Top tier members of the oneworld alliance receive emerald status, which is the highest you can achieve. Apart from the usual benefits like extra baggage and so on, the big perk is access to some of the best airline lounges in the world.
These exclusive spaces are mainly reserved for first class passengers and emerald level frequent flyers only. That means you can be on a cheap economy class ticket yet still get in to the best lounge, thanks to your status.
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- This is the green emerald symbol
Here’s a list of the lounges and facilities that are available around the world exclusively to emerald card holders. Lounges where both emerald and sapphire members are welcome are not listed here – that would be all the rest of them!
Auckland, New Zealand
Qantas International First Lounge
Brisbane, Australia
Qantas Domestic Business Lounge
Canberra, Australia
Qantas Domestic Business Lounge
Chicago, United States
Terminal 5 – British Airways First Lounge
Doha, Qatar
Qatar Airways First Class Lounge
Helsinki, Finland
Terminal 2 – Finnair Platinum Wing
Frankfurt, Germany
Terminal 2 – Japan Airlines First Class Lounge
Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific The Pier (First Class)
Cathay Pacific The Wing (First Class)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge (First Class)
London Gatwick, England
South Terminal – British Airways First Lounge
London Heathrow, England
Terminal 3 – Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge
Terminal 3 – American Airlines International First Class Lounge
Terminal 3 – British Airways Galleries First
Terminal 5 – British Airways Galleries First
Los Angeles, United States
Tom Bradley International Terminal – Qantas First Class Lounge
Melbourne, Australia
Terminal 1 – Qantas Domestic Business Lounge
Terminal 2 – Qantas International First Lounge
New York JFK, United States
Terminal 8 – British Airways and American Airlines Soho Lounge
Perth, Australia
Terminal 4 – Qantas Domestic Business Lounge
Seattle, United States
British Airways Terraces First Class Lounge
Singapore
Terminal 1 – Qantas International First Lounge
Sydney, Australia
Terminal 1 – Qantas International First Lounge
Terminal 3 – Qantas Domestic Business Lounge
Tokyo Haneda, Japan
Japan Airlines First Class Lounge
Tokyo Narita, Japan
Terminal 2 – Japan Airlines First Class Lounge
Special Check-In And Security
There are some other places that oneworld emerald members can access. At London Heathrow Terminal 5, emerald level frequent flyers can access The First Wing, a dedicated check-in and security screening area.
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- British Airways’ First Wing
At American Airlines, Flagship First Check-in is available at all times for emerald members who are not part of the AAdvantage programme (AAdvantage members are restricted generally to international itineraries). These are located in Chicago O’Hare, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Miami and New York.
Oneworld Emerald? It Means Nothing Here
There are premium facilities operated by oneworld airlines which require you to be flying in first class or business class. An emerald card will not provide access to these exclusive spaces.
These include the Qatar Airways Al Safwa and Al Mourjan lounges in Doha, for first and business class passengers respectively. Also, the Qatar Airways Premium Lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 4, Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 1, Singapore, Bangkok and Beirut have the same restriction.
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- The Concorde Dining room in Washington is for First Class passengers only
At British Airways, the card won’t get you into the Concorde Room lounge at London Heathrow or the British Airways and American Airlines Chelsea lounge at New York JFK. Nor will you be able to access the Concorde dining room at Washington Dulles or the Concorde Bar in Singapore and Dubai. All of these are generally for ticketed first class passengers only.
Heading down under, you won’t be able to access the Qantas Chairmans Lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth. These are invitation only facilities so not even a first class or business class ticket gets you in. Last but not least, SriLankan Airlines’ Serendib lounge is off limits in Colombo.
Overall Thoughts
It is great to see a whole array of lounges specifically for oneworld emerald frequent flyers. Of course, they are all shared with first class passengers for the most part, but who’s complaining?
The most highly rated lounges include the Qantas International First Class lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, and Cathay Pacific’s The Pier lounge in Hong Kong. For the most unique service offered, it might have to be the sauna in the Finnair Platinum Wing in Helsinki.
Have you visited any of these facilities and if so, which are your favourites and why? Have I missed anything from the list? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by Masahiro Takagi from Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan via Wikimedia Commons.
Good article – just got to BA gold for the first time, so this is v handy!
I put it together right after I went BA gold again, as there wasn’t one I could find anywhere. Glad to hear it’s come in handy!
It’s more planning for next year and beyond and hoping travel starts to get back to bit of normality! At the moment, we’ve got trips to Berlin in March (doubtful it will go ahead) and Lisbon in May (more hopeful). Tho, now might see if we Can get to Helsinki so we try that lovely looking first class lounge! You still all set for your return to Australia trip?
Cross fingers you manage to get away on at least one of those trips! Yes, everything is set now and it’s only a couple of weeks away so I don’t expect any further cancellations. Here’s hoping I make it!
Regarding Sri Lanka CMB, if you are flying on a One World paid Business Class ticket, with Emerald status, irrespective of One World airline they will allow you into Serendib Lounge. If you are Emerald flying on an Economy ticket you will be punted to the dramatically inferior Serendiva Lounge, it’s horrendous, its dark, crowded, filthy. And poor old Sri Lankan aren’t the least bit embarrassed by it. I won’t ever go there again.
Good to know you can access the Serendib lounge if you’re travelling other oneworld airlines, as long as it’s in business class or first class. Looks like that’s the way to go, because the other lounge sounds positively dire from your description!! 🙂 Thanks for that information, I really appreciate it!
Having OneWorld Emerald status through AA, for example, does not get one access to the Qantas First Lounge @ LAX unless flying on an international itinerary.
That would be the only exception on this list, and won’t be news to anyone who is a member of the AAdvantage programme. All other oneworld frequent flyers have access as per normal. Thank you for pointing that out, I appreciate it!
Is that only AA then? I have Emerald through QR. Before the global panic I was flying AA domestic in USA and headed into the QF F Lounge, no questions asked….. and on 4 or 5 times previously
Yes, it’s only AA. Members of the AAdvantage programme don’t have lounge access on almost all domestic itineraries within the USA, even if they are Sapphire and Emerald. It’s just a completely different rule for them. All the rest of us with Sapphire and Emerald on any other oneworld airline can access all the US lounges as we would anywhere in the world. American offers paid access to their Admirals Clubs, which is $550 to $650 a year, or you can get it free with certain credit cards – that’s just their specific model that differs from all the other… Read more »