Thanks all. We'll go to the Air NZ lounge. Appreciate the advice!

Any chance there is a lounge that is accessible to a UA Star Gold traveling in business class?

There's an Air NZ lounge in there... I'm assuming it's in the right gate area such that I can utilize it...

have you looked at *A Lounge Finder?

You can use the Star Alliance lounge finder to see what's available. Assuming you are going SYD-SFO in United Business you can either use the Air New Zealand or Singapore lounges (at least according to the lounge finder, YMMV).

The Air New Zealand lounge is very nice. The Singapore lounge is also nice, but I preferred the ANZ.

Which has better showers? Food?

I haven't had chance to visit the SQ lounge but I do like the NZ lounge.
You can see NZ lounge from pic #143

The NZ lounge has more staff. In the SQ lounge you have to hunt for the staff if you need something.

Food selection in NZ lounge is better; showers are comparable. The one advantage of the SQ lounge shower situation is that few, if any pax are using it as a transit lounge so there is little competition for the showers. In my case, I had a night flight to SIN, and had been in the heat all. But I've never had trouble getting the shower in the NZ lounge either.

I prefer the NZ lounge, but the point is moot, as the SQ lounge is unlikely to admit a UA business class pax, and the converse (an SQ business class pax attempting to enter the NZ lounge) is true as well. Last time I was in SYD, I noticed that SQ was not on the airline list in front of the NZ lounge.


Put no stock in that website. E.g. LAX to SYD or SFO on UA fails to show the UCs at LAX. E.g. IAD to FRA in first on LH says the UA IFL is available; nope, first there is no such thing as an IFal, it is a GFal; second the GFL at IAD denies LH pax as reported in this forum.

*G can access both lounges, so feel free to try each if you have time. The SQ lounge has pumpkin arancini, which are pretty good, but the NZ lounge has the hot dog cart. IIRC, the SQ lounge has Jack Daniels, while the NZ lounge has Jim Beam. As far as I'm concerned, it's win-win.

Hot dogs over pumpkin whatever any day :-)

Arancini are deep-fried risotto balls . . . so it's a tough call. I usually get both!

Ditto on the food in the NZ lounge. They had some entertaining machine that automatically made fresh pancakes...kind of a novelty. Didn't try the showers.

Just one FYI. I do recall that the NZ lounge was the lounge they tried to push all the *A customers to....especially the ones in transit on the UA flight on to Melbourne. SQ let me in, but with a bit of reluctance.

The SQ Lounge at MEL is now definitely well worth a visit after months of refurbishment, the lounge is much better with more food options and much better facilities. All 3 (UA/SQ/NZ) MEL *A lounges are open for the UA flight, so lounge hopping is permitted and always encouraged by those on here

I wonder if UA will eventually refurbish their MEL lounge?

last time transiting through SYD i had several hours to kill both directions, so i went to NZ lounge after arriving from the states and SQ lounge before departing back to the states. as others mentioned, you are directed to the NZ lounge, but there was no hesitation at all by SQ staff to admit me and my father (i am *G, he has no status, and we were both in J on UA).

i showered in the NZ lounge and didnt have to wait. the food was great in both lounges, but i preferred the NZ lounge - bigger, brighter, friendlier staff. it did get busy, but nothing like the UA clubs in the US seem to be these days.

(both SQ and NZ lounges in SYD are above the UA boarding gates)

Don't forget Annie and her team in the ANZ lounge: for IRROPS or other problems she is the best!!