Flagged for “Lounge Hopping”? UA is monitoring? Why?
Feb 25, 2019, 9:31 pm
#31
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Chicago IL US
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On departure I go to the NH lounge and check the sushi offerings. Then usually retreat to the UC when they are sparse/nonexistent.
Feb 25, 2019, 9:32 pm
#32
Join Date: Jul 2016
Programs: UA1K | *A Gold
Posts: 767
@CaptKornDog, how long between scans at the clubs? Perhaps there's a cooling-off period that will flag you for 'being in two places at the same time'? I once went to wrong club in DEN as well, but caught my mistake right after scanning-in and the dragon said she'd phone the other lounge to let them know I'd be coming over.
Feb 25, 2019, 9:44 pm
#33
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Photos for club members and a quick check-out scan for non members who want to access another lounge at the same airport..?
@CaptKornDog, how long between scans at the clubs? Perhaps there's a cooling-off period that will flag you for 'being in two places at the same time'? I once went to wrong club in DEN as well, but caught my mistake right after scanning-in and the dragon said she'd phone the other lounge to let them know I'd be coming over.
@CaptKornDog, how long between scans at the clubs? Perhaps there's a cooling-off period that will flag you for 'being in two places at the same time'? I once went to wrong club in DEN as well, but caught my mistake right after scanning-in and the dragon said she'd phone the other lounge to let them know I'd be coming over.
Co-worker meetup aside, I had a gate change anyway, so switching clubs put me closer to the gate...one of the several very practical, valid reasons to hop over to a different club IMO.
Feb 25, 2019, 9:53 pm
#34
Join Date: Feb 2008
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I was not saying its a problem getting into *A lounges, it happens (IMHE) often. Was just speculating on a possible explanation since that lounge hopping actually costs UA money since it has to pay the *A lounge for your visit. But as someone pointed out up thread, this is just a field in UA's system so would not impact *A lounge hopping.
Feb 25, 2019, 9:53 pm
#35
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Now I just need them to install portable fans in the showers, or lower the temperature down below 92F. I hate taking a shower and then trying to dry off and dress in what feels like an Amazon rain forest.
Feb 25, 2019, 10:04 pm
#36
Join Date: Jul 2016
Programs: UA1K | *A Gold
Posts: 767
They do have small fans on the counter - they just don't really help much!
Feb 26, 2019, 4:36 am
#37
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My understanding is that UA pays for the use of lounges for its elites. So if e.g. you are *G and at HKG and use the TG and SQ lounges before going to the UC, well you just cost UA some $$$$. (perhaps I misunderstand the system).
Feb 26, 2019, 5:42 am
#38
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: NYC / MIA / AMS
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Posts: 500
I had the impression that most of the lounge access fee has to be covered by the operating carrier (not the FFP airline). It would be pretty hard for every third-party lounge, which has a contract for a departing Lufthansa-operated flight, to bill 20+ airlines, who have issued the FFP card.
Feb 26, 2019, 6:01 am
#39
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: SFO
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At airports where neither a Star Alliance branded lounge nor a Star Alliance member carrier offers a lounge, third party lounges are contracted by some of our member airlines. As a Star Alliance Gold customer travelling on a Star Alliance member airlines operated flight from such airports, you have access to these third party contract lounges, if the member airline you are travelling on has a contract with this lounge.
Feb 26, 2019, 6:39 am
#40
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Feb 26, 2019, 6:39 am
#41
Join Date: Aug 2005
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It's a petty thing for UA to focus on, but I can see that with digital BP's and screenshots, some could be gaming the system. It should just be an alert, not a black mark against someone.
Also, the talk of partner lounges in this thread for *G is largely irrelevant, IMO. This change sounds like a (poor) attempt to stop two different people visiting two UC's in the same airport with the same BP (to me, anyway). As noted, photos would be an obvious solution - but let's give them a chance to fix *A awards on the website first, shall we?
UA spending IT money focusing on trying to stop an extra person getting access to processed cheese, 5 cents of soda, and some house wine. Priorities...
Also, the talk of partner lounges in this thread for *G is largely irrelevant, IMO. This change sounds like a (poor) attempt to stop two different people visiting two UC's in the same airport with the same BP (to me, anyway). As noted, photos would be an obvious solution - but let's give them a chance to fix *A awards on the website first, shall we?
