Cost to Airlines for Gold benefits
 

I am SK *G member and often I take on non-SK *A flights from airports to which SK has no routes.

I am wondering if SK get charged when I have gold benefits such as priority check-in, priority security lane, priority boarding, extra buggage allowance.and priority buggage handling at the airports.

Regarding to lounge access, I feel guilty and did not enter lounge at the airports because SK get charged each time I enter. SK was close to bankruptcy last autumn and I want to help and cheer SK.

Of course, when I am in CPH, ARN and OSL, I do not mind to go through Fast Track and enter SK lounges.:)

Reference
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...ounge-use.html

Cost to Airlines for Gold benefits
 

I would doubt the airlines cross charge back for usage by other*alliance carriers. Seems like it would be so complicated from an accounting perspective.
As for feeling guilty, if you fly enough to gain gold , you deserve a little benefit every know and then

Think of it this way. When a non-SK Star Gold enters a SK lounge at the same time as you enter their lounge, these 2 transactions will cancel each other out and no one has to pay anybody anything.

Well...

If I (as a UA *G) walk into a Turkish/ Singapore/ Air NZ/ANA/Lufthansa/Swiss/Austrian/Thai... lounge, and one of those members walks into a UA lounge, is is REALLY an even exchange???

There is no doubt that the use of *A gold privilegies are charged across the *A network. The rules are most likely quite complex but for the lounge access the rules are basically as follows:

If a *A gold member uses a lounge when on a Y class ticket that would otherwise not allow lounge access, the *A FFP will be charged. I don't know if the use of multiple lounges, e.g. the TG and SQ lounge at BKK, will be charged separately or at a reduced rates.

If pax in C or F the operating carrier will be charged for the lounge access regardless of *A status.

Exactly. I've even had my BP/elite card photocopied to access a lounge. They absolutely charged United for my access.

Of course, the charges are aggregated and netted out, as Xiaotung alluded to.

I'm assuming SK would be charged in this case, but wouldn't the receive money for being the FFS used for the flight, too?

I'm not 100% sure about the other benefits. I tend to doubt it, as their use would be much more difficult to measure than lounge access.

Thanks for all the replies!

I found my misunderstanding when I have read following thread.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...-v-silver.html

Priority security lane is not included in gold benefits. Most airlines allow use of their priority security lanes to their *G members only. This means that there are no charging *A system for priority security lanes, I think. If there exists the charging system, more priority security lanes should be allowed to use to all *G members for airlines profits.

Conclusion:
I enjoy gold benefits except lounge access when I have a ticket of non-SK *A flights.