One of the great things about the “big three” global airline alliances is that they offer reciprocal lounge access for travelers. In this post, I want to take a closer look at the SkyTeam alliance’s lounge access policy, as understanding the nuances of airport lounge access can be complicated.
As a general rule of thumb, you can expect that you’ll get lounge access internationally with SkyTeam if you have SkyTeam Elite Plus status, or if you’re traveling in first or business class. That doesn’t generally apply when traveling domestically, including within the United States on Delta, so I’ll address that as well.
First let me cover the basics of the SkyTeam alliance, and then I’ll talk about the alliance’s policy on lounge access when traveling in first & business class, and when having SkyTeam Elite Plus status. Note that you can always reference the SkyTeam lounge finder for the basics of SkyTeam’s lounge access rules (though I’ll try to simplify it even more in this post).
In separate posts I’ll cover the lounge access policies of oneworld and Star Alliance. Let me say that in general I think oneworld has the most generous lounge access policies, followed by Star Alliance, followed by SkyTeam.
In this post:
The basics of the SkyTeam alliance
The SkyTeam alliance has 20 member airlines, making it bigger than oneworld but smaller than Star Alliance (though note that ITA Airways will soon leave SkyTeam for Star Alliance). The alliance was founded in 2000, by Aeromexico, Air France, Delta, and Korean Air.
While SkyTeam has some solid member airlines, personally I find that the alliance is least generous when it comes to reciprocity, whether it comes to award space or elite recognition.
Nowadays SkyTeam has the below member airlines.
Aerolineas Argentinas | Delta Air Lines | Saudia |
Aeromexico | Garuda Indonesia | Scandinavian Airlines |
Air Europa | ITA Airways | TAROM |
Air France | Kenya Airways | Vietnam Airlines |
China Airlines | KLM | Virgin Atlantic |
China Eastern Airlines | Korean Air | Xiamen Air |
Czech Airlines | Middle East Airlines |
SkyTeam first & business class lounge access
SkyTeam international first & business class passengers are entitled to access to any designated SkyTeam business class lounges:
- This is valid throughout your same day journey when you have a first or business class ticket
- Lounge access is provided only at your departure and transfer airports, and not on arrival
- For connecting passengers, both the domestic and international flights must be operated by a SkyTeam member airline, and all segments need to be booked in first or business class
- You aren’t allowed to bring any guests into lounges with you
One thing to note here is that not all business class lounges operated by SkyTeam airlines are “designated SkyTeam business class lounges.” For example, Delta One Lounges are only open to business class passengers on Delta and select other partners, while the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse London Heathrow has its own set of access rules.
Another thing worth noting here is that on an alliance level, there’s no special lounge access for first class passengers. That’s not to say that first class passengers won’t get access to special lounges, but rather that any premium lounge access would be due to an airline’s policy, rather than due to the alliance’s policy.
Just as how SkyTeam doesn’t have reciprocal first class award redemptions, the alliance also doesn’t have reciprocal first class lounge access.
For context, in the SkyTeam alliance, you have several airlines that have international first class — Air France, China Eastern, Garuda Indonesia, Korean Air, Saudia, and Xiamen Air. While these airlines mostly have special first class lounges, there’s not any consistently superior reciprocal lounge access offered for those traveling in first class.
SkyTeam Elite Plus lounge access
SkyTeam has two elite tiers — Elite and Elite Plus. SkyTeam Elite Plus members receive lounge access on account of their status when traveling internationally:
- This is valid regardless of your travel class, throughout your same day journey
- Lounge access is provided only at your departure and transfer airports, and not on arrival
- For connecting passengers, both the domestic and international flights must be operated by a SkyTeam member airline
- You are allowed to bring one guest with you, and they must also be traveling on a SkyTeam flight (though it could be a different SkyTeam flight)
- For these purposes, international travel excludes travel between the United States and the Caribbean
- SkyTeam Elite Plus members who earn their status through Delta SkyMiles can only access SkyTeam member airline lounges when flying with Delta, and can’t access third party lounges (however, they could access third party lounges if flying on SkyTeam airlines other than Delta)
- To get lounge access, you must have paid for your ticket with cash or miles; staff travel doesn’t qualify
It’s interesting how SkyTeam Elite Plus members don’t receive lounge access when traveling within the United States, even if they earn status with a foreign SkyTeam airline. This contrasts to oneworld and Star Alliance, where those who earn status with a foreign airline still receive lounge access when traveling domestically within the United States.
Note that there’s one further exception here to be aware of. Those who earn SkyTeam Elite Plus through Delta SkyMiles (Medallion Gold, Platinum, and Diamond members) don’t receive Delta Sky Club access on international itineraries unless they’re in premium economy or business class. That’s right, Delta exclusively excludes its own frequent flyers from accessing lounges on these itineraries, while other SkyTeam Elite Plus members do get access.
What about Delta Sky Club lounge access?
