Between flights lounge use

[Shaco]

We are flying United, but operated by Air Canada, business class, with a long wait at Newark Airport. Anyone know if we are allowed to use the United lounge at that airport? There is no Air Canada lounge at Newark.

 

Thank you,

Sharon

[nolatravelgirl]

Where are you connecting to in Newark? If your ticket is business class from Newark to Europe then you will be able to use the United Club.

[Twickenham]

We are flying United, but operated by Air Canada

 

Which means you're flying Air Canada, an important distinction as you will check in at the AC counter for your flight (unless you're connecting from a UA flight, in which case you will have already checked in with them). Your ticket is a UA codeshare, but at the airport it's the operating carrier that counts.

 

Anyone know if we are allowed to use the United lounge at that airport? There is no Air Canada lounge at Newark.

 

If there's no Maple Leaf lounge at EWR, then almost certainly you will, as an AC business class customer, be allowed into the United lounge.

[6rugrats]

United Club access rules:

 

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/airport/lounge/access.aspx

Edited October 6, 2015 by 6rugrats

[Shaco]

First, thank you for your help.

We are flying business class into Newark, as I said in my previous post, then taking Air Canada to Toronto, then business class Air Canada to Rome.

 

Having a lounge to wait in for the segment to Toronto would be a huge help. This will be a tough trip for seniors like us.

 

Thank you,

 

Sharon

[TruckerDave]

Being a United Club member (thanks to the United credit card) I would get my hopes up. It really isn't that great. They are usually crowded and not much in the way of food selections. You are much better off going downstairs and getting a real meal. Other than free wifi there really isn't much to write home about in the EWR United lounges.

[Shaco]

TruckerDave, I am so disappointed the United lounge is not a nice place to wait in between flights. We are not experienced lounge users. But we did use the one for BA in Amsterdam in May. Spectacular!! Plenty of good food. Every kind of drink you can imagine. Extra comfy chairs, perfect for napping. Hope the lounge in Toronto is better, because we have a long layover there, too.

[Chairsin]

Having the United Club card I have to say their lounges vary quite a bit not only from airport to airport but within one airport from terminal to terminal ( especially Houston). They seem to be in the process of upgrading some of the lounges but even some of the nicer ones are not as comfortable as the Star Alliance partner lounges we use overseas. That said one very welcome change I have noticed in the last year is they have moved away from packaged crackers, cheese and cookies to healthy and fresh option such as soup, red pepper strips, hummus and puta chips, olives and often a lentil or green salad. They also have these yummy brownie cookies! Even with their drawbacks I still find they lounges a better place to hang out when we have long connections than the airport gate areas. And of course the biggest benefit to me of lounge access is when there is an issue with your flight the agents in the club seem to be the most experienced and helpful.

[bugeater2]

Why not go to the Lufthansa Business Lounge since you are on a Star Alliance Business class ticket.

[waterbug123]

TruckerDave, I am so disappointed the United lounge is not a nice place to wait in between flights. We are not experienced lounge users. But we did use the one for BA in Amsterdam in May. Spectacular!! Plenty of good food. Every kind of drink you can imagine. Extra comfy chairs, perfect for napping. Hope the lounge in Toronto is better, because we have a long layover there, too.

 

I'm generally not a Star Alliance flyer, so can't comment on the UA lounge at EWR from any personal experience. But, keep in mind that frequent flyers sometimes get a bit jaded, and so our opinions of lounges can vary greatly from that of occasional flyers who have only had opportunity to visit a lounge once or twice or never. FF's who have more lounge experience will sometimes say a particular lounge isn't that great, because its inferior to certain other lounges they've visited, but to an occasional flyer the lounge in question might exceed all of your expectations. :)

[em-sk]

TruckerDave, I am so disappointed the United lounge is not a nice place to wait in between flights. We are not experienced lounge users. But we did use the one for BA in Amsterdam in May. Spectacular!! Plenty of good food. Every kind of drink you can imagine. Extra comfy chairs, perfect for napping. Hope the lounge in Toronto is better, because we have a long layover there, too.

 

The Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge in Toronto is a step above anything United has.

 

The lounge in the Domestic and Transboarder (US) concourse will have an assortment beverages including wine that is a step above united. There is usually soup, salad and fresh sandwiches. The International departures lounge will usually also have a hot pasta dish. Seats are a mix of lounger and seated areas. There is also a business area with computers and good quality office furniture. Quite comfortable.

Edited October 17, 2015 by em-sk

[TruckerDave]

I'm generally not a Star Alliance flyer, so can't comment on the UA lounge at EWR from any personal experience. But, keep in mind that frequent flyers sometimes get a bit jaded, and so our opinions of lounges can vary greatly from that of occasional flyers who have only had opportunity to visit a lounge once or twice or never. FF's who have more lounge experience will sometimes say a particular lounge isn't that great, because its inferior to certain other lounges they've visited, but to an occasional flyer the lounge in question might exceed all of your expectations. :)

 

 

Jaded might be a bit harsh...I'd go with realistic. They get the job done. The seats can be a bit better than in the main terminal area and the free wifi is nice (in the remaining airports that don't offer it). There are free beverages and snacks...but if you want "real" food you are going to have to leave the club and hit the terminal. (and bringing at Starbucks into the club is a no no as well). As someone else said, the big value is during flight issues, the agents in the club can rebook and reroute much faster that standing in line at the gate or sitting on hold on the phone. (I have personal experience with this in MIA. (It was an AA admirals club, but same difference). Flight got canexed due to mechanical issues and I was rebooked and had a hotel voucher within 5 minutes by hitting the club. As I was heading to for the Sofitel the line at he gate was about 30 deep. :eek:). Of course the agents can be hit or miss as well (they are sometimes referred to as dragons on the FF message boards). Always found the UA ones "professional" at best. Co was nice AA was from professional to good and UsAir was about the best (nice and friendly wise). (we shall see how they end up going forward with the merger. As the CO seemed to take on the UA "dragon" mentality sometimes)

[waterbug123]

Jaded might be a bit harsh...I'd go with realistic. They get the job done.

 

Sorry, it wasn't meant as criticism toward other FF's, but I've read many FF accounts of lounges that would give a first time flyer the impression that they are just horrible, horrible places....worse than just waiting in the terminal. Comments like "it's not worth it," "don't bother," etc. Occasionally the value is based on someone asking if it's worth spending $50 for day pass when they have a 90 min connection and someone will actually explain why it's not worth it in that situation, but I've also seen plenty of accounts where a lounge is said to be just awful, but what's unwritten is that it's awful compared to another lounge or another airline's group of lounges, whereas to a first time lounge user who is getting the lounge access at no additional charge, the free drinks and snacks, wifi, less crowded restrooms and nicer seating make it seem like a fantastic place, compared to the public seating in the terminal. Sometimes that perspective is lost on FF's who yes, often become a bit jaded after flying hundreds of thousands of miles, spending countless hours in airline lounges, etc. ;)