Which lounge offers the best value?
 

I was wondering which lounge program offers the best value for non/low-elite North American based members.

The answer would depend on one's flying patterns, but it seems the answer is Canadian's Empress Lounge program based on two factors.

First, at $200 CAD ($135 USD), it is 50-60% less than what US airlines' charges. To be fair, Air Canada charges the same amount. Until 4/30/99, Empress Lounge membership can be purchased for $150 CAD ($99 USD).

Second, Empress club members get access to Admiral's club if they are flying either CP or AA. Therefore, a US member can use AA lounge if the person is flying AA.

Admiral's club members can also access Empress lounge when on AA or Canadian, but the annual fee is higher. (I paid $275 as a platinum.) Maple Leaf members can access US lounges only when they are flying AC.

A third possibility is NWA/Continental's World Club membership, $300 for domestic access and $400 for domestic and international access. Lifetime membership is a bargain but has the high initial fee.

Any other ideas?

> Maple Leaf members can access US lounges
only when they are flying AC.

I'm sure that if you are flying on United or another Star Alliance partner you will be not be denied entry.

BA is the best deal, kyklin - lounge access (to oneworld lounges) is free.

However, you do have to fly with the world's favourite airline on at least 4 segments per year... such hardship!
(And you have to achieve oneworld sapphire status to become elite on BA)

Gee, I don't see anyone pitching in for the Red Carpet Club. I wonder why? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Not sure this is relevant, since you hafta pay for it, but you can purchase a one-day pass to Delta's Crown Room Club for $25. I don't fly often enough to justify spending $350 per year or burn 50,000 Skymiles (for the lowly General member; Silver and Gold Medallions pay significantly less, and Platinum Medallions get in free).

boabab:
BA is the same as all other oneworld airlines -- that is, oneworld lounge access is free, but only for the top two tiers of their frequent flyer program. For the lowest members, oneworld lounges are not accessible.

I concur with kyklin -- CP's is probably the best deal. The US$95 price tag makes it a super deal, and the ability to use both AA and CP lounges when flying either gives you access to large number lounges. Finally, lounges in Canada, both AC and CP, but particularly CP, are a lot nicer and have a lot more amenities that typical US lounges. (Check out Vancouver's domestic lounge if you ever have the chance. Beg your way in, if you have to, even if you are not supposedly qualified to enter. Tell them which lounge/airline you are a member of, and ask to compare.)

megamiles:
AC's lounge rules are quite specific -- you must be holding a ticket with and Air Canada flight number to gain access to a Maple Leaf Lounge. They have agreements with a number of lounges in the US and around the world, but not all are UA lounges. For a non or low-elite member, this means that even if you have a Maple Leaf Lounge card and are flying on UA, you will not be allowed into a UA lounge. Elite members with Star Alliance standing may get access, but kyklin was interested in non/low-elites. This is why I think the CP deal is better than AC's. But both AC and CP are worlds above most others, in terms of price and facilities.

Regards,

Ken Hamer


[This message has been edited by KenHamer (edited 04-01-99).]

Ken: as Merry would say, we want to keep the riff-raff out http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

In my opinion, BA's lounges are better than the Admirals Club - quieter, with free drinks (and no children: advantageous only for those who indulge in child-free travel) Incidentally, AA ffs have to pay for Admirals Club access, while BA ffs *never* pay for lounge access. (What could be more declassŽ than filthy lucre?)

I can't comment on CP's lounges, as I've been in the habit of avoiding the airline.


Incidentally, I'm a tree, not a snake :]



[This message has been edited by baobab (edited 04-01-99).]

Ken is mostly right but Maple Leaf Card holders are supposed to get access to
AIR CANADA Maple Leaf
SAS Business Class
AIR NEW ZEALAND International Lounge
Koru Club Lounge
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge
Royal Executive Class Lounge
ANSETT AUSTRALIA Golden Wing
UNITED Red Carpet Club
LUFTHANSA Business
Frequent Traveller
VARIG Business Class
Notes:
Transborder boarding passes between U.S. and Canada are not considered to be international. (I don't know if this rule about intra NA access, ie RCC access only on true international flights, still applies to Maple Leaf cardholders as it no longer applies to Elite/Super elite, ie RCC access at any time, domestic or international flying a Star Alliance carrier).

baobab:

That's not what I heard! Or maybe it was a snake in a tree. :]

If you ever have a chance, try to check out the Maple Leaf Lounge in Toronto, or the Empress Lounge in Vancouver. (Nevermind what BlondeBomber says -- I like the Toronto lounge. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif)

I regularly use the BA lounges as well, and I still think the CP and AC lounges are nicer. They have everything the BA lounges have, and more. While they are not as big, they have FREE internet access, FREE business stations, FREE faxing and photocopying (Long Distance charges are extra), FREE local calls (and none of this C$40 for a 3 minute call to Saudi Arabia nonsense), FREE drinks, lots of snacks, light meals at meal times (and "tea time" in the Empress Lounges), and on it goes. I'm not sure about the Maple Leaf lounges (if they are behind Empress, I'm sure they'll catch up quick) but the new Empress Lounges have golf putting machines, video games, lots of TVs, digital satellite music receivers, massage chairs, exotic art, quiet areas, FREE conference rooms, showers, and in Vancouver, the view can't be beat, even in Toronto.