Delta is the major SkyTeam airline in the United States. As mentioned above, generally lounge access policies differ in the United States, since the business model is different. Airlines in the United States try to monetize their lounges, and also sell memberships.
If you’re traveling within the United States on Delta, what does that mean for lounge access?
- A first or business class ticket within the United States on Delta generally won’t get you lounge access, with the exception of a limited number of premium routes
- SkyTeam Elite Plus status earned through all airlines wouldn’t get you access to Delta Sky Clubs when traveling within the United States
Fortunately there are lots of other ways to get Delta Sky Club access, including by having select credit cards.
See my detailed post on Delta Sky Club access.
Bottom line
One of the great things about the global airline alliances is the reciprocal lounge access perks they offer to those traveling in premium cabins, as well as elite members. This is worth knowing, because in many cases you may have access to better lounges than you expect — don’t necessarily just go to the lounge that your airline gives you an “invitation” for.
While there are great perks to SkyTeam lounge access, in general I consider the alliance to be the weakest of the “big three” when it comes to reciprocal lounge access.
SkyTeam first & business class passengers can visit lounges when traveling internationally same day, though all segments must be in first & business class, and no guests are allowed. SkyTeam Elite Plus members also receive lounge access when traveling internationally, and are allowed one guest.
What has your experience been with SkyTeam lounge access?
"It’s interesting how SkyTeam Elite Plus members don’t receive lounge access when traveling within the United States, even if they earn status with a foreign SkyTeam airline."
Not correct. Here's the rule:
Lounge access is reserved for Elite Plus, First and Business Class customers flying on a same-day international flight operated by a SkyTeam member airline or transferring between flights (domestic or international) operated by two SkyTeam members.
Customers traveling on domestic flights must have...
"It’s interesting how SkyTeam Elite Plus members don’t receive lounge access when traveling within the United States, even if they earn status with a foreign SkyTeam airline."
Not correct. Here's the rule:
Lounge access is reserved for Elite Plus, First and Business Class customers flying on a same-day international flight operated by a SkyTeam member airline or transferring between flights (domestic or international) operated by two SkyTeam members.
Customers traveling on domestic flights must have an itinerary comprising a transfer from a domestic flight to an international flight or a domestic flight to another domestic flight, followed by a transfer to an international flight. Entry time will be for a minimum of 3 hours prior to departure.
"SkyTeam Elite Plus members who earn their status through Delta SkyMiles can only access SkyTeam member airline lounges when flying with Delta"
Wait, what? So a DL GM or higher can't access a KL lounge in AMS or an AF lounge in CDG if they're flying AF, KL, etc.? :-o I had no idea that DL elites were even more screwed than I thought.
@Ben, Oh, never mind. Combined with @Jim's comment, I take it you meant something like this instead:
"SkyTeam Elite Plus members who earn their status through Delta SkyMiles can access SkyTeam member airline lounges when flying with Delta or any SkyTeam airline. They can only access third party lounges if flying on SkyTeam airlines other than Delta."
It's similar to the confusing phrasing about the *A access policy with United elites and United Clubs. The...
@Ben, Oh, never mind. Combined with @Jim's comment, I take it you meant something like this instead:
"SkyTeam Elite Plus members who earn their status through Delta SkyMiles can access SkyTeam member airline lounges when flying with Delta or any SkyTeam airline. They can only access third party lounges if flying on SkyTeam airlines other than Delta."
It's similar to the confusing phrasing about the *A access policy with United elites and United Clubs. The "only" threw me off.
I got a question. I am Skyteam Elite Plus (through Flying Blue Gold) and will be flying on a KLM flight. Having said that I am choosing to credit the segment to Air Europa Suma. The ticketing officer says I will lose all Gold benefits including lounge access. Is it true?
If I may offer a correction to "SkyTeam Elite Plus members who earn their status through Delta SkyMiles can only access SkyTeam member airline lounges, and can’t access third party lounges"
That's accurate if the relevant flight is operated by DL. But DL Elites *do* get access to third-party lounges when on other metal (i.e. KL, AF, AZ, KE). Remember DL is about revenue above all else, whereas other SkyTeam airlines at least pay lip service to loyalty.
@ Jim -- Great clarification, thank you. I updated the post to reflect that.
But even on other metal, isn't Delta still being billed for the visit by SkyMiles Elite+ member?
Do you get lounge access if arriving internationally in business but connect to a domestic flight in first?
Additionally, when using the SkyTeam lounge finder, why do only some airlines show up on some lounges? Isn't it an alliance wide policy to get access to ALL SkyTeam lounges, and not a selected few?
Also, I wish the SkyTeam lounge finder wasn't so hopeless. So buggy.
@ E39 -- Yep, you do get access during connections as well, like the scenario you describe.
You do get access to all eligible SkyTeam lounges, but that doesn't necessarily include every lounge run by a SkyTeam airline. When specific airlines are listed on the SkyTeam lounge finder, that doesn't mean that others can't access the lounges, but rather those are just the airlines that specifically contract to use that lounge.