Star Alliance is only as strong as its members. Nevertheless, stealth lounge access changes further sharpen the argument that alliances are losing relevance.
I’m not sure what you think of when you think of Star Alliance (or oneworld or SkyTeam for that matter). Do you picture an office that makes decisions on behalf of its member carriers? A bureaucratic rulemaking body that sets systemwide policies?
For better or for worse, that is not the case. Decisions are made collectively by members, but like the Security Council at the United Nations, some member carriers hold more sway than others. You think TAP Air Portugal or Air India is going to tell Lufthansa and United what to do? Like many treaties, obligations are best (and only) enforced through diplomacy, not a standing army or monetary fine.
Which leads us to our lounge problem.
United Cuts Third-Party Lounge Access For Star Alliance Gold Members
On United’s lounge access page, a new banner appears at the top:
“Beginning January 1, 2020, you’ll only be able to visit most of our partner lounges if you’re traveling in United Polaris® business class. Use the tool below to see where these lounges are located and if you can visit them on an upcoming trip.”
This represents an instant and unannounced devaluation for United Star Alliance Gold members, who previously had been invited to visit contract lounges in places like Mumbai (with a great GVK lounge) when no Star Alliance Gold lounge was present.
Star Alliance Changes Lounge Access Language To Match United
This policy change directly violated Star Alliance lounge access rules, which held:
“At airports where neither a Star Alliance branded lounge nor a Star Alliance member carrier offers a lounge, third party lounges are contracted by some of our member airlines. As a Star Alliance Gold customer travelling on a Star Alliance member airlines operated flight from such airports, you have access to these third party contract lounges, if the member airline you are travelling on has a contract with this lounge.”
(bolding mine)
Could not be clearer, right?
But that language has now been updated:
“At airports where neither a Star Alliance branded lounge nor a Star Alliance member carrier offers a lounge, third party lounges are contracted by some of our member airlines. As a Star Alliance Gold customer travelling on a Star Alliance member airlines operated flight from such airports, you may have access to these third party contract lounges. Please refer to the Lounge Finder to identify which lounges you may have access to, according to the policy of each airline.”
(bolding mine)
The Results, Not The Process, Ultimately Matter Most
I’ve reached out to Star Alliance for comment and received no response, so let’s not make assumptions yet. I see two possible circumstances.
#1: Did Star Alliance Simply Kowtow To United’s Unilateral Decision?
The prima facie case is that United changed the language and Star Alliance decided to match it to avoid its largest member being out of compliance. It was a shady, customer-unfriendly move that undermines the value of the alliance.
#2 Did United Jump The Gun On Publishing What Had Jointly Been Decided As A Systemwide Lounge Access Change?
But it could be that the Star Alliance member carriers sat down together and decided jointly to make these changes. Perhaps United just released the news earlier than planned. Is it possible? I suppose. But the change went into effect on 01/01. It would seem like if this was a join plan for rollout in 2020, other carriers or Star Alliance would have also announced it at the same time as United.
* * *
Ultimately, whether #1 or #2 (or something else) occurred does not matter: the results are the same. Star Alliance Gold status is worth less and this fundamental promise of lounge access as a Star Alliance Gold member no matter the class of service seems to be waning.
Take Icleland for example. I was looking into a Greenland/Iceland trip this summer and specifically considering United’s flight from Keflavík (KEF) to Newark (EWR). It’s such a short flight that economy class is acceptable, especially when the Icleandair Saga Lounge is such a pleasant place to eat and drink before your flight. But now I would no longer have access to the lounge unless I flew in business class. It just rubs me the wrong way. I know I am not the only one.
CONCLUSION
Whatever the circumstances behind this policy change, it is a negative one. It was one thing for United to go rogue (if they went rogue), but for Star Alliance to secretly update its lounge access rules in a way that represents a devaluation is simply rendering it more irrelevant. That’s the truly sad development.
(H/T: View from the Wing // featured image: Star Alliance Lounge at LAX, which Star Alliance Gold members will still have access to)
This is just another reason I stopped blindly flying UA. I have about 750K lifetime miles and walked away. Alaska and partners have served me well.
Although first stunned by this news, after careful consideration I actually AGREE with this new policy. Why? Well A lot of these contract lounges are SMALL. When they start admitting business pax as well as *G pax not in business – the lounges get very full very fast and then people start loudly complaining (especially Americans with families!).
As long as *G pax traveling in economy cabin are still admitted to the *A lounges – I’m good.
And some of those *A lounges that grant access to *G pax are nicer than UA Club !