Regards,

Ken Hamer


[This message has been edited by KenHamer (edited 04-02-99).]

Ken: I couldn't agree more! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

If the question was merely "which airline has the best lounge?", I am sure we would get a variety of answers.

But since North America is larger than Europe (duh!), a better coverage in N.A. is more important to an NA flyer than a worldwide coverage. Elite members (in S.A. or 1W) get international access unless they are in N.A. (where they are most likely members of N.A. programs that do not count N.A. flights as international), the choices left the US and Canadian airlines' lounge programs (I am not familiar with Mexican airlines).

And Ken H. has pretty much explained the big difference with Maple Leaf and Empress is the lack of reciprocity between AC and UA.

CP/AA has the most travelled destinations of a North American flyer covered (NA, Caribbean, Asia, Western Europe), coupled with its low cost, I'd give it a two flying thumbs up.

Can't contribute much to BEST deal, but as Premex suggests, WORST honors has to go to Red Carpet. Expensive, crowded, and $$ for booze. And to add insult to injury, if you're a non-American elite, it's FREE!

And yet I can't live without it....

We are not sure about the lack of reciprocity between UA and AC. As I said, they have eliminated the restriction for accessing UA Red Carpet Clubs for North American flights for AC Elite and SuperElite and according to the Star Alliance web site, Maple Leaf Club members should get the same benefit, i.e. access any time flying a star alliance airline to UA Red Carpet Clubs (and to all Star Alliance "gold" lounges of course).

The real world experience was UA was letting AC Elite flying only in NA use RCC even when restrictions were in place for AC Elite members

[This message has been edited by BlondeBomber (edited 04-02-99).]

The only remaining question I have for Ken (since it is not on CP's website) is:

Does Empress Lounge membership get you into all the Oneworld lounges (e.g. BA, Cathay) if you are flying economy fare on any Oneworld carrier in addition to the reciprocity with AA worldwide, including NA?

Maple Leaf membership gets you into all the Star Alliance "gold" lounges (e.g. LH Business, Thai, SAS, NZ, Ansett, Varig) when you are flying any Star Alliance carrier and, subject to correction, may also get you into UA RCCs for NA flights.

I think it depends on what you want. If you want free booze, then DL or NW are probably best. If you want space and peace and quiet, then DL or NW are probably best. If you want customer service, then DL or NW are probably best. Whoe's best? You pays your money and you takes your choice.

my best lounge-program evaluation parameters:
* having lounges neargate for my next flight
* being able to handel my check-in/upgrade/rescheduling-requests etc for the coming flight
* being in most places I fly to/from
* being free
* having access-hoursthat suite my travel-patterns

[This message has been edited by Rudi (edited 04-02-99).]

Matt Wald:

I presume you mean non-American UA elite -- is that correct?


Blonde Bomber:

I've only ever had lounge access as an elite, but I think that purchased memberships do not have oneworld lounge access. However, like Maple Leaf, they have "reciprocal" agreements with different lounges around the world. Most are with Qantas and BA lounges, but there a number of odd ones as well i.e. airport authority run lounges.

Ken Hamer

Having a membership does not seem to offer reciprocity. I could not get access to CX's lounges in Manila and Taipei this year despite having the Admiral's Club card because 1) not an American platinum yet and 2) not flying on an 1W carrier out of Taipei(no 1W carrier flies direct from Taipei to Tokyo). [Diners Card did came to the rescue though! Praise Diners Card.]

Ken: should have phrased it: Some United Airlines Elite fliers residing outside the United States are afforded complimentary RCC membership. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

YES http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I am soooooooo discriminated against!

I have only been in a few clubs... as I said will NOT get reinbursement from my job.

LIke the President's CLub.. Thank you NJDavid
for letting me get a taste. Quiet, good selection of food and reading materials and nice chairs, etc.

I"ve only been in two Red Carpet Clubs: LHN/Heathrow's is what I thought I club should be. I can understand if teh Red Carpet at EWR is good, not special... EWR is NOT United's hub.

If you can't afford a membership in oen of the big name clubs... Priority CLub is a good deal. I can defer to other FLyerTalkers who can explain this better.

There may be another approach to your problem, however i'm not sure if it will give you the flexibility you want.

How about joining a lounge program based overseas. For example, you can join Air New Zealand's Koru Club for NZ$465 (first year, NZ$265 thereafter), and it will give you access to the following:

Air New Zealand Koru Lounges/International Lounges
Ansett Australia Golden Wing Lounges
Air Canada Maple Club lounges
United Red Carpet Club
Singapore Airlines lounges

Im not sure about any others, but i'll hazard a guess that they have reciporical loung access with all the other Star partners.

Knock on wood, I have never spent enough time in an airport to care about a lounge, but for future protection I think I might join the Alaska Boardroom. There is no initiation for MVP Golds and the annual cost is minimal.

The real benefit of being an Alaska Boardroom member is, however, that when you fly Northwest (dramatically increasing the time one might spend in an airport), you have World Club priviliges.

The most recent NWA mailer included a promo offer for World Clubs International for $50 for two months. That is so cheap that I think we'll give that a shot to cover our late spring/early summer foreign travel. With luck we'll never get to use it.