Airport lounge access works a bit differently in the USA.
This sometimes has its downsides. For example, a domestic First Class ticket on a US airline doesn’t usually include lounge access. And the major US airlines don’t provide lounge access to their own frequent flyers when travelling on a domestic ticket. (Delta doesn’t even give lounge access to its frequent flyers with a long-haul international ticket in Economy!)
But there are also some advantages. For example, if you hold Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status with an airline other than American or Alaska Airlines, did you know that you can access American Airlines lounges on arrival? This includes Qantas Gold, Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers, who can all benefit from this.
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American Airlines lounge access on arrival
As a Qantas Gold, Platinum or Platinum One member, you can use the following lounges on arrival when flying with American Airlines or a Oneworld airline in any cabin:
- Admirals Club lounges
- Flagship Lounges (located in Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago and Miami)
Arrivals access also extends to the Greenwich Lounge for Oneworld Sapphire flyers and the Soho Lounge for Oneworld Emerald members at New York’s JFK Airport. This was recently confirmed by AFF moderator Princess Fiona, who has Platinum One status with Qantas.
The same benefits also apply to Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members from other airlines, except American Airlines AAdvantage and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. Different access rules apply to AAdvantage and MileagePlan members.
Guest access
You can bring one guest with you into the lounge, who must also be departing or arriving that day on an American Airlines or other Oneworld flight. Note that children over the age of two count as one guest.
The Arrivals Lounge at London Heathrow Airport
Separately, American Airlines operates an Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 3 of London’s Heathrow Airport.
As a Oneworld Emerald frequent flyer, including Qantas Platinum, you can access this lounge when arriving at Heathrow Terminal 3 on a long-haul international flight operated by American Airlines or British Airways. (Note that most British Airways flights arrive at Heathrow Terminal 5.)
Note the location of the lounge
To access any American Airlines lounge on arrival, you would need to be able to access the part of the terminal where the lounge is located.
If you’re arriving on an international flight and don’t have an onward connection, you probably wouldn’t be able to access the departure area of the terminal. However, when arriving at a US airport on a domestic flight (or you’ve cleared US immigration and customs at your point of origin), you may be in luck.
This benefit is specific to American Airlines
This is a great, little-known benefit for Qantas and Oneworld frequent flyers when travelling within the States. Just note that arrivals access is specifically offered by American Airlines and is not an alliance-wide Oneworld benefit.
This benefit doesn’t extend to Qantas Club members, who can use Admirals Club lounges when flying American Airlines on departure only.
One final word of warning: Although this is a published benefit and works most of the time, some Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge receptionists might not be fully aware of this rule. There have been some reports of eligible Oneworld flyers being incorrectly denied access to American Airlines lounges on arrival at their destination.
Qantas Platinum members can use Qantas lounges on arrival
If you have Platinum or Platinum One status with Qantas, don’t forget that you can also use Qantas domestic lounges on arrival when travelling with Qantas. This is one of the particularly useful benefits of Qantas Platinum status for Australians!
