T1), the AA club (T3) when flying UA (T1), etc.

Walking FAST, no stopping:
Far end of T3 to far end of T1: 15 minutes
Middle of T3 to Middle of T2: 9 minutes
Middel of T1 to Middle of T2: 8 minutes

Of course, if you cannot walk FAST, much longer.

Which airline will you be flying most? That answer will often lead you in the right direction.

How does this work? I have an Amex platinum card (and a Priority Pass card) ex UK. Lounge access with the cards isn't advertised over here (Amex actually provide the Priority Pass card free of charge to UK platinum card holders). Do you just show it at the desk or do they swipe it and if so, manually or electronically? If it's electronic, will it turn me down as the card is issued in the UK and if they swipe it manually, am I likely to get charged a fee by Amex (how much)?

Most of my flights are international (and within Europe) but I do come over to the states once or twice a year and occasionally I might make a short internal flight in economy. Previously I've used the Priority Pass card but it would be nice not to have to wander around (or between) terminals to get to a lounge if I happen to be flying with a certain airline. I suppose the thing for me to do is to try it at a lounge that i also have Priority Pass access to - so if they turn me away I can just whip that out instead. But that might not be until next year.