Multiple *G lounges
 

Slightly cheeky question but I figure worth asking anyway.

Later this week I am flying to BKK on TG with my wife and a colleague. I'm *G. I can only bring one guest into the lounge with me and for fear of upsetting both my wife and colleague I think we will have to take a miss on the lounge for this reason.

However I got thinking that there are two *G lounges (SAS/AC & Singapore) at T3. Is there anything preventing me from going into one with my colleague. Leaving him there. Then going into the other with my wife?

Cheeky I know but is there a rule against it? Is there an integrated computer system that would be triggered by my boarding pass being scanned twice? Would I be blacklisted from Star Alliance frequent flyer-land for years to come?

Thanks for your help!

bmi Barry

Short answer is: No, there's not a lot to go wrong with your strategy.

The only reason normally people don't want to do the above is because they want to all stick together. If you don't mind your colleague being separate from you, then by all means sign two guests into two different lounges.

Thanks StarGold. In this case some might see the necessity to separate oneself from a colleague as an advantage ;)

I can confirm that there isn't. There are, or were in May 2008, three *A lounges in close proximity at MEL: if memory serves, SQ, NZ and UA. I went into all three in the same hour to compare them. No problem at all. (Things could have changed in 14 months, but I doubt that's anyone's top priority.)

At LHR the way things are done is the following (having used the two lounges quite a bit in the recent months). SK lounge only looks at your BP and *G card. SQ notes your number down along with flight details and number of guests in an Excel sheet. I would only guess they use this to bill the airlines in question later.

Hmmm another question!

Star Alliance Gold check-in. Is it limited to one guest? Or can you check in two guests alongside the Gold member?

Shouldn't be a problem, especially if all on same flight.

According to the Star Alliance elite benefits guide for *G, "Priority Airport Check-in - allows you to check-in at the Business and/or First Class counter." (Bolding mine.) There is no official provision for guests.

That said, I've checked in with one guest travelling with me on the same itinerary many times, without the slightest hassle ever. I doubt you'd have a problem with two. However, it would be up to the check-in agent to permit it as a favo(u)r, as it's not an official entitlement.

Also, there are probably over fifty different versions of the *A elite benefits guide, when you consider multiple airlines, print vs. online, for internal vs. external use, in English vs. other languages ... You may find a version that's more generous than the one I used (from www.staralliance.com). If you do, you may want to print it out, or photocopy it if it's in hard copy, and carry it with you. You might also want to post it here for the rest of us!

Cheers guys - thanks for all the help. I will give it a shot at check in and let you know what happens.

I have checked in many times with my wife without any hassle but never with two guests.

Cheers

Piet

We've had some good responses to this thread, so let's move it to its proper home - the Star Alliance forum.

Thread moved. :)