Lounge access (statusless, but travelling in "a class")
 

Found the following on the Qantas website - located at http://www.qantas.com.au/flights/flying/in_bus.html -

"As an international Business Class customer you are invited to access any Business Class lounge operated by a oneworld airline before your flight. You can enjoy the comforts of an Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, LanChile or Qantas Business Class lounge. The choice is yours."

My reading of this is that if I am flying out of SIN on a QF J flight, I am entitled to access the CX lounge, regardless of my OneWorld status, et al.

I cannot see this as being correct - anyone else?

Dave

You should be able to but at SIN I don't know why you would want to. The CX lounge is at the opposite end of the terminal from QF's (which is nearer to the gate you will probably be boarding from). From a quality perspective the CX lounge is nothing special.

Practical considerations aside, the January 2002 "Your guide to the oneworld alliance" published by oneworld states in the section on lounges:

It doesn't specifically say you are limited to lounge of the airline you are flying.


[This message has been edited by mgm (edited 05-11-2002).]

Was using SIN just as an example - equally valid at HKG, etc.

My understanding was that if travelling in J or P, but without status, you had to use that carriers lounges. If you were OneWorld Emerald or Sapphire, then the OneWorld Alliance gave you access to all the carriers lounges (apart from AA members flying domestically in Nrth America, but that is another matter).

Dave

That was my understanding too

Dave

But the URL I gave in the original message seems to indicate otherwise, does it not?

Dave

it is possible to enter any OW lounge with a OW F/J boarding pass regardless of status - have tried this in SIN, BKK and HKG.

with Y boarding pass, you will need to be OWE or OWS to enter any OW lounge.

It does indeed. If that is the case, I'm stunned that the AA lounges at LHR have any customers other than economy class AC members given the BA lounges in the area.

Dave

Is there a place where I can get a printout of these rules just in case? It is good to be prepared for any situation and hostile lounge agents are just one of them. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

As long as you are booked to travel on an ONEWORLD flight, you are free to use any OneWorld lounge depending on your class of service travelling.

Probably because the AC lounge is in Terminal 3 (where the AA flights arrive/depart), and the best of the BA lounges are in T1 and T4. Or more to the point, as we have seen from the "experts" here, not many people are aware of this reciprocal access availability.

"Probably because the AC lounge is in Terminal 3 (where the AA flights arrive/depart), and the best of the BA lounges are in T1 and T4. Or more to the point, as we have seen from the "experts" here, not many people are aware of this reciprocal access availability."

The BA T3 lounges are quite nice and v quiet ime since there are only 2 BA flights a day out of T3. I had to travel recently with AA (urgh) and used the BA 1st lounge since it was far nicer n less busy than the AA Flagship Lounge

Dave

Where did you get this guide?

Now that I've lost my BA status, it strikes me that I should have a copy of this book in my pocket http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I'm flying BA 1st later this year, but expecting to get access to whoever has the best 1st lounge in the airport.

Ken.

"Someone did a study of the three most-often-heard phrases in New York City. One is "Hey, taxi." Two is, "What train do I take to get to Bloomingdale's?" And three is, "Don't worry. It's just a flesh wound."
-- David Letterman

KenF - I have seen these guides at lounges in Australia, Singapore, U.K. and Spain. I picked mine up in the Iberia lounge LHR T2. The publication code on mine is OW2019-UK (0102). States that it is effective January 2002.

Cheers, I'll see if I can bluff my way into a lounge and pick one up.

Ken.

"For knowledge itself is power" - Francis Bacon

Ken, I lounge hop all the time, and have never had any problems. They will generally ask why you aren't using your appropriate lounge, but just tell them you want to check out the other lounges, and I have never had one deny me access. This also goes for the Biz lounges with a First ticket.