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Instead of guessing on who can have access, it probably is easier to look at the *A lougne access rules
Lounge Access for International Business Class: Customers who present an international Business Class boarding pass, regardless of the Star Alliance carrier they fly, have access to all members' designated business departure lounges. Guests are not permitted. Star Alliance Gold card holders and one guest, have access to any lounge around the world that is identified with a Star Alliance Gold lounge sign when departing on a Star Alliance flight, no matter which class of service they travel in. Just look for the Star Alliance Gold sign outside the lounge and present the ticket for your same-day Star Alliance flight, your boarding pass and your frequent flyer programme card featuring the Star Alliance Gold logo. Guests must enter the lounges with an eligible Star Alliance Gold member and must depart on a Star Alliance member airline, but may travel on a different flight. Eligible Guests Any guest of an eligible customer (International First, Star Alliance Gold card holders, and eligible paid member) must enter the designated lounge with the eligible customer. The guest must also depart on a Star Alliance carrier, but may travel on a different flight. Bottom line the OP (1P/*G) should have been able to invite his friend/associate IF they were DEPARTING on a *A flight that day. |
Same question stands, was OP's friend flying a *A carrier out of NRT?
He should've been able to guest him in, but ONLY if he were flying *A out of NRT. Otherwise the RCC was right. I agree, NRT goes by the book...I've never even been close to seeing them make a mistake. |
Originally Posted by BlissWorld
(Post 10423867)
You should have been able to guest him into RCC with your C ticket and he should've been able to gain access with his *A G card.
Why would you bother going to RCC when the better much ANA lounge is around the corner? :confused: I guest'd my friend into the UA IFL for a minute and went back to the ANA F lounge within minutes. However, I don't know about C, but access to the F lounge (ANA or UA) requires an invitation card. On the card, it indicates if you have any guests. When I checked in with my friend, the check in agent wrote 1 guest on the card. When entering UA IFL, the lounge attendant insisted on taking my invitation card (wanted to save it for ANA). So, maybe thats why your friend was not given access. He should've been given an invitation card at check in. ANA, however, allowed me in with just my boarding pass but did ask for my invitation card. When I told her UA took it, she told me it wasn't a problem. @:-) Guests must enter with eligible Star Alliance Gold customer and must depart on a Star Alliance airline, though not necessarily on the same flight |
To answer the questions regarding my co-worker being denied entrance to the NRT RCC:
- yes, he too was on a *A flight (UAL NRT-SFO) - I ran into my co-worker well outside the area of the RCC. It was strange too!! She kept pointing at his E+ seating label and said "Sorry!" Guess it turns out she was wrong and we didn't raise the issue maybe due to our shock-effect. LOL |
Very strange for NRT, it must have been a new person. I would not have stood for it. I would have politely asked for the person's supervisor and suggested the attendant get some training.
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
(Post 10423872)
Instead of guessing on who can have access, it probably is easier to look at the *A lougne access rules
[I]Lounge Access for International Business Class: Customers who present an international Business Class boarding pass, regardless of the Star Alliance carrier they fly, have access to all members' designated business departure lounges. Guests are not permitted. I was told that the RCC in PHX is not a designated business departure lounge for International Business Class on another *A carrier. |
The simplest way to deal with this problem on the spot would have been just to walk down to the ANA lounge and both go there. It's a much better lounge, anyway.
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Originally Posted by formeraa
(Post 10425090)
The key here is all members' designated business departure lounges.
I was told that the RCC in PHX is not a designated business departure lounge for International Business Class on another *A carrier. |
Originally Posted by formeraa
(Post 10425090)
... I was told that the RCC in PHX is not a designated business departure lounge for International Business Class on another *A carrier.
I doubt you will get that kind of compensation today, but I would at least email UA if I were you. |
Since this took place at NRT, I assume the agent must be a Japanese. I still find it hard to believe that a Japanese agent would deny an *A elite entry to a lounge. This is a country that perfects the word "customer service."
Still, when typhoon Sinlaku hit Taiwan few weeks ago, I noticed a lot of people complained about the attitude of UA agents at NRT. Maybe UA corporate culture has such a huge impact on its employees that even Japanese agents, one of the most polite groups of people in the world, became like ORD/IAD agents? If this is true, then that's sad. |
Originally Posted by asya999
(Post 10423534)
International business or first ticket does NOT give you access to RCC. Were you told this by a particular RCC location?
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RCC Matrons and Dragons have been known to insist that if you are in C, you cannot guest in anybody because C pax don't get guest privileges. Even if you are a 1K or other Star Gold, which does get guest privileges on a qualifying international itinerary. UA RCC staff are apparently unable to apply any independent thought or logic like "if you were in Y you could bring in a guest so it would be illogical to take that away from you now that you're in a premium cabin."
Just another bad thing about UA. Ho hum. |
Originally Posted by BlissWorld
(Post 10423867)
You should have been able to guest him into RCC with your C ticket and he should've been able to gain access with his *A G card.
Why would you bother going to RCC when the better much ANA lounge is around the corner? :confused: I guest'd my friend into the UA IFL for a minute and went back to the ANA F lounge within minutes. However, I don't know about C, but access to the F lounge (ANA or UA) requires an invitation card. On the card, it indicates if you have any guests. When I checked in with my friend, the check in agent wrote 1 guest on the card. If the OP was not *G, he would NOT be entitled to bring a guest in with him by presenting a C boarding pass. The only rule that allows a guest in to a *A lounge (or IFL, if available) for non *G is travelling with an int'l F boarding pass. The Star Alliance web site states this info if you would like to reference it. I believe the F guest rule also requires the guest to have a same day *A boarding pass, too. |
Originally Posted by gijoe24jp
(Post 10426515)
Maybe UA corporate culture has such a huge impact on its employees that even Japanese agents, one of the most polite groups of people in the world, became like ORD/IAD agents? If this is true, then that's sad.
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The amount of misinformation in this thread is unbelievable, but not really surprising:( So that we're all clear here:
* 1P, 1K and all other Star Alliance Golds on an international itinerary get access to any Star Alliance Gold lounge. To my knowledge, EVERY SINGLE RCC is a Star Alliance Gold lounge. Class of service does not matter. There is no requirement to use the lounge of the carrier you are flying. * Every non-UA, non-US Star Alliance Gold gets access to any Star Alliance Gold lounge on any itin, PERIOD. This includes entirely domestic USA itineraries. * Any RCC member is entitled access to any RCC with presentation of the card All of this nonsense about "designated lounges" or "class of service doesn't grant lounge access" is exactly that: nonsense |
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