Contract lounges: flying VS with SkyTeam Elite Plus status

Hello, new member here! I asked this question on another forum a while ago but never got a reply, so here goes...

First of all, I am a AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum status holder (i.e. SkyTeam Elite Plus), so should have lounge access with any SkyTeam-operated flight. Most of my flights are with AF/KLM and I have no issue entering third-party/contract lounges, and generally I find the SkyTeam Lounge Finder very accurate in terms of showing the lounges available to AF/KL pax at any given airport.

With VS it seems to be a bit more complicated. When flying VS from MIA to LHR in economy last year, I knew there was not a VS Clubhouse but had read on the Virgin website that they use the LATAM lounge instead - however, like many of the third-party lounges listed on the VS website, it mentioned this was for their Upper Class passengers only. The same was told to me at check-in, however I pointed out that as a SkyTeam Elite Plus passenger flying with a SkyTeam member on an international flight, I was entitled to lounge access somewhere. They checked but reconfirmed that I couldn't use the LATAM lounge, without providing any alternatives, so I left it. Fortunately, there was a Delta Sky Club at MIA - although not specifically listed on the SkyTeam Lounge Finder as being accessible to VS pax with STE+ status, they let me in no problem, so on this occasion I was ok.

However, it got me thinking, what rights do SkyTeam Elite Plus customers have where there is no Virgin/SkyTeam airline lounge and the only provision Virgin makes with contract lounges is for their Upper Class passengers (and possibly their own Flying Club Gold members), which I believe is particularly true in the Caribbean where it's only contract lounges with no SkyTeam-affiliated alternatives? Do STE+ members from other programmes (i.e. not VS Flying Club) like me go without any lounge access?

It seems that despite being part of SkyTeam for 18 months now, very little has changed. The SkyTeam Lounge Finder only shows the VS Clubhouses, most other VS destinations show no lounges for STE+ status holders, which I believe goes against SkyTeam's policy.

Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated!

Just to add to this, I've gone through all VS destinations on the SkyTeam Lounge Finder. Only 10 locations explicitly have the Virgin Atlantic logo against them (5 of which are the VS Clubhouses):

LHR – Clubhouse
JFK – Clubhouse
IAD – Clubhouse
SFO – Clubhouse
JNB – Clubhouse
ATL – Delta Sky Club
BOS – Delta Sky Club
MCO – Delta Sky Club
SEA - Delta Sky Club
DXB – SkyTeam Lounge


As for all the other lounges listed on the VS website, they either don't appear on the SkyTeam Lounge Finder at all, or don't have the Virgin Atlantic logo against them, meaning there is real ambiguity as to whether SkyTeam Elite Plus members on a VS-operated flight would have access. The only exception is PVG, where Virgin specifically mentions SkyTeam Elite Plus in the lounge description on their website (it's a China Eastern lounge, so a SkyTeam member).

MAN – 1903 Lounge (VS site says for Upper Class passengers)
EDI – Plaza Premium Lounge
LAS – The Club at LAS (VS site says for Upper Class passengers)
LAX – Star Alliance Lounge
MIA – Delta Sky Club (interestingly it's no longer LATAM. Delta would of course allow access here as a SkyTeam member lounge)
TPA – International Club Lounge (VS site says for Upper Class passengers and Gold card holders)
ANU - Executive Lounge (VS site says for Upper Class passengers)
NAS - The Lignum Club Lounge (VS site says for Upper Class passengers)
BGI - Airlines Executive Lounge (VS site says for Upper Class passengers)
GND - IAM Jet Centre
MBJ - Club MoBay Departure Lounge (VS site says for Upper Class passengers)
UVF - Iyanola Executive Lounge
BLR - 080 International Lounge
DEL - Encalm Lounge (VS site says for Upper Class passengers)
MLE – Leeli Lounge
BOM - Adani West Lounge
PVG – China Eastern No 36 (VS site says for Upper Class passengers and SkyTeam Elite Plus)
CPT – Bidvest Lounge
LOS – Oasis Lounge (VS site says for Upper Class passengers)
TLV - Dan Lounge


Unless otherwise stated above, the VS website says nothing about the access policy for these third-party lounges. I suppose for Flying Club Gold members flying Economy/Premium, things are also uncertain when VS say "for Upper Class" only on their website for many such locations, despite SkyTeam rules now giving them the right to lounge access since VS joined the alliance.