How is this different than getting a gate pass?

What Is The General Opinion On Using A Refundable Ticket For Lounges?
 

You're buying a ticket which you have no intention of using, messing around with the airline's sales systems.

These systems are programmed to reflect historical customer behavior, including no-shows for many reasons. To the extent that a bit of this has been going on for ages, the historical customer behavior record takes it into account. By doing this, we are not messing with the airline's systems; we are continuing the behavior on which they are based. To that extent, we support their proper operation. If we did not do it, there would be fewer no-shows than the airline expects. It would oversell flights by more than it intends to, and would have to deny boarding to more people than it wants to.

It is therefore our moral obligation, as loyal supporters of our favorite airlines, to get refundable tickets for lounge access from time to time. :D

Maybe, maybe not...have you read this, including the letter AA sent?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...-upgrades.html

1. That's a different situation. The only overlap is that unused bookings were (or perhaps were not) made.

2. I said "from time to time," not 28 times in less than two days.

3. The smiley after my post should signal that it was tongue in cheek to begin with. How else is one supposed to indicate that a post is intended as humor, not to be taken seriously?

Best answer. ^

Translation:

It's something everyone here would be quick to condemn but wouldn't think twice before doing the exact same thing.

:)

Sorry, I did intend, but forgot to add, a ;) to my reply as well!

On the D-bag scale of 1 to 10, where 8 is booking a refundable J ticket and using that ticket as your access to an airline's lounge, this is probably a 3 or 4.

And it's a lot of work to get 3 eight-ounce beers and a bowl of chowder.

It's not something I'd personally do. But my reaction to it is more of a :rolleyes: than a :mad:.

If the airlines really cared, it would not be difficult for them to state and enforce a rule that refunds on refundable tickets will be subject to a lounge access fee - the cost of a day pass, or a bit more - if a ticket was used to access a lounge prior to being submitted for a refund. There would have to be exceptions for things like cancelled flights, but that policy would effectively eliminate the problem. Since airline personnel are not stupid and presumably know this, the fact that they don't do it is a pretty good indicator that this practice does not make their Top Ten Revenue Problems list. I'm fairly sure it's not in their top twenty, either.

Not condoning OP's suggestion, but I would point out that the carriers have through their political friends gotten anti-trust exemptions, limitations on liability, exemptions from legal action, etc. in order to allow them to mess around with the sales system to their own advantage and to the disadvantage of passengers.

Plus the airlines are all pretty sophisticated about forecasting cancellations. Not sure there is much harm done.

If I were the OP, I would be more concerned about running amok with the TSA.

It's not breaking any laws. My opinion is, go for it, with the understanding there may be consequences but that the likelihood of such is low.

I have no sympathy at all for the airlines and their policies relative to lounges and how to qualify for their use. If the airlines want to eliminate this "loophole" in policy, I'm sure they can find a way to do so.

To use a pay lounge, one must normally have a boarding pass, either to be eligible to pay to enter the lounge or to get through airport security to access the lounge.