This is pretty hot. You can get American Airlines business class Flagship Lounge access on all of your flights – even domestic flights – if you have mid-tier status with another airline.

oneworld member Royal Jordanian has a status match offer. When it was first launched, U.S. residents weren’t eligible. That’s changed. In fact, I’ve just submitted a status match request to their Gold Sparrow level.

My match was approved – and new status reflected in my account – within a few hours.

Key details:

• The cost to match to Gold status – which is oneworld sapphire – is $149.
  
• Application results within 5 business days, status valid for 12 months
  
• You need to join Royal Jordanian Royal Club first. It can be hard to navigate there from the airline’s website! Here’s the link.
  
• You’ll need to submit proof of your current airline status – photo of status card, or screen shot of your online account that shows status level and account number.
  
• They also offer status matches to hotel programs, but only to their silver level which doesn’t get you the lounge access that’s most valuable here.

oneworld sapphire and emerald members can use the American Airlines Flagship lounge at LAX and elsewhere

Some of the programs they will match against:

• Air Canada Aeroplan: 50K status and above;
  
• Air France KLM Flying Blue: Gold and above
  
• Lufthansa Group airlines: Senator and above
  
• Delta SkyMiles: Gold and above
  
• Frontier Airlines: Platinum and above
  
• JetBlue: Mosaic 2 and higher
  
• SAS EuroBonus: Gold and higher
  
• Southwest Rapid Rewards: A-List Preferred and Companion Pass
  
• Spirit Airlines Free Spirit: Gold
  
• Turkish Miles & Smiles: Elite and higher
  
• Vigin Atlantic: Gold

Naturally, oneworld anti-poaching rules mean that Royal Jordanian cannot match against American AAdvantage or Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan status.

Greenwich Lounge, New York JFK

Greenwich Lounge, New York JFK

Status is valid for a year, and if you want to requalify you need 26 segments or 30,000 miles. The status offers a complimentary upgrade per year on Royal Jordanian flights