Access to Star Alliance Lounges

Point them to - http://www.staralliance.com/en/lounge-access-policy

And carry a printed copy as well.

I use Priority Pass. Far from a perfect solution, but better than nothing.

Speaking of Star alliance clubs...a few weeks ago I was at the new Untied lounge at Heathrow terminal 2. It is amazing!!!! Best lounge I have ever been in. Everything about it is top notch, but what especially stands out is the food and beverage. The lounge features an amazing hot buffet with very tasty food with lots of variety. You can easily make a meal out of it. If you are flying on United (any class)you can purchase a day pass for $50USD. You'll get your moneys worth on the chow alone.

Thanks for the heads up.

I recently experienced an independently run private lounge. This is a lounge that is not affiliated with any air carrier or alliance. Access is through payment and not any kind of membership. The lounge I'm speaking of is the "Plaza Premium Lounge," a chain of independently run lounges in various airports throughout Asia, Canada, and Australia:

https://www.plaza-network.com/

I flew out of HKG last week and used one of their departure lounges with great satisfaction. Their packages include time in lounge only, shower only, breakfast only, etc. In addition, the company also offers an arrivals lounge at HKG. Most lounges are usually on the departure side of the airport, catering to those awaiting a flight or in transit. The arrivals lounge at HKG is for those just getting off a flight, especially those with an early morning arrival and are unable to check in to their hotel but would like to freshen up with a shower and breakfast (as most hotels have check in times after 12PM, some as late as 3PM).

@marco Thank you for considering that approach. Carrying a printed set of rules and showing the lounge gate keepers the websites that clearly state access regulations, both the United website and the Star Alliance website, was the first thing I tried. That had no effect. After the first time I was also careful to have the printed access ready. Either way, it made no difference: the Star Alliance lounge staff in Germany will not allow you entry, even with a "United Club" card. In Hong Kong, I was once allowed to enter but only after they spoke with someone from United and even then, I was granted entrance grudgingly.

@Michael Schneider
The best lounge I’ve been to is the Star Alliance lounge in Istanbul. They have several restaurant and café points as well as a full sized movie theater. It is very impressive.

@Kaeleku
Certainly you'll likely never have problems with Star Alliance Gold Status and a same day ticket on a Star Alliance partner airline for access to the lounges all over the world. That program is well documented and all the staff know about it globally. However, I do not currently have Gold status, so that was the first problem. The second one was that although the "United Club" membership allows for access to Star Alliance partner lounges, the staff in Hong Kong, Germany, and likely all other international lounges are not familiar with the access privileges.

If the printed material route hasn't worked in the past, you have to go to the next step which is to get a personal e-mail from the airline concerned that confirms acceptability.

Yes you shouldn't have to go to all this to counteract poor training of lounge staff of the ins and outs of the more obscure entry qualification methods but with some it is either this or sit outside.

People have also experienced this with BA in Heathrow, particularly where it is the arriving flight rather than the departing connection that is the qualifier.

@Marco
I really appreciate the moxy, sir. To be honest, I haven't had an email from United saying "you need to let this person in your lounge" but I know it wouldn't make a difference and I'll tell you why. Also, keep in mind that I have always ensured that in terms of airline, arrival/departure, and otherwise necessary qualifying regulations, I have met all requirements for entry, there was no grey area for the 3x times that this has been an issue. So on to the why: in Germany after citing the website showing the star alliance policy, showing my United Club card, and generally holding up the line at the entrance desk, I tried handing the phone to the attendant while I had a United representative on the line who was adamant that they need to let me in. The Lufthansa (obviously a Star Alliance partner) attendant refused to take the phone. I then went to customer service and I asked them to provide a written note that they would not allow United Club members to enter their lounges, simply officially stating that they would not let me in. And they said that there was no way. I responded that they need to let me in, they said that they were firm about 1. not letting me in the lounge and 2. that they would not provide me with a proof that they would not allow me in, likely as this would make them liable for a potential mistake. Actually, Marco, I'm not looking for a way to get this right, I have been down this path several times with United and there is only one way to get this right and it is United that needs to sort that out because it is their product that does not deliver. What is important is that people on this forum understand that they cannot count on the United Club lounge access per the terms of the contract for comfort while they travel. This is not an isolated incident and again my goal is to let people know, if you are traveling in Germany, in Hong Kong, or otherwise, your United Club membership is not going to get you access to the lounge. That's it. Thanks again, Marco.

Just back from Frankfurt (FRA). Had no issues gaining access to the Lufthansa Business Lounge there with my United Club membership card. Also was in Rome a month ago and also had no issues getting into the Alitalia club. Both cases was flying business class on United.

That said, each club reserves the right to deny admission to anyone they choose for whatever reason they choose. I have been refused entry to the United club in Chicago because they were full during a weather delay. Also, in FRA, I mistakenly went to the first class lounge and was denied entry there. But the desk person told me I just needed to go to the other club.

@Mark if you're flying business class or have Star Alliance gold status, of course you won't have trouble as these conditions are known to the staff in Germany or elsewhere. However If you attempt Star Alliance lounge access with just your United Club card, without Gold status or Business class boarding pass, you will be denied entry. This is despite the fact that the United Club membership terms state that Star Alliance lounge access is a central privilege of United Club membership. Each Star Alliance airline member lounge can deny entry as they see fit but it is overwhelmingly clear that they are denying entry to United Club members because their staff has never heard of the United Club whereas they are very familiar with Star Alliance Gold status and the access provided to Business class passengers.

Rarely do we pay for the use of airline lounges as most connections don't require such.

/s/ Steerage