OWE Lounge Access on Arrival, connecting to AA Domestic
 

Here's a fun conundrum for everyone...

I'll be arriving LAX in J and then going on to a domestic AA flight in economy, booked on a separate PNR.

This section of the OWE Lounge access policy would say that as a business class customer, I'm eligible to access the business class lounge after arriving LAX:
But as a OWE, would I have access to the first lounge? Given that the Oneworld benefits don't give lounge access on arrival to elites, I'd guess that I can only access the J lounge, but it'd be great to access the F lounge...

Oneworld benefits include lounge access when departing on a Oneworld marketed and operated flight (and that includes domestic flights). OWEs have access to first class lounges, no matter what class they are travelling in.

If your OWE status is by virtue of being an AAdvantage Executive Platinum, then AA's own rules for granting access to AAdmirals Clubs to its elites trumps the Oneworld benefits, and AA's rules say you don't have access when on a purely domestic itinerary. However, your itinerary is not purely domestic and so you will have access.

Except that it's a separate PNR, so what constitutes the same "itinerary"? No gaps of more than 24 hours? There are people who go weeks like that!

Timely post; I have a similar situation in early March and was wondering about access.

Arriving into LAX early morning on CX J. Was going to spend a few days in Los Angeles with friends before flying home to SFO. But now need to be in SF that night. So I'm planning on sticking around LAX with a noon-ish AA flight to SFO.

Separate PNR's, but arriving on international long haul J, with an AA flight that same day, I should have access to the oneworld business lounge at LAX... right?

Ah, my apologies - I had missed the separate PNR bit.

Still as a OWE (other than through AAdvantage), the OP will have access to the first class lounge prior to the onward flight from LAX.

Otherwise, the OP will have access to the AAdvantage Club or any other Oneworld business class lounge, based on arriving on an international J flight with onward travel (the rule the OP quoted in the first post does not state the two flights must be on the same PNR)

I think I'm correct this time:)

Same PNR is not required, but the agent will have to manually scan both boarding passes.

And knowing that this is LAX, I wish OP the best of luck in the lounge-dragon-potluck there.

I just took my flight and wanted to report back. The lounge was mostly empty and after explaining that I was OWE connecting from a Qatar flight to an AA flight, the attendant let me in without batting an eye. I'm glad he did too, the restaurant is incredible. With food and drinks, can easily imagine paying $100 for that meal in SF.

So long as the lounge is empty, its very nice. Just try to visit in the mid evening when its quite the opposite. Crowded, noisy, difficult and sometimes impossible to get a seat (any seat), and don't even think you can get a table for your meal unless you can reserve one (ie are flying in F).