Lounge in OSL?
 

I am going to be in OSL in May, and I am wondering if there is a lounge I can access. I am Plat. Elite on NW, and a WorldClubs member, flying OSL-AMS-MSP-SJC booked in Z on NW (but the first segment is Z on KL). I know that KL has an arrangement with BA to use their lounge in OSL, but I don't know if that's just for KL members, or if flying WBC on NW gets me in or not. (The OSL-AMS is in Z, but I am suspecting that is "Europe Select" or whatever they call the intra-schengen business flights.) Anyone know?

Yes, there's this fairly minimalist lounge I spent all of 5 minutes in. But at least there is one, in the Schengen part of the airport. I may be mistaken but I believe it belongs to SAS.

EDITED TO ADD: And yes, I'm sorry to say that but Z on AMS-OSL is indeed Europe Neglect.

I've used the lounge flying to SVO. All Skyteam airlines use this lounge, it's after security but before passport control, so it can be used by non-Schengen airlines as well.
Think a smaller/cheaper version of the CSA (non-Schengen) Crystal lounge at PRG minus the shower and computers (there are some computers but they only have access to a limited amount of websites related to airlines and/or OSL). Not bad but rather unremarkable.
AFAIK it's not a BA or SK lounge. It's a generic airport lounge used by all the ST airlines, plus BA and 1-2 others (AY?).

Yes, OSL Lounge is a private lounge, operated by the airport. The lounge is strictly limited to Aeroflot, Air France, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Czech Airlines, Finnair and KLM.

However, until February 1st all Skyteam Elite Plus members were allowed to use the lounge when travelling in coach on Skyteam Flights. I am a Flying Blue Elite Plus flyer and often travelling in coach at Czech Airlines, and I were always welcomed into the lounge. But after February 1st, they decided that only business class passengers and Elite Plus members of the actual airline were allowed to use the lounge: I can use the lounge when travelling in coach on Air France and KLM, but I CAN NOT use the lounge when travelling in coach on f. ex. Continental or Czech Airlines.

So I guess a Northwest Elite Plus card won't get you into the lounge when travelling on any of the Skyteams serving Oslo....unless you get yourself a business class ticket:td: Personally I find this lounge way better than any of Czech Airlines' and Air France's lounges...

This has me rather curious on whether NW/KL might be a special case. (NW PE cards do have the KLM logo on the back...). I think I will give this a try. If it fails, it's a business class ticket so I will give that a shot.

Do I have to get an "invitation" at checkin, or do I just go straight to the lounge?

Write to CSA and complain. This is a very very disturbing trend that I've witnessed/heard about other airlines (AZ, CO) doing at other ports....Really devaluing E+. :td:

Yes, this is very disturbing. I totally agree. I have written to AF/KLM regarding this, but I haven't received any reply back yet.

I spoke to the supervisor of the lounge last month, and she was very disappointed over Skyteam in this matter, as this policy generated a lot of money to the lounge, as Skyteam was bying it's way into the lounge for the Elite + members. They lost a lot of business when the new rules were effective, due to many Elite + member using the lounge when travelling in coach on Skyteam. She also recommended me to write a complaint to AF/KLM (as that's my FFP).

You don't need any invitation to enter the lounge, you simply use your business ticket and/or your Elite + card.

A Northwest card won't get you anywhere, cause I think the Northwest card looks different from the FB card. The staff in the lounge have pictures of every accepted card in the reception, and I noticed this last time when I was denied entry (because of the new rules). She told me if I wanted to use the lounge when flying couch on OK - my card had to be a OK Gold card (and she showed me the pic of this). Then she told me that I can still enter the lounge when flying coach on AF or KLM, and then she showed me pics of the Flying Blue goldcard and the Flying Blue platinum card. And I think the Northwest frequent flyer cards looks different from the Flying Blue cards. I didn't know about the new rules, so I started to discuss with the young receptionist, and finally she let me in. But I found out later that I was wrong, and she was very right! Hahahaha!!!! I really doubt you can enter the lounge with NW, but you could always give it a try...nothing to lose:)

Of course the supervisor is disappointed; they're losing a ton of money.

The policy, as written, says:
Since the lounge isn't a SkyTeam partner lounge the airlines do not have to grant you access. It would be nice if they did, but it is a contract lounge and it costs them a lot of money to do so; I wouldn't expect anything to change based on a few letters being written.

Are you sure it is not just OK's rule much like CO won't allow Skyteam Elite Plus travelling in Y on a CO flight in (as CO would have to pay for the access). Point in case, if you are a DL Elite Plus travelling KL you should still be allowed access.

First of all, we are not discussing the Skyteam general lounge policy here! We are discussing the recent policy regarding use of the OSL-lounge, where Skyteam members paid to let their Elite Plus flyers to have access to the lounge when flying coach on Skyteam. This was a very nice gesture!! Of course, the complaints will probably not get us anywhere, but it won't cost me a dime to send a complaint to make them aware of how this reduction will affect us. And I know another thing for sure, you won't get anything as long as you sit home on your sofa with your hands folded, that's why I am writing this complaint.

Second, you won't get into the lounge with a Delta card when flying coach on KL!

When flying Skyteam you'll get access to the lounge when flying business, OR - flying AF/KL with a Flying Blue Gold/Platinum card, flying Czech Airlines with a OK Plus Gold card, and so on....Delta or Northwest card won't get you inside, cause they don't serve OSL.... When she showed me the new lounge rules - access to the lounge were stricly limited to FLYING BLUE ELITE PLUS CARD (GOLD OR PLATINUM) when flying coach on KLM!

I don't believe that CO ever let ST E+ members in the lounge when flying on CO, so it was never a Skytem thing.

Yeah, they took away a benefit, and it is great to raise awareness and complain to the appropriate powers, but the airline is looking to cut costs, and this was a low-hanging target, such as it was.

We 've been through that before. CO don't follow what is accepted policy by every other ST member worldwide.
It appears that some local managers of other airlines have realised this and started reducing cross-alliance privileges on local cost-cutting initiatives. This is most definitely a local issue, as I had it happen at AGP and when I wrote a letter to AF (who were implementing a "FB only" policy at the local AENA lounge), they replied apologising to me and promising that the situation would be resolved. Had AF HQ been the people who instigated that policy, they would've told me to get stuffed. But they didn't, so feel free to draw your own conclusions from that.

For me, it's most definitely all about the Skyteam general lounge policy and its interpretation. When I'm on an international Skyteam flight (or sameday connection), I expect to have business-class ground service on the basis of my E+ status. If the ST airline I am flying uses a lounge (and I don't care who the lounge belongs to) for C pax, I can get in even when flying in Economy. That's the way it's worked for me dozens of times in tens of different stations across all European ST members, and I expect it to continue if my E+ status is to have any meaning.

Yeap, but that's about to change here in Oslo. There is no Skyteam-lounge. So no more access for Elite Plus coachers.

There is no Skyteam lounge in Madrid.
No Skyteam lounge in Málaga.
No Skyteam lounge in Thessaloniki.
No Skyteam lounge in Marseille.

And so on and so forth.
But I've been to lounges used by Skyteam airlines in all these places, and in a few more that I can't recall right now. When flying Economy.
The central policy (as interpreted by all Skyteam members apart from CO) is that, if there's a lounge used by the business-class pax on a Skyteam airline, Elite Plus pax of that airline are also welcome to use it. At stations where that's not the case, the problem is not with the central policy, but with local station managers who are actually deviating from it.