SkyTeam changes lounge access rules: access on domestic flights!

One of the perks of frequent flyer status with an airlines is complimentary lounge access. Of the big three alliances, SkyTeam is perhaps the alliance with the least attractive lounge offerings, although it has some solid offerings in the Air France lounge portfolio and others. However, SkyTeam is now making some changes to its lounge access policy that I think on balance are for the better. Let’s have a look.

The big one: access now with SkyTeam-operated domestic flights

This, to me, is the most significant change, and something I’m excited about: SkyTeam is going to allow any passenger with Elite plus status to access SkyTeam member lounges on domestic flights, as long as they are ticketed on a same-day SkyTeam-operated flight. Right now, the policy is such that passengers would need to fly internationally. This changes will take effect on April 1st, starting with select lounges that can be seen here, or check the list below:

As you can see, these are 28 lounges, representing a good swath of the SkyTeam alliance’s member airlines. Air France and SAS are the two largest contributors to the selection of lounges available for passengers on domestic flights. Unsurprisingly, these are the two airlines that probably have the largest lounge networks outside of their own hubs – many of the other SkyTeam partners don’t have particularly large lounge networks unfortunately. I had the chance of reviewing at least the SAS lounge in Copenhagen in August last year, and quite liked it. Other than Air France and SAS, KLM, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, Saudia, China Eastern and Vietnam Airlines lounges are also participating.

It would be nice if some of the other airlines would join in, such as Virgin Atlantic, AeroMexico, and Korean Air. And, of course, one major current absentee: Delta Airlines. We will have to wait and see if and when these airlines will start adding their lounges to the domestic access list. We do indeed know that not every SkyTeam member lounge will be open for domestic travel.

*Visit the SAS lounge in Copenhagen’s Kastrup International Airport, Terminal 3.*

Elite Plus passengers to bring one guest with them

Elite Plus members had been able to bring a guest with them for quite a while, but up until now, that guest could be flying on any SkyTeam flight. That is, it didn’t need to be the same flight as the member. Well, that is changing now, as with this new policy change, the member and their guest must be traveling on the same flight.

Access only within 3 hours of departure

Here’s another restriction: it used to be so that you could enter the lounge at any point, regardless of when your flight was departing. Now, you can only enter the lounge as of 3 hours in advance. The only exception here is when you have a layover between SkyTeam flights, then you should be able to enter at any time between your arriving and departing flights, as long as they arrive and depart on the same day.

Why is SkyTeam adding these restrictions?

It’s not difficult tos ee that out of these changes we are seeing some additional restrictions on who can enter the lounge and when. I think it makes sense: after all, they are also opening up select lounges to domestic travelers, which will almost certainly increase traffic at those lounges. Thus, this is a balancing act: on the one hand that allow more passengers to enter, but then they make some other changes to ensure lounges don’t get too crowded.

I will add one other thought: if you look at the list of lounges that would open up to domestic passengers, there are definitely lounges on the list that are highly unlikely to see domestic travelers. Case in point: at New York-JFK, the Air France lounge is in Terminal 1, from where there aren’t any domestic flights on SkyTeam airlines. Another example is the SAS lounge in Chicago O’Hare Terminal 5, which is a purely international terminal without domestic flights. I think the best chance to access SkyTeam lounges on domestic flights at the the ‘home’ countries of the various airlines, including e.g. Air France and SAS lounges in France and Norway or Sweden (Denmark doesn’t have much domestic traffic), respectively.

*Visit the Air France Lounge at CDG’s Terminal 2F. Images courtesy of Air France.*

For us here in the US, Delta would be the airline’s whose lounges we’d be most likely to enter on domestic flights, but I’m not seeing any signt hat Delta’s SkyClubs will become accessible anytime soon. I should also add that there is a notable exception to the domestic access policy: Elite Plus equivalents within Delta’s own SkyMiles program appear to not get the domestic lounge access at SkyClubs, which seems a little strange to me.

Summary

SkyTeam is updating its lounge access rules, to take effect on its own lounges as well as those of its member airlines, to start with a selection of 28 lounges to start, with an expansion to additional lounge sin the future. These 28 lounges will start offering domestic access to Elite Plus members and 1 guest who are flying together on the same SkyTeam-operated flight, start 3 hours before departure, or at same-day transfers between tow SkyTeam airlines. This is on balance a good evolution – big absentee here is Delta, and though I have little hope their SkyClubs will be added to the list of lounges offering access on domestic flights, perhaps they will someday.