SAA at IAD - Which lounge?
May 13, 2006 | 1:45 pm
#1
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SAA at IAD - Which lounge?
As far as I know, SAA previously (currently?) use(d?) Virgin's Clubhouse at IAD for Premium Class passengers and Voyager Gold, Platinum, etc. Can anyone answer the following:
1.) Now that SAA are a full Star Alliance member, will they continue to operate from Concourse B? Some Star partners use B, but with UA at C & D, obviously most Star flights use C & D.
2.) Will SAA stop using Virgin's Clubhouse and switch instead to a Star Alliance partner lounge? Particularly if (and I stress if) SAA were to move from Concourse B to C or D, they would need a new lounge.
If anyone has any information, I'd appreciate it!
1.) Now that SAA are a full Star Alliance member, will they continue to operate from Concourse B? Some Star partners use B, but with UA at C & D, obviously most Star flights use C & D.
2.) Will SAA stop using Virgin's Clubhouse and switch instead to a Star Alliance partner lounge? Particularly if (and I stress if) SAA were to move from Concourse B to C or D, they would need a new lounge.
If anyone has any information, I'd appreciate it!
May 14, 2006 | 7:08 am
#2
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Umhlanga,
I'm not sure anyone knows the answer to that (very good) question, yet. Yes, it would make sense for SAA to use terminals C/D, however there's been no announcement of any change either on the Star Alliance site or the SAA site. My guess is that there's no change forthcoming soon. SAS and All Nippon use the B terminal, as well as the occasional LH flight, so there are still *A carriers there already, and they've been there for some time. If I hear of anything definitive I'll post here (and I'm sure others will do the same).
Will
I'm not sure anyone knows the answer to that (very good) question, yet. Yes, it would make sense for SAA to use terminals C/D, however there's been no announcement of any change either on the Star Alliance site or the SAA site. My guess is that there's no change forthcoming soon. SAS and All Nippon use the B terminal, as well as the occasional LH flight, so there are still *A carriers there already, and they've been there for some time. If I hear of anything definitive I'll post here (and I'm sure others will do the same).
Will
May 14, 2006 | 11:36 am
#4
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Thanks for the information. I fly IAD-JNB on July 28th, and I was just curious what sort of I can expect before boarding. The flight currently leaves at 09h30, which means that there's not much time to wake up, get to the airport, and linger in the lounge before boarding. However, the flight will change (I'm not sure exactly when; maybe when ATL flights end on 30 June?) to a 12h50 departure, which means I'll have more time to spend milling around before departure. Being a greedy creature of comforts, I was just curious what I can look forward to after check-in. :-)
May 14, 2006 | 1:01 pm
#5
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Originally Posted by Umhlanga
Thanks for the information. I fly IAD-JNB on July 28th, and I was just curious what sort of I can expect before boarding. The flight currently leaves at 09h30, which means that there's not much time to wake up, get to the airport, and linger in the lounge before boarding. However, the flight will change (I'm not sure exactly when; maybe when ATL flights end on 30 June?) to a 12h50 departure, which means I'll have more time to spend milling around before departure. Being a greedy creature of comforts, I was just curious what I can look forward to after check-in. :-)
Here's to hoping you're right and sleeping in before the IAD departure in July, at any rate <clink!> And I'll see what I can find out down here before I head back to DC myself on Wednesday. If I find out anything more I'll post it here.
Will
May 14, 2006 | 5:47 pm
#6
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TravelinWilly,
The 12h50 time comes from my travel agent. The new time doesn't show up in any timetable, though. Actually, if you go to SAA's site and try to buy a ticket, the 12h50 time appears, and the online-booking also allows purchase for flights leaving 7 days/week. It's odd though that no one has uploaded those flights into the timetables.
The new time is good, though, not just for people in Bethesda like me who can sleep in late, but also for connecting passengers from east of the Rockies, who can now get to IAD in time to make the flight to JNB.
Thanks for agreeing to keep me updated, and have a good return back on that loooooooooong route via Europe!
The 12h50 time comes from my travel agent. The new time doesn't show up in any timetable, though. Actually, if you go to SAA's site and try to buy a ticket, the 12h50 time appears, and the online-booking also allows purchase for flights leaving 7 days/week. It's odd though that no one has uploaded those flights into the timetables.
The new time is good, though, not just for people in Bethesda like me who can sleep in late, but also for connecting passengers from east of the Rockies, who can now get to IAD in time to make the flight to JNB.
Thanks for agreeing to keep me updated, and have a good return back on that loooooooooong route via Europe!
Jul 5, 2006 | 5:42 pm
#8
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Originally Posted by haddon90
it is a 12:50 departure now, and they just started using the a346 as i saw it there yesterday on my flight back through IAD.
Jul 6, 2006 | 3:19 pm
#9
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definitely better for connections...also, since SAA is a member of *A, you can use the RCC in the C/D terminals, or any of the *A lounges (i don't know if there are any) in the B concourse.
ANA, Lufthansa, SAS all leave from the B concourse, so maybe they have a group lounge there.
ANA, Lufthansa, SAS all leave from the B concourse, so maybe they have a group lounge there.
Jul 6, 2006 | 4:00 pm
#10
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Originally Posted by haddon90
definitely better for connections...also, since SAA is a member of *A, you can use the RCC in the C/D terminals, or any of the *A lounges (i don't know if there are any) in the B concourse.
ANA, Lufthansa, SAS all leave from the B concourse, so maybe they have a group lounge there.
ANA, Lufthansa, SAS all leave from the B concourse, so maybe they have a group lounge there.
Jul 12, 2006 | 11:39 am
#11
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Originally Posted by gvdIAD
There is no *A group lounge in the B Terminal. SAS contracts with the Northwest Worldclubs lounge in the B concourse; I think ANA has its own lounge, but I'm not sure what its hours are or whether it welcomes *G passengers; and I'm not sure what LH does with its premium passengers flying to MUC. I suspect SAA will continue to contract with Virgin for lounge use for premium passengers for the time being.
Jul 19, 2006 | 3:38 pm
#12
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Originally Posted by gvdIAD
There is no *A group lounge in the B Terminal. SAS contracts with the Northwest Worldclubs lounge in the B concourse; I think ANA has its own lounge, but I'm not sure what its hours are or whether it welcomes *G passengers; and I'm not sure what LH does with its premium passengers flying to MUC. I suspect SAA will continue to contract with Virgin for lounge use for premium passengers for the time being.
Jul 19, 2006 | 4:51 pm
#13
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Originally Posted by You want to go where?
ANA shares its lounge with Air France. I am not sure which airline actually "owns" the lounge and which one contracts from the other. Their flights operate at different times of day.
Jul 24, 2006 | 10:48 am
#14
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Originally Posted by Shareholder
The lounge is "owned" by NH, at least according to the STAR staff handbook. It is not identified as a "contract" lounge which would be the case if NH just used it but did not operate it.
Jul 25, 2006 | 10:52 am
#15
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Thanks to TiminCali, who just made the IAD-JNB trip and posted a trip report about it on another thread, I can answer my original question. (In case anyone besides me was still wondering! ) SAA still use the VS Clubhouse on Concourse B.
I'll verify it with my own eyes in 3 days.
Best regards,
Umhlanga
) SAA still use the VS Clubhouse on Concourse B.I'll verify it with my own eyes in 3 days.
Best regards,
Umhlanga