This is the biggest drawback when it comes to CRC membership - aside from NW/CO lounges when ticketed on the carrier operating the club, there is no access for CRC members to non-DL clubs.

I and a friend were denied access to the Air France Lounge in NRT last week although we were traveling in business class on NWA from NRT-NGO-SPN.

Just now I was denied access to the Korean Airlines Lounge at NRT. I'm traveling SPN-NRT-SIN in business class. I asked to speak to the manager. I persisted and he said (over the phone) that he would let me in on this one time exception basis only. So, I went to the computer and printed out from the SkyTeam website that lounge access is offered for international SkyTeam flights in business or first. I gave it to the agents and they still thought I was wrong.

What's going on here? I think they would have let me in if I was a Platinum elite. Anyone else having this problem?

I told them I just accessed the KAL lounge in NGO, and they said that was because there is no NWA lounge there.

They wanted me to use the NWA Lounge. What's the point of having a Skyteam if team members only abide by the rules they want to. The KAL agent called the NWA agent who apologized and told me to go to the NWA lounge. I told her it wasn't her fault they weren't letting me into the KAL Lounge. She told me NWA will accept KAL business class passengers into their lounge.

How closely to AF agents study the boarding pass and ST Elite+ card? Anyone tried using a family member's ST Elite+ card with their own boarding pass to get in to an AF lounge?

Lounge access rules - ???
 

Experience with Skyteam lounge access seems to vary by lounge and airline. There is a lack of consistency and a lot less flexibility compared to *A (UA, US and AC, for example, always let me use their lounges on domestic flights with a BD Gold card).

In November, I was refused access by CO in EWR to one lounge only to be admitted to another in the same airport on the same day (I had a F ticket on a domestic flight, connecting from an international flight the day before). NW and AZ are generally pretty flexible. AF is the worst.

Today, I arrived in GVA on a AZ flight in C class. I had a 6 hour layover for my next flight, which was a LX codeshare on AF metal. AF lounge refused me access, even though I was flying them, am FB Platinum and had flown on an international Skyteam flight the same day. It's called being generous by nature (FB slogan).

Weird ruling of lounge access
 

Hi!

I had the same problem also a few weeks ago in Milan. I wanted to use the AF lounge in MXP. I was on a codeshare flight with an AZ coded flight number but operated by Portugalia (not a SkyTeam or partner member), when i went to the AF lounge, the lounge dragon told me that since it is not operated by a SkyTeam member, I do not benefit from the access rules. I returned to the AZ lounge and told them what happned, they called the AF lounge to question them and was told the same story and the AZ people could not do anything since it was not their lounge, but they told me that it was really strange as it was an AZ coded flight number, thus is was considered to be a normal SkyT flight...

Anyway, following this incident, I do question at times, so if this is how the way it is, would it not be possible than if I had a ticket bought with a non-SkyTeam coded flight, but operated by a SkyTeam member, than I would qualify for the use of the lounge :D

:rolleyes:

Did AZ at least let you use their lounge? They tend to be more "generous"...

Ah yes, of course. They themselves were also really curious as why they had such a policy, but stated that since it was on AF territory, they had could not comment any further on it. They told me that they have never denied anyone as long as on the boarding pass it was a SkyTeam coded flight (thus even if for example it was AF coded but operated by LH), they would still allow the member in.

:)

With a BUS ticket you are only entitled to use the lounges of the operating carrier, with ST Elite Plus you are theoretically able to use all lounges (but sometimes they still try to push you to use other lounges).

So they must really study the ticket to ensure that the name and FF number match exactly.