Arrival Lounges. How do they work?
 

Never had the need to use an arrivals lounge, so I have not bothered checking any of them out. I'll be into ZRH early later next week, and I may need to grab some snacks and a shower, due to potential late hotel availability.

So, how does it work? I assume you visit it after you collect your bags, but what do you do with them then? do you drag them in with you? seems weird. Then what? Can they get you a limo and stuff? Just wondering. :confused:

What airline are you using? Which class of service?

There is no Star Alliance arrivals lounge at ZRH. There are some arrivals facilities detailed on the ZRH website, for pay. If you are flying LX in a premium cabin, there are arrivals facilities.

In general, yes, you take whatever belongings you happen to have with you into a lounge you visit after a flight. If you are Super Elite or Elite arriving off a domestic flight in a Canadian airport, you can use the lounge as an arrivals lounge. You would take in your hand luggage. At the arrivals lounge at LHR you would take all your belongings with you, as you are not even in the airport anymore, really.

LX flight on LH ticket in Business. I am also *A gold, which according to the Zurich airport website will get me into the Swiss arrivals lounge anyway... I guess it will be outside like at London, and I drag all my gear with me (family holiday).

In Canada, what happens to your bags? If you are sitting around the lounge, I assume if you have checked baggage, it's going unattended on the carousel, right?

I don't think *G is enough by itself for free access, but being on an LX flight is business will be enough.

Yes.

I guess that settles that. So you just bring your baggage cart in there. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Thanks for your help zorn.

Seriously?! Without a connection? I had no idea that this was allowed.

I've done that a couple of times at Pearson when my hubby was on a different flight. Never knew if they were just being nice :)

Yes. You get odd looks though.

I think they secretly suspect you're connecting to a WestJet flight or something.

I feel somewhat silly not having known this before now. Thanks all.

My understanding was that you're technically not allowed when you're arriving from a domestic flight, but they're often understanding if (e.g.) after a redeye you want to freshen up before you head out of the airport.

Can anyone point to something that says this is actually allowed?

Found it!!

Source: http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...es/access.html

I think the system sends up a red flag if the same card is swiped multiple times to a single lounge on the same day (makes sense). So if you use the lounge as an arrivals lounge in the morning and then a departure lounge later in the day, be prepared to explain. I've never had any trouble getting in, but once or twice have been asked to show my morning boarding card

Why? if you can access the lounge upon arrival and later on the same day upon departure, what'd the issue? What red flags? Why is this different than using several lounges on a multi-stop routing?

I generally use the domestic-lounge-on-arrival for the following:

- after a ~6am flight, to eat some breakfast, which allows me to sleep a little longer and just get to the airport for that early flight.

- last minute email check/print document/look up directions to someplace.

- a quick, free lunch.

- just for the hell of it, because I'm allowed to.

Edited to add: I realize this thread is now in TravelBuzz for some reason. Please be advised that much of the discussion is highly Air Canada-centric and may not apply to your flights if not on Air Canada and if you are not Elite or Super Elite on Air Canada.

I'm just guessing, but I would think that AC wants to stop the two of us SE going into the lounge together, then you taking my bp and card out and handing them over to our non-status friend, who then uses them to come into the lounge and join us. As a way of preventing this, use of the single card to enter a single lounge on the same day sends up some kind of a red flag and prompts the agent to ask. This has certainly happened to me at YOW and YVR when I've been in and out same day for a meeting. As I said, it has never been a problem - the agent asks, I explain, end of story. Again, this is just my guess - but I've never had any queries getting into any MLL under other circumstances...