That the lounge is too small for the number of eligible passengers means the Airline(s) need to find/arrange with the airport for more lounge space. Not cut a useful benefit to Y passengers.
IIRC the founder members of the Star Alliance plus Singapore Airlines (they only joined on the basis that they got founder member status in 2000) do have a lot more sway than the more recent members about making changes. The founding members in 1997 were AC, LH, TG, SK and UA.
Of course the alliance is now the largest and I agree that at times the lounge situation is out of control particularly when it’s a small lounge and there are a large number of golds in economy. It detracts from the experience of people who have paid a higher fare. I don’t have a problem with this prioritising of passengers in premium cabins.
It’s not a problem unique to *A either. Try the CX lounge in BKK which is a good lounge in all regards and more than meets their needs in normal circumstances during the two hours before the BA service to LHR departs and it seems like everyone on board it has lounge access. Every time I’m there I wish they would restrict access at that time of the day to people in the premium cabins.
Yep, good idea, hammer the secondary markets where there is no star alliance lounge and you are competing for passengers who aren’t hub captive… sounds like a winner to me!
@Matthew: I am a little confused. Using your example, let’s say if United has a contract with the lounge in Keflavík (KEF), and you are flying with UA, so why cannot you use the lounge?
If TAP, or Air Canada, or Air China… has contract with the lounge in Keflavík (KEF), then according to the new rule, you are not allowed to use if flying Y.
Please confirm if I understand this correctly. Reader Jack always provided great comment. With this new rule, spending $24,000 on UA fare to be 1K does not really help. 1K is still only Gold, and if flying Y class, the treatment would be the same as other UA Gold members.
You can only use the lounge if flying in business class on United. Star Golds will no longer have access to the Saga Lounge.
What about United Club members flying in economy? Does a United Club membership cover third party contract lounges?
That really sucks – I used the GVK lounge in Mumbai about 30 times in 2019 when flying Lufthansa, United or Air India internationally and domestically within India – all in coach. The other PP lounges are not even close.
The pace of flyer-unfriendly changes by UA is unprecedented, and still accelerating.
So glad to be gone. Wish I’d left sooner.
It seems like a good move. Lounges are getting more and more over crowded. I think over time we are going back to the principle: you want lounge>you fly BC and pay for BC
That may be, but that would mark a fundamental change to the promise of Star Alliance.
@Ron: That would be fine, but UA and Star Alliance should honor the 2020 Gold pax for the remainder of this year and nothing changes to those who achieved Lifetime Gold (e.g. 1MM, 2MM, 3MM..) before this change.
We, Lifetime Gold, worked so hard to achieve this status. Had we known one day UA/Star Alliance would change this benefit to Gold members, some might decide to do business with oneworld/SkyTeam before. Reading this change makes me feel like UA promises a meal when flying Polaris, and one day, they decide that a snack is only given out when flying business. Should honor those achieve/qualify before the change date. Those achieve/qualify after this date, will have a new lounge access policy. Just my personal opinion.
I agree with Ex-1K UA that any changes shouldn’t be abrupt and must be available for the period of such eligibility. eg. I flew more than 200,000 miles in 2019 and qualified with the increased $ spend to qualify for 1K in 2020. Within a few days such qualification UA changes the policy for Lounge access is harsh on hard core loyalists like me, I have been flying on UA for 25+ years.
Star Alliance is a pathetic joke. At least the others try to make some consistent, enforceable rules. Star is falling apart at the seams: the members are constantly at each other’s throats. It won’t survive for more than another year or two. Good riddance…it’s way past the ‘use by’ date…
My spouse and I flew to Lisbon on Delta this past summer (we’re both United Million Mile Lifetime Gold member), but flew Delta because of the price. Delta did a Gold status match, with a flight miles requirement to keep the status beyond 2019.
I was pretty disappointed with Delta.
1. Our luggage did not arrive in Lisbon (lost at Paris DeGaulle). The last time my luggage did not travel with me on United was when the TSA decided to examine the contents of my luggage and it missed the flight (I can’t blame the airline for that).
2. Delta does NOT give Gold members lounge privileges at Lisbon (we have Priority Pass so we were able to access the contract lounge that Delta uses – but without Priority Pass we would have had no such access).
3. Delta Comfort (same as United Economy Plus) was available only on a standby basis (and only got one upgrade to Delta Comfort out of 4 flights), while we get Economy Plus upon ticketing at United.
For as much as people complain about any particular airline, the grass may not be any greener elsewhere.