Until April 2025, it was a fixed rule that you need a business class ticket or international connection flight to access SkyTeam lounges before domestic journeys. It was a welcome surprise when members of the alliance changed that rule. Six months after the the initial 25 lounges opened their gates to SkyTeam Elite Plus status holders on domestic flights, the list has been expanded to more than seventy locations.
The document linked above shows all lounges, and can therefore be a little confusing. We have compiled a list that just includes affected airports, sorted by the hosting airline. New entries are printed bold.
Show the complete list of lounges
| Airport | City | Operator |
|---|---|---|
| CUU | Chihuahua | Aeromexico |
| GDL | Guadalajara | Aeromexico |
| MEX | Mexico City | Aeromexico |
| MID | Merida | Aeromexico |
| MTY | Monterrey | Aeromexico |
| TRC | Torreon | Aeromexico |
| CDG | Paris | Air France |
| ORY | Paris | Air France |
| BOD | Bordeaux | Air France |
| GVA | Geneva | Air France |
| BOS | Boston | Air France |
| IAD | Washington D.C. | Air France |
| JFK | New York City | Air France |
| SFO | San Francisco | Air France |
| LAX | Los Angeles | Air France |
| IAH | Houston | Air France |
| IAH | Houston | KLM |
| CGK | Jakarta | Garuda Indonesia |
| DPS | Bali | Garuda Indonesia |
| NBO | Nairobi | Kenya Airways |
| CJU | Jeju | Korean Air |
| GMP | Seoul | Korean Air |
| HNL | Honolulu | Korean Air |
| JFK | New York | Korean Air |
| PUS | Busan | Korean Air |
| CTU | Chengdu | China Eastern |
| TFU | Chengdu | China Eastern |
| HFE | Hefei | China Eastern |
| KHN | Nanchang | China Eastern |
| KMG | Kunming | China Eastern |
| LHW | Lanzhou | China Eastern |
| NGB | Ningbo | China Eastern |
| NKG | Nanjing | China Eastern |
| PEK | Beijing | China Eastern |
| PKX | Beijing | China Eastern |
| PVG | Shanghai | China Eastern |
| SHA | Shanghai | China Eastern |
| TAO | Qingdao | China Eastern |
| TNA | Jinan | China Eastern |
| TYN | Taiyuan | China Eastern |
| WUH | Wuhan | China Eastern |
| WUX | Wuxi | China Eastern |
| XIY | Xi’An | China Eastern |
| ARN | Stockholm | SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
| CPH | Copenhagen | SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
| GOT | Gothenburg | SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
| OSL | Oslo | SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
| EWR | New York City / Newark | SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
| ORD | Chicago | SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
| JED | Jeddah | Saudia |
| RUH | Riyadh | Saudia |
| HAN | Hanoi | Vietnam Airlines |
| SGN | Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam Airlines |
| FOC | Fuzhou | Xiamen Air |
| HGH | Hangzhou | Xiamen Air |
| JJN | Jinjiang | Xiamen Air |
| XMN | Xiamen | Xiamen Air |
Most Changes in China, Mexico & South Korea
As you can easily see from the distribution of our list, status holders on domestic itineraries in China, South Korea and Mexico benefit most from the latest changes. With China Eastern and Xiamen Air, two Chinese airlines have opened almost all of their domestic lounges to frequent flyers. This is good news, not only because of China’s extensive domestic flight network. From personal experience, the domestic lounges are often more enjoyable than their international counterparts.
The other two airlines opening up lounges on a large scale are Korean Air and Aeromexico. On the world’s busiest route (Seoul to Jeju), SkyTeam Elite Plus members can now enjoy lounge access in each direction. Outside entire airlines changing lounge access rules, the addition of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is noteworthy. Due to slow ground transport, air travel is important to Vietnam, and lounge access on domestic routes was previously possible only in Hanoi.
Delta SkyClubs Still Missing From the List
The most glaring omission from the list remains Delta Air Lines, but American travellers on domestic itineraries are in a special situation anyway. In most cases, not even business class tickets grant lounge access. Other members like Saudia limit lounge access to their hubs. Carriers like Taiwan’s China Airlines are missing because they simply don’t operate domestic flights.
While most frequent flyers will benefit from these rules in one way or another, there are two notable exceptions. Delta SkyMiles tier holders are denied lounge access on any domestic itinerary in the US, to both Delta and SkyTeam partner lounges. If you gained your SkyTeam status through Aerolíneas Argentinas, you still can’t access any SkyTeam lounge before a domestic flight.
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