Blagging into First Class Lounges

sapper

Hi

I'm flying off on my honeymoon to Fiji on Monday and I have an 8 hour stop over in LAX airport. Seeing as its my honeymoon and all I would love to spend the stop over in the First Class lounge of my chosen air line (Air NZ). Has anyone every had any success blagging their way into those things? (rather than pay EUR100's in annual fees of course!) If yes, how did you do it?

mikedragon32

Congrats on the wedding, nice choice of honeymoon!

I've only ever blagged my way into a lounge once, and that was with a colleague who is cheeky/charming enough to pull it off (so I guess I didn't really blag it!).

The best thing to do is to contact the airline and ask before you go, explaining it's your honeymoon etc. Preferably do it by phone, e-mails don't always work, but once you've blagged it, ask for an e-mail to confirm and print it off.

I did this when booking a room in one of the airport hotels a couple of years ago for our Honeymoon and got a bump up to one of the top suites and the manager even popped in with a bottle of Moet with his compliments!

jjbrien

Do they have any star alliance frequent flyer cards? I sometimes can blag my way in my SAS Basic card they think its a gold card sometimes as its a brown/ silver cloured card.

sharkman

Get a Priority Pass : http://www.prioritypass.com/Join/What-It-Costs.cfm

BuffyBot

Unless you're flying Business/First Class, or have Gold status with Air NZ or partner airline, it's pretty unlikely you'll make it into their lounge. Alas LAX is rather a dismal place to spend 8 hours..rather you than me!

sapper

Already tried calling Air NZ - no dice, although it felt like the Kiwi on the other end was waiting for my to beg or something....I've seen the priority pass thing, alas too late - you have to actually have the card for it to work and it takes 7-10 days to have it issued.

Found this website https://www.loungepass.com which offers once-off entrance into a lounge for a fee (GBP20). The only problem is the only lounge they offer is Airside in Terminal 6 in LAX, whereas I'm leaving from terminal 2.

Is anyone familiar with LAX? I assume you can't get airside in terminal 6 and back again with a terminal 2 boarding card right?

BuffyBot

You won't be allowed into the airside area, no.

HarryD

They're pretty hard to blag into in my experience....
What I did was got a friends silver card, and went
into the lounge. When they asked for my boarding pass
I told them my girlfriend had it and she would be in shortly.
Worked twice for me but no longer does (in Budapest)
I guess if your gf is with you it makes this tricky..

Also if your flight is delayed talk to the folk at main desk
in the departures lounge tell them you're upset that the
flight is delayed, and that you ARE a frequent flyer, but
forgot to bring your card, and ask to get into lounge
as it's your honeymoon..

Dellas

I think the rules are getting more and more and harder to get in. I have been a Star Alliance Gold card holder for 4 years now and even with that they sometimes try to tell me that I cant have a guest!!! Namely in the Red Carpet Club in Washington. They are so unhelpful and its always jammed packed and as for Frankfurt well it would be easier to get into Colditz!!!!

Air New Zealand is a good airline, maybe when you check in ask them if they are upgrading and tell them its your honeymoon. They have a premium economy so you may get lucky. Ask you Travel Agent to put a note into the reservation to say that you are a honeymoon couple. If you really got lucky and they put you in Business class then that would get you the upgrade and the lounge access!!!!

By the way join up to BMI Diamond club if you havnt already as you will get alot of miles for that trip which will get you a free flight to Europe!!! Save all your boarding cards and tickets and mail them in.