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Sorry if this is off topic. Just wondered if it’s public knowledge how the oneworld lounge access works with regards status.
If a pax with say BAEC Emerald status, on a cash ticket with Finnair, uses said status to enter the Qantas lounge – who is paying who? Is it just assumed these things even out amongst the airline group? And we haven’t even added codeshares into the mix!
How do group airlines feel when one particular airline is offering status extensions, reduced requirements or promotions to attain status – when it’s perhaps their lounges that may have to accommodate them due OW rules?
What about a HfP reader who decides to lounge hop around LHR T3 – does that complicate things further. Do different OW lounges charge different entry fees to other airlines depending on the investment made in a particular lounge?
My guess is that if you enter based on ticket, the ticketing airline pays. If you enter on status the status-giving airline pays. But what if you can enter via your ticket and status – cost shared?
A buffet curry and red wine is perhaps neither here nor there in the BA galleries lounge but look at Cathay/Qantas etc, with the right status you can be having a 3 course meal and some very nice wine along the way in their First lounges – so things do start to add up.
Emirates with all of its A380s and B773s is not in an alliance, this may give you a bit of a clue.
I think there’s no absolute answer to this unless you’re privy to OW contracts. The oft accepted version is the first lounge you enter is paid by the airline responsible for your method of entry, subsequent lounge visits on same flight are not recharged. Enter the Cathay lounge using BA status BA pays. Enter the Qantas lounge on American business ticket AA pays. Enter the Cathay lounge on an AA business ticket crediting to BAEC where you have status I have no idea.
As Cathay choose to run lounges for their premium passengers, they’ll have a high fixed cost in rent and staff. It may be deliberate they attract passengers from other airlines as they recoup costs from other airlines, maybe they price accordingly. Equally BA may be able to run a smaller lounge, knowing they’ll not really worse off paying Cathay and Qantas than increasing their own lounge casts.
I think that if you’re entering based on travel class (i.e. business class lounge when flying business class, and first class lounge when flying first class), then it’s the ticketing/marketing carrier who pays for it. If you’re entering based on status, then it’s the airline who you have you status with pays for it. But if you qualify through both, then it’s the ticketing airline.
So if we use some possible examples at Heathrow T3:
No status flying BA Business entering CX Business lounge, then BA pays CX.
BAEC Silver (OW Sapphire) status flying QF Economy entering CX Business lounge, then BA pays CX.
BAEC Silver (OW Sapphire) status flying QF Business entering CX Business lounge, then QF pays CX.
BAEC Gold (OW Emerald) status flying QF Business entering CX First lounge, then BA pays CX.From what I hear, each lounge visit is charged around USD50, but of course that varies with each lounge
The same when you enter by class of travel, the operating carrier.
I suspect it’s consolidated the same way the IATA reimbursements work. E.g. 10 pax rebooked to CX, 8 CX pax rebooked to BA, net of 2 pax paid to CX by BA.
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