As a customer of a certain credit card company, as part of the credit card fee, I have access to a few (2-4 a year) "United club passes". Very soon I will be flying into and arriving Chicago O'Hare at ~7.00am. I have a bus out of O'Hare shuttle center to Champaign at about 4.00pm for a scientific conference. This is quite a long layover/stop-over in O'Hare and I wish to avoid large crowds, to work on a presentation. I am flying entirely within the USA (domestic flights) and my entire trip is within the USA. I do not have to change between the domestic and the international terminals.
I was wondering if I will be able to-/allowed to- use the United club in O'Hare. The official policy on their webpage states:
Effective August 18, 2016, all United Club customers, including members, are eligible to access United Club locations only when they have a flight arriving or departing on any airline the same day, and must show a boarding pass for entry. Customers who are accessing United Club locations to use a conference room do not need a boarding pass for entry.
They also have a slightly different "official" policy on a different page:
- A valid mobile or paper United Club one-time pass and boarding pass for same-day travel OR
- A valid 15-digit one-time pass number and boarding pass for same-day travel
I will have a "boarding pass" from a concluded flight but not a boarding pass for a connecting flight on the same day.
So, do any seasoned flyers know if (from anecdotal evidence or hard data) that I will be able to use the United lounge? If not, are there other options?
I have two carry-on bags that are heavy enough to be uncomfortable to walk around Chicago with. Plus, I would rather work that sight-see on this layover. The gate-side electronic stations aren't the best as they have too many faulty electric power-points.