ACCESS DENIED

I’m a Star Alliance gold member and in

June travelled on TAP Air Portugal flight TP1201 from Moscow Domodedovo to Lisbon in business class. No lounge was available for TAP passengers at Moscow.

At check-in I was told that TAP ceased agreement with contract lounges at Domodedovo and 38 other airports at the end of April. Lounge access at Barcelona El Prat, Madrid Barajas, Paris Orly, Ben Gurion [Tel Aviv] and Port Bouet [Ivory Coast] is granted only to business class flyers, not gold members.

I had no choice but to sit in front of the Austrian business lounge and watch all the other Star Alliance eligible passengers going in. All Star airlines flying to Domodedovo have a contract lounge for their customers, except TAP. If this new policy is to continue I will choose alternative Star carriers in future.

Nuno Jesus, Madeira

TAP AIR PORTUGAL REPLIES:

Due to operational issues, TAP Executive passengers’ access to the Domodedovo airport lounge has been temporarily suspended; nonetheless, we are finalising the procedures to reinstate this access.