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.

Of course, but then they are deviating from it cause the airlines pay them to do so. I have been to many airports where the ST airlines offer lounge access to their business passengers, but not to their ST elite plus flyers (Caracas, Bogota, etc) - both Air France, Copa and Continental serves those airports. But no access for Flying Blue elite plus flyers in coach.

You won't get access to the lounge in Oslo unless you have an elite plus card with the carrier you're flying in coach on (FB on AF, OK Plus on OK, and so on). You don't have to discuss this to me, cause I know this from the manager of the lounge, so it's nothing to discuss. That's just the way it is in Oslo! I don't care about the situation in Malaga, it's totally unrelevant. We are discussing the OSL-lounge in this thread, Mister!

Have you (or do you know any Elite Plus member who has) been denied access to the lounge in CCS when flying AF? I explained the situation with CO above, and COPA have strong connections with them so I wouldn't put it past them...

And I am saying to you that they may have this local access "arrangement", but that this arrangement is AGAINST centrally-set alliance rules (which govern every airport including Málaga and Oslo!). Therefore, you should complain about it and ask for it to be remedied. Unless, that is, AF HQ have written you to say that the situation has changed in the 7-8 months that have elapsed since the letter they sent me apologising for the local "arrangement" at Málaga....

Please cite such a rule. I do not believe it exists. I've provided my evidence previously. What evidence do you have other than a letter from one person at AF?

There is no written rule clearly stating whether you get access or not. There are just different interpretations of the vaguely-worded written rule, one of which is the interpretation espoused by ALL member airlines worldwide, with the exception of CO (and possibly CM).
The evidence is having used all the above lounges without any issue, and having spoken to multiple employees of member airlines (e.g. CSA station manager at SKG, AF lounge manager at BCN) about such rules. I recall a similar thread a few months ago on an airline (CO?) forum, where (IIRC) GUWonder also chimed in saying he'd been using a massive number of lounges under this rule, even in far-flung places without a local ST member or an awful lot of service (e.g. India).

Been denied several times at CCS by AF, Copa and CO, telling me that the lounge is a contracted lounge, and not operated by any ST airline (private lounge). Access limited to business class passengers only, and not for frequent flyers.

In Sofia for example they gave me lounge invitation at check-in. Flying coach on OK. The lounge was a privately operated lounge used by all airlines.

You just need to complain every time this happens...Most stations don't offer the luxury of a ST-operated lounge...But (central) AF policy is DEFINITELY access for E+ to the same facilities as provided for C pax.

To chime in on the NW matter - I would hope that the OSL Lounge would at least let NW PEs flying on NW flights operated by KL out of OSL. Remember there used to be a rule that no US resident could even be a member of Flying Dutchman.

OTOH,
Maybe it's time to switch allegiance - I don't like this team anymore.

Yeap, that sucks! Only FLYING BLUE GOLD AND PLATINUM members can use the lounge when flying on KLM or AF operated flights. A codeshare with NW won't get you into the lounge.

GREAT NEWS FOR FLYING BLUE ELITE MEMBERS TRAVELLING OUT OF OSLO:

I just got an e-mail from the supervisor of the OSL-lounge, and she told me that AF/KLM have received many complaints from FB-members, and AF/KLM have now changed their mind, and have cancelled the stupid rule they put into force earlier this year.

Every FB Elite (Gold or Plat) member are now entitled to use the lounge when travelling on a Skyteam carrier from Oslo. Not only when travelling KLM and AF, but also when travelling on SU and OK! Members are also entitled to bring a guest when travelling on the same flight. Basically, just like the good old days:)

This is great news for me, and others. I am happy that our complaints made it through to AF/KLM.

Hopefully they've agreed with the other local station managers and it's access for all E+ members on all Skyteam flights (probably apart from a certain airline that's anyway going to the Evil Empire) .
As I said upthread, whenever they shaft you with such questionable locally-made procedures, COMPLAIN COMPLAIN COMPLAIN and make life easier for yourself and fellow elites!

Ahem, I know this thread is super-old, but since when I was looking for info it kept coming up and it disgruntled me, I'll just update it: yes, Elite+ passengers flying any skyteam airline get access to the OSLounge, which is in the International side of the terminal, right after the duty free :)

So, no fears.