chil

Today I was denied SkyClub lounge access in Minneapolis before my flight to Boston. I was traveling on a DL paid J-class ticket and had a TATL flight from CDG yesterday. The connection time was less than 24h.

I had a really strange exchange with a lounge staff:
- The access is granted for a same day connection only!
- I flew in yesterday, less than 24h ago
- Why didn't you fly directly to Boston yesterday, there was a plenty of flights?
- Because I had business to do in Minneapolis
- If you had been on a late night flight without a possibility of a same day connection, I would have admitted you.

So, I still don't understand whether the rule is "same day" or "if you had been on a late night flight without a possibility of a same day connection, I would have admitted you".

The Situation

I don't see any issue here and it sounds like everything was handled as it should have been. The rule is that it has to be same day (literal interpretation), so I am not surprised you were denied access. Having a stopover as you describe is not in the spirit of the rules otherwise what's to stop you from getting lounge access for a trip you had a week ago if you are still "connecting" from it. It sounds like the agent would have cut you some slack and bent the rules for you if it had been a late night flight with no same day connection possibility. This rule can also be used to your benefit and I have used it to my benefit much more often than I have been hurt by it.

dmbolp

"Same Day" isn't "within 24 hours"; yesterday was Tuesday; today is Wednesday, two different days

jrl767

exactly; the fact that an international connection permits up to 23+59 between flights is irrelevant

exwannabe

And this is why I hate language like "same day" as nobody knows what it means.

If i fly in on a DL-DL connection departing ATL at 10PM and leaving JFK at 2AM is it same day? If I arrive at 0:30 is it same day? Does it matter if it is a connection?

Sloppy terms in the rules creates this.

"yesterday was Tuesday; today is Wednesday, two different days"

Problem is, flights cross midnight and are in different timezones.

Duke787

I don't know that one could reasonable conclude that "my flight landed yesterday but less than 24 hours ago" is in line with a rule that states "connecting to/from same day international Delta One flight." If you landed yesterday it's clearly no longer a same-day international connection. When was your flight, was it first thing in the AM or was it just later in the day but within 24 hours? If the former there is some nuance where SkyTeam is not in line with the other alliances (they all have carve-outs for early AM departures the next day) but anything else it's no different than the other alliances

OneWorld has carve-out for the use case above where you have a late night arrival and your connection onward leaves early the following morning:

Star Alliance also has a carve-out for this use case:


SkyTeam doesn't have a specific call-out (which one should assume means they don't have it in their rules) but they could remove any potential confusion about "same-day" if they added a clause that's similar to the *A and OW rules.

On the flip side, OW and *A only guarantee lounge access at the point of departure for international J, ST is the only one that actually provides for lounge access throughout your itinerary if the only thing you have is a J ticket (though some in OW and *A are more flexible in this rule -- e.g., UA will allow lounge access throughout the journey if you are on UA J for the international flight but does not provide access throughout the journey if you are on other *A J/F -- so an NH F ticket connecting to/from UA domestic flights does not get lounge access before the UA domestic flights).

Often1

The specific language of the DL policy is:

Customers traveling in Delta One on an international Delta flight or on a domestic flight connecting to/from a same-day international Delta One flight.

It is crystal clear. In this particular instance, OP arrived yesterday at MSP. He was eligible for SC access until 23:59 yesterday. Today is not yesterday and thus, he was not eligible for admission.

If DL wanted to, it could provide for access on any connection, e.g. up to 23:59 or whatever time period it chooses. But, it has not done so.

SamuelS

SkyTeam Lounges page has the following wording:

However I believe that this is in the context of that flight being an International departure, as in other places they refer to a "same-day international flight".

I find the whole SkyTeam Lounge site to be inconsistent, including the lounge finder and the admittance rules.

WillBarrett_68

lol come on. everyone knows what it means. It's just people looking to angleshoot who suddenly act like they don't.

give us an example. Note that this is not even close to what happened to the OP.

UKtravelbear

To (badly) paraphrase Humpty Dumpty - It means whatever I want it to mean and it means whatever is best for me!

flyerCO

Agree. In LAX I've had agents tell me same day means within 24hrs of arrival if on one ticket. If on separate tickets, they've told me they go strictly by the same day. If going by the "same day," a flight crossing dates is same day on both departure and arrival day. I've never have been told differently by any agent on this part. Most cities have told me they go by the strictly "same day" policy.

Often1

This is the problem with agents "bending the rules". It creates an expectation that the "bend" is the new policy.

If you can get an agent to waive the rule and permit entry, be glad of it. But, do not expect the term "same day" to be read as "24 hours" by the next agent.

dmbolp

Right, we're talking Sky Club access, are there any that stay open after midnight?

defrosted

Except a SC doesn't change time zones.... same day in reference to a SC is not ambiguous.

Agreed, I mean angleshoot all you like to try and get in if you want, but don't pretend you don't know what same day means when you are denied entry.

flyerCO

I believe cities with SC keep them open till 30minutes before last departure. If theres a delayed flight they stay open till that flight calls for boarding. Cities with multiple clubs generally only keep one open in this case. Ie at JFK the T4 SC will stay open till 30 minutes before last flight or if there's delayed departures, till boarding called for the delayed flight. The T2 club will close on time and send passengers to T4 if there's delayed flights.

Felt bad for an agent once. She was closing (supposed to be 11pm) and was scheduled to be back at 7am. Delayed flight meant she didnt leave till 0200.