I was flying TAP yesterday to return to GVA. The FAO checkin agent refused to let me checkin at the "Executive" (read TAP for Business class), even though I have a LH FTL card (silver). She wasn't doing anything before I turned up anyway.
I read her the riot act, reminding her that TAP was a part of *A (she didn't seem to know), that one of the benefits of FTL is the right to check in at business class desks at all *A members, irrespective of the class of travel. She still hesitated, so I invited her to call her boss. She then suddenly "remembered" that indeed TAP was part of *A and finally decided to treat me courteously as I would have expected from the outset. No apology, but correctly treated and even wished a pleasant flight.
This isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened to me, other "smaller" members of *A seem to have the same problem. I do have the feeling that *A is a giant marketing exercise, which sounds more wonderful than the reality. I feel that many staff members seem largely unaware of the partnership and what it is supposed to entail for customers.
Have any others had similar experiences?
PS - I didn't try getting into the lounge

Sorry, but according to the Star Alliance rules, she was right and you were wrong. *S does not get priority checkin. You need *G for that.

See http://www.staralliance.com/en/trave...er_status.html.

It's not a uniform benefit, but some *A airlines do provide for business class checkin for *silver members (LH does for UA *Silver, for example).

Correct but it is not an alliance benefit. Is it just me, or have there been more and more cases lately of FTers demanding benefits to which they are not entitled?

Could be.

It's not unique to FT...

I am always surprised by the numbers of people who don't check out their benefits (I likely was guilty at one time too but after embarrassing moments, I usually go read to see if I had something wrong . . . )

For those who don't know their Star Gold/Silver benefits, here they are alliance-wide (and yes some airlines treat their own Star Silver with a few extra benefits but don't expect them on other Star carriers, e.g. priority airport check-in, lounge access):

http://www.staralliance.com/en/trave...er_status.html

Star Alliance Gold Benefits
Priority Reservations Waitlisting1 - when there aren't any seats left on your preferred flight, gives you priority should a seat become available.
Priority Airport Standby - gives you top priority when standing-by a flight at the airport.1
Priority Airport Check-in - allows you to check-in at the Business and/or First Class counter
Priority Baggage Handling - like you, your bags get priority treatment and are among the first to be unloaded.
Extra Baggage Allowance - an additional 20kg (44 pounds) or one additional piece of luggage2 which means you can check in three bags instead of two.
Priority Boarding3 - enjoy the freedom of boarding at your convenience along with First and Business Class passengers.
Airport Lounge Access - available worldwide for you and a friend4 when you travel with any Star Alliance member airline, regardless of your class of travel.

Star Alliance Silver Benefits
Priority Reservations Waitlisting1 - when there aren't any seats left on your preferred flight, gives you priority should a seat become available.
Priority Airport Standby - gives you top priority when standing by for a flight at the airport.1

As you can see don't expect much from Silver status . . .
1.Not permitted for Star Alliance Award tickets.
2.Applies on flights between North and South America.
3.Where available.
4.Guests must enter with eligible Star Alliance Gold customer and must depart on a Star Alliance airline, though not necessarily on the same flight.

Status level benefits vary among frequent flyer programmes.

Yeah! Look at this one, this is classic.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=820064

From the LH FTL brochure:

Priority Check-in
Check-in faster than other passengers: regardless of the travel class booked, you can use the Business Class check-in counter.

So this is yet just another case of inconsistency in *A?

It's not an inconsistency -- it's just a benefit that LH offers internally at LH check-in counters. This is not a *A benefit.

To use top|executive check-in counter you must be *G OR Victoria SILVER. Only silver status at tap frequent flyer program can grant you this bennefit, with *S status on other airline ffp you aren't allowed to check-in at top|executive desk.

Right. Airlines are free to offer additional benefits if they choose. Some do, but limited to their own elites, others offer additional benefits to all *G or *S, while others offer nothing more than the standard benefits. Then there are some airlines like UA which don't even offer all the standard status benefits

"Check-in faster than other passengers: regardless of the travel class booked, you can use the Business Class check-in counter."

Since catandmouse implies that this statement applies more widely (ie to more than LH), I guess I have to ask catandmouse why he thinks so.

Does catandmouse think that statement in a LH FTL brochure applies so widely that catandmouse can use business class check-in for any airline on the planet: British Airways, Delta, Qantas, TACA, Garuda . . . . ?

As to lounge access, the same brochure is quite clear (even if it is not so clear on business class check-in):

Lounge access

Relax before your departure in the exclusive Lufthansa Business Lounges, Lufthansa Frequent Traveller Lounges, Austrian Business Lounges, LOT Executive Lounges and Swiss Business Class Lounges.

For access to the lounges[*], you’ll need your Frequent Traveller card and a boarding pass valid for the same day and departure airport issued by Lufthansa, Lufthansa Regional, Adria Airways, Air Dolomiti, Air One, the Austrian Airlines Group, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, SWISS or another Lufthansa partner airline.

Nowhere does it say Star Alliance or TAP or . . . .

While the majority of posters on this thread are correct (*S does not receive priority check-in as a *A benefit), the answer is "it depends". I flew out of LIS for the last three years and TAP allowed me to check in at Top Executive with my UA *S card for the first year (I made *G the next year.) Lufthansa allowed me to do so also, both in Germany and at LIS. YMMV.

You can always give it a try. I also queue with my LH card at the AC Super Executive Uber Elite counters and sometimes they check me in.

But demanding to get a service one is not entitled to is a different kettle of fish.