UA spending IT money focusing on trying to stop an extra person getting access to processed cheese, 5 cents of soda, and some house wine. Priorities...
Feb 26, 2019, 6:52 am
#42
Join Date: Feb 2016
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I doubt this is people gaming the system from screen-shots of boarding passes. Don't those fail to scan correctly at the gate? I may be wrong about that but I seem to recall that being a thing at some point.
I will certainly come up as a lounge-hopper as I always go to the B6 lounge at ORD when I'm departing C and often check into that one when there is a boarding delay so I can grab another glass of wine.
I wonder if there were other updates to the scan-in system last week because I was coming back LGA >ORD on Friday and had my inbound boarding pass rejected at the B6 lounge. I was just trying to grab some quick Wi-Fi to send/download e-mails as the plane's Wi-Fi hadn't worked. At first I worried that my annual UC subscription had failed to renew but upon checking that roll-date isn't until May. Ultimately the agent asked "how I was trying to gain access" and I say somewhat confused "I'm a member" and she just said "thank you for being Global Services, just go ahead". I don't know if it was related to the inbound BP thing (though I have done that many times before), I do know historically that if you scan a BP from a different leg of your trip (which lacked say ORD as either point on that ticket) that wouldn't work. As noted above, I'm glad that UA IT is really focused on what matters here.
I will certainly come up as a lounge-hopper as I always go to the B6 lounge at ORD when I'm departing C and often check into that one when there is a boarding delay so I can grab another glass of wine.
I wonder if there were other updates to the scan-in system last week because I was coming back LGA >ORD on Friday and had my inbound boarding pass rejected at the B6 lounge. I was just trying to grab some quick Wi-Fi to send/download e-mails as the plane's Wi-Fi hadn't worked. At first I worried that my annual UC subscription had failed to renew but upon checking that roll-date isn't until May. Ultimately the agent asked "how I was trying to gain access" and I say somewhat confused "I'm a member" and she just said "thank you for being Global Services, just go ahead". I don't know if it was related to the inbound BP thing (though I have done that many times before), I do know historically that if you scan a BP from a different leg of your trip (which lacked say ORD as either point on that ticket) that wouldn't work. As noted above, I'm glad that UA IT is really focused on what matters here.
Last edited by LIH; Feb 26, 2019 at 6:55 am Reason: tpyo
Feb 26, 2019, 7:44 am
#43
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Just because they're gathering data doesn't mean they'll be taking any action.
Feb 26, 2019, 7:55 am
#44
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: UA *G 1MM LT United Club & Global Entry
Posts: 2,756
There have been reports of people sharing their BPs to get non-eligble people into a lounge -- UA is starting to check photo ids at Polaris lounges and this may be an effort toward that end for UCs.
Think about it -- scan your BP and you are in -- share a duplicate of that BP (phone, paper, ..) and they are in at another UC.
Now UCs have guesting privileges (but Polaris Lounges don't except for the rare 3-class F passenger), so this technical is valuable for UCs but there still cases I could see people stooping to this.
Single person UC hopping is probably not the issue -- its your BP lounge hopping with multiple people.
Think about it -- scan your BP and you are in -- share a duplicate of that BP (phone, paper, ..) and they are in at another UC.
Now UCs have guesting privileges (but Polaris Lounges don't except for the rare 3-class F passenger), so this technical is valuable for UCs but there still cases I could see people stooping to this.
Single person UC hopping is probably not the issue -- its your BP lounge hopping with multiple people.
When I came over from CO I would always present my Presidents Club card when entering a RCC. Force of habit. The UA longe dragons would consistently scold me by crowing ‘we only need your boarding pass’ and acting rather put out. And since that was before the same day departure rule, I thought it was not unreasonable just presenting the plastic.
SL
Last edited by SunLover; Feb 26, 2019 at 8:00 am Reason: Spellin’
Feb 26, 2019, 8:50 am
#45
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 129
I always thought the ‘boarding pass only’ requirement was a bit loose. In Europe some airlines have gone to gate entry systems, where you scan your BP and your in. No human intervention required. Wait until they catch wind of the latest ugly American maximizing sceme.
SL