The SkyTeam alliance has just announced some changes to its lounge access rules, and they’re a mixed bag.
SkyTeam lounge access changes, both good and bad
The SkyTeam alliance plans to make a series of changes to its lounge access policies for visits as of April 1, 2025. These changes impact first and business class passengers, as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus members.
Specifically, there are three main changes:
- SkyTeam Elite Plus members will start getting lounge access on domestic flights; this will initially be available at select lounges of Air France, China Eastern, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, KLM, SAS, Saudia, and Vietnam Airlines, though members of Aerolineas Argentinas’ Aerolineas Plus program and of Delta’s SkyMiles program won’t consistently receive this benefit
- SkyTeam Elite Plus members will continue to be allowed to bring one guest into lounges, though that guest must be traveling on the same SkyTeam-operated flight as the member
- SkyTeam Elite Plus members, as well as SkyTeam first and business class customers, will be subjected to a three-hour lounge access rule; those transferring between two SkyTeam-operated flights will continue to receive access for longer connections, as needed
These are some pretty significant changes:
- Currently SkyTeam Elite Plus members don’t get lounge access on domestic itineraries on account of their status
- Currently SkyTeam Elite Plus members can guest someone into a lounge who is on a separate flight, as long as it’s SkyTeam operated
- Currently the SkyTeam alliance at large doesn’t have a three-hour rule on lounge access, though some individual lounges do have such a policy
My take on SkyTeam lounge access policy changes
As you can tell, these changes to SkyTeam lounge access rules are a mixed bag. The addition of lounge access on some domestic itineraries is a hugely positive development, the change to guesting rules is mildly negative, and the three-hour rule is hugely negative, at least in my opinion.
Now, regarding the new three-hour restriction on lounge access, I’m curious to see if that’s consistently implemented across airlines or not. Obviously this policy already exists at Delta Sky Clubs. As the change is described, we’ll see the three-hour rule “introduced at more lounges.” That’s not necessarily to say it’ll be introduced at all lounges, though I guess time will tell.
Selfishly, for the purposes of reviewing lounges, that makes my life much harder. I always like to be at lounges the second they open, so that I can get “clean” pictures without anyone in them. Of course I’m the exception rather than the norm.
The SkyTeam lounge access policy has long trailed both the Star Alliance lounge access policy and oneworld lounge access policy, especially when it comes to lounge access on domestic itineraries. That being said, even with these changes, I can’t help but think that SkyTeam’s rules are just unnecessarily complicated. There are so many exceptions and exclusions, much more so than with other alliances.
Bottom line
SkyTeam is updating its lounge access policies as of April 2025. On the plus side, we’ll see SkyTeam introduce lounge access for SkyTeam Elite Plus members on many domestic itineraries. However, the rest of the changes are bad news, including restrictions on who can be guested into lounges, plus a new three-hour rule that will reportedly apply to many lounges.
What do you make of these updates to SkyTeam lounge access?
