My trip to Europe hit its first snare before I even took flight after Delta Air Lines pulled another “LAX” on me by denying me use of its exclusive Delta One check-in facility at Los Angeles International Airport despite published rules clearly stating I had access.
Denied Access To Delta One Check-In At LAX On An International SkyTeam Transoceanic Business Class Ticket
I showed up at LAX at about 8:20 am so that I would have plenty of time to visit the Delta, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic lounges ahead of my SAS flight to Copenhagen at 6:20 pm. I’ve written about Delta’s posh premium check-in facility at LAX before and find it a big value-add for those eligible passengers who can use it to check-in and clear security.
> Read More: Delta One Premium Check-In Facility At LAX
Access is reserved for the passengers listed below, including passengers traveling on “a nonstop transoceanic ticket in First/Business Class on a SkyTeam operators flight.”
At the entrance, an agent scans your boarding pass to verify you are eligible.
After scanning my boarding pass, she said I was not eligible. I showed her the rules on my phone and she shrugged and essentially said, “The computer says no.” She offered to bring her supervisor out, which I agreed to.
The supervisor was friendly but woefully misinformed. I explained to her that I was traveling on SAS to Copenhagen and wanted to use the facility to check in. I even added that I knew I would not have access to the Delta One Lounge…that I was heading to the SkyClub (you can access both lounges beyond the security checkpoint).
She resonded, “SAS is not SkyTeam.”
I replied, “Oh yes, it is. Since last September.”
Confused, she responded, “Well, we don’t partner with them.”
I replied, “That’s not what your website says.”
She responded, “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I’ll convey this internally, but you have to go upstairs to check-in.”
I could see we would be going around in circles if I continued to argue, so I just went upstairs.
As a side note, the upstairs checkpoint was a cluster at 8:30 am…it took more than 20 minutes to get through the checkpoint even with PreCheck and Clear…
…and then look at the lines to enter the lounge…
CONCLUSION
The rules seemed crystal clear to me: I should have been able to use the Delta One check-in facility at LAX, which would have saved me 20 minutes waiting in line for security and emptied me out directly into the SkyClub.
This whole incident reminds me of the “local” rule that agents used to try to deny me lounge access on Aeromexico a few years back…
> Read More: Delta Denies Me Sky Club Access On International Business Class Ticket
What is with Delta not playing nicely with its partners at LAX? How do Delta agents not know that SAS is part of SkyTeam?
What an idiot. I wouldn’t have taken no as an answer. I also probably wouldn’t have tried to use that check-in. Why not checkin at home and head straight to the security line?
@Gene: that’s what I did. I just headed to the DL1 security line.
I can see how they instinctually think ‘SAS is not our partner’ – it’s a brand new SkyTeam addition.
But clear fail on DL management for not making it abundantly clear to the front line staff. SAS should be fuming – whatever they have to pay to part of this partnership is not being honored.
SAS was the misfit child of Star Alliance and is on its way to become the misfit child of Skyteam. Although, in Skyteam there is an abundance of misfit children – the alliance of the unwanted.
@E39: probably right. And that makes me sad.
SAS behaved like a misfit child in CPH, where only SAS Elites and SAS Plus customers were allowed to use the SAS fast lane.
On the other hand, their Elites crowded the lounges of their alliance partners since Eurobonus Gold was so easy to earn.
Well, isn’t that because SAS runs it own Fast track? There is the ‘Express track’ for others
And yes, SAS has been handing out gold left and right for far too long. Retain gold for as little as 4 flights, or upgrade to diamond for @0 flights? Ridiculous
SAS is not included on the list of SkyTeam partners they let into Delta One lounge. If you go on the Delta One site and specifically click on LAX, it will list out which airlines are permitted. It’s not a blanket admission to all SkyTeam airlines.
I’m not talking about the lounge, I’m talking about the check-in. There are no such exclusions for SAS!
@ Matthew — I bet it was a lounge dragon working at he D1 checkin. Some of the UA lounge agents at SFO rotate between the GS chekin area and the lounges.
@ Greg — Um, they work for a SkyTeam airline. Isn’t it their job to know such basic things?
You can’t check in bags or get a boarding pass there because SAS operates at TBIT. Just like we can’t check in AF, KL, CI, MU flights at LAX T3 D1 check-in.
I was already checked in…read the rules I cited.
To be fair showing up 10 hours before a flight to hit multiple lounges is why they are crowded and abuses like this are why they are reducing services. Regardless of your reasons, like trying to profit from “reviews”, it’s a dick move. And I say that with total respect for how you operate your comment section, it’s still a dick move.
@Dave: I understand your point, but I had work reasons…had to be at Virgin Lounge before opening to photograph it. And SkyTeam now has a three-hour rule (that went into effect today) so it was my last chance to do something like that.
@ Matthew — Will a certain blogger start booking 5 AM flights from airports with SkyTeam lounges?
Why would you want to use D1 check-in when you’re flying SAS? Delta couldn’t even check you in unless you were flying on Delta first before your SAS flight. I’m assuming you already had a BP and no bags to check, so just wanted to go through it and use the expedited security?
Because D1 check-in was on my way to TBIT and I find it a far more humane experience.
“far more humane” – a bit of hyperbole here.
It was a good time saver, a luxury. But the regular line wasn’t a barefoot walk on hot asphalt.
Matthew, your listed access rules are not the rules I find on Delta website for Delta 1 lounge access. I show the rules as:
“Admittance
The Delta One Lounge is available to
Same-day departing or arriving Delta One ticketed passengers (i.e., seated in the Delta One class of service);
Delta 360o™ Members departing or arriving on a same-day ticket in Delta First Class;
Same-day departing or connecting flights operated by the following Delta partners in their respective first and business class cabins specified below:
Air France La Premiere;
Air France Business Class* (Long-Haul);
LATAM Premium Business Class;
KLM Business Class*;
Korean Air First Class and Prestige Class; and
Virgin Atlantic Upper Class”
This is specifically for LAX D1 lounge access. Perhaps rules are listed twice and attributed to the confusion (guess on my part).
Hi Jimmy, maybe I wasn’t as clear as I thought in my article, but there are different access rules for Delta One check-in and the Delta One lounge. I wasn’t trying to access the D1 Lounge and made that clear.
My mistake, it is obvious after re-reading your post. I know the difference between check in and the lounge …. guess I wasn’t paying attention.
I keep telling people that Delta is the most evil and hideous airline in the world. People don’t believe me. Maybe more people will be convinced as more incidents like this get publicized.
I like airports that only allow access into secured areas like airside 5 hours before flight departure.
That stops the riff raff from entering 10 HOURS before their flight departs!
TSA permits access at any time with a departing boarding pass from all US airports, so the 5 hour rule doesn’t apply anywhere in the United States. SIN and other airports in Asia even have dedicated “early check-in” counters that can process your check-in if your specific flight’s counter hasn’t opened yet. I get to LHR more than 5 hours early all the time. What airports are you aware of that don’t let you in more than 5 hours early?
I know you don’t want to get too specific on your job, but are you in sales(account executive)? You seem to travel all over the place.
When people ask me what I do, my new go-to line is, “A little of this, a little of that.”
He probably works for the US Government stirring up trouble all over the world.
It’s been a while, but last time I was in India neither Delhi (int’l) or Mumbai (int’l) allowed you into the terminal building more than 4 hours before departure IIRC (I think it might be 5 hours now for Mumbai; I don’t think there’s any restrictions for Delhi now). In Mumbai, that was crazy because the ride from Pune can take anywhere between 2 and 4 hours (and sometimes much worse), so you can plan to be there 4 hours before (plenty of reasons to do so, including incredibly long check in and security lines), but actually arrive 6 hours prior. Seems like making people wait outside in 100 degree heat isn’t a good answer….
I’m fine with the actions of the GA and supervisor. The system said you couldn’t, and they shouldn’t overide IF they could. I’d do what you did, to be sure. But, I’m sufficiently resentful of the entitled that, unlike you, are not consitent with the written rules, but expect accomodation. Your actions sound right, and hopefully, this issue gets fixed.
It’s Delta, keep your expectations low – particularly for anything involving loyalty – and you’ll do fine.
But did your rejection feel really premium?
Happy April Fools, Mr. Klint! But seriously, Delta needs to reinform these people.
Matthew, somewhat related to this is my last trip to CPH 2 weeks ago. My home airport is CLT, so I traveled CLT to JFK on DL and JFK to CPH on SAS. At CLT, I was given two physical boarding passes by DL: one for the JFK leg and the other for the CPH leg. When I reached JFK and transferred from T4 to T1 for the CPH flight, SAS told me that the DL-assigned boarding pass wouldn’t work and that they had to print me up an SAS pass (even though DL swore that their JFK-CPH boarding pass would get me to Denmark). Point is, SAS does not yet have synergy with the rest of Skyteam, so you’ll have to be patient.
Not justifying your denial, but since the D1 check-in experience is supposed to combine seamlessly with the lounge experience, I wonder if they’ve restricted it to those who are eligible for the lounge only. This would not be consistent with the published rules, but it sounds like at least some at LAX think the same requirements apply for both.
Had a very similar experience with the Gestapo running the D-1 check-in a few months back. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a semi-pleasant supervisor. I ended up with a 500-pound morbidly obese man who was clearly angry at the world because he couldn’t tuck in his shirt or walk by a buffet line
Pretty bad that the Manager didn’t know the acces rules.
And I find I wildly Strange that Intl Long haul Business Class don’t give acces to the Delta One lounge
I mean you user to have acces to Polaris and Senator lounges on SAS businessclass tickets if I remember correct?
RE: Polaris Lounge
Correct.
SAS is not really a delta partner. it may have joined the skyteam for codeshare but not fully integrated.
Typical DL lounge service. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to battle with the DL dragons at entry when NOT flying DL and trying to get into a SkyClub with my Lifetime Membership.
You don’t have Delta Digital ID? They have that service at LAX. The picture you took shows you are in the Clear/TSA line. That is not the Digital ID line. That line is to the right of where ou are standing.
“The computer says no”. Unfortunately, that says it all right there. Nearly all workers I encounter in traveling (lounge workers, gate attendants, etc.) all just robotically scan and go. If their little green checkmark shows up, you’re good. If not, don’t even bother to try reasoning. Even managers may not have the sophistication (or desire, frankly) to figure it out for you.
“Skyteam operators flight”
They can’t even type it right.
I noticed that too!
Sad and I hope you complained to both SAS and Delta
You need to get a life and stop whining.
I enjoy my blessed life quite a bit, thank you very much.