SkyTeam improves its lounge access rules – many domestic flights now included

SkyTeam has announced a number of changes to the way that you will receive lounge access if you have elite status.

This is especially relevant at the moment as both Flying Blue and Virgin Flying Club are matching British Airways Executive Club status. The Flying Blue deal is superior, especially if you only have BA Silver status.

On the whole it’s a mixed bag, with some improvements and some restrictions, but most people will be better off.

Here is what is changing on 1st April:

Get lounge access on domestic flights

For the first time, SkyTeam will offer lounge access to Elite Plus (eg Virgin Flying Club Gold) passengers travelling on domestic flights.

To be honest, you may (like me) be surprised to find out that this was previously banned! With Virgin Atlantic not running any domestic flights it wasn’t an issue for anyone flying from the UK.

This is will initially only be available at selected lounges with the goal of adding more later. AWe have the full list below.

Guesting rules are tightened (slightly)

Elite Plus passengers will continue to be able to guest one person into the lounge, but this passenger must now be travelling on the same flight. You were previously able to guest someone travelling on a different SkyTeam flight.

More lounges will impose a time limit

‘More’ lounges will limit access to three hours before departure for Elite Plus, business and first class passengers. Elite Plus customers connecting between two SkyTeam flights will continue to have 24-hour access during their stopover, but not at their point of departure.

Which lounges will offer access to domestic passengers?

Loyalty Lobby published the following list of lounges taking part in the domestic flight access scheme.

This only kicks in from 1st April 2025.

You’ll note that Delta Air Lines is not allowing SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers into its lounges when flying domestically, although there are a good number of US airports where Delta elites will be welcomed at other lounges.

Airport	Lounge Provider
Paris Charles de Gaulle	Air France
Paris Orly	Air France
Bordeaux	Air France
Geneva	Air France
Boston	Air France
Washington D.C. (Dulles)	Air France
Houston (IAH)	Air France
New York (JFK)	Air France
San Francisco	Air France
Los Angeles	Air France
Jakarta	Garuda Indonesia
Bali (Denpasar)	Garuda Indonesia
Nairobi	Kenya Airways
Shanghai Pudong	China Eastern
Shanghai Hongqiao	China Eastern
Stockholm (Arlanda)	Scandinavian Airlines
Copenhagen	Scandinavian Airlines
Newark	Scandinavian Airlines
Gothenburg	Scandinavian Airlines
Oslo	Scandinavian Airlines
Chicago	Scandinavian Airlines
Jeddah	Saudia
Riyadh	Saudia
Hanoi	Vietnam Airlines

The lack of blanket domestic access rules does mean it a lucky dip as to whether you’ll get access or not – there are so many exclusions that it will be hard to know when and where you can get in. It would be useful if SkyTeam updated its Lounge Finder tool with the relevant information.

Conclusion

I suspect that, for the majority of customers, these changes are neutral to good. Most people do not turn up at the airport more than three hours prior to departure, so limiting access is unlikely to have a huge effect. Equally, I suspect the amount of passengers guesting people in on other SkyTeam flights is probably relatively small.

The big change is opening up access to lounges on domestic flights. This is a benefit I would have enjoyed last year when I had a domestic Vietnam Airlines flight from Hanoi and had to opt for a third party lounge via Priority Pass instead.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (June 2025)

Here are the six options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

Your best value option (but no points):

The cheapest route to a Priority Pass airport lounge card is via the Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.

The credit card has a fee of £15 per month, and comes with a Priority Pass which gives unlimited free access for the cardholder. If you add a free supplementary cardholder, they will also receive unlimited free access.

Unlike the version of Priority Pass you receive with American Express, the Lloyds Bank version also lets you access £18 airport restaurant credits.

Even better, the credit card has 0% FX fees and comes with 0.5% cashback. Full details are in my Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard review.

Lounge access via American Express cards:

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our in-depth review of The Platinum Card from American Express is here.

You can apply here.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card review here.

Lounge access via HSBC Premier credit cards (Premier account holders only):

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider The American Express Business Platinum Card which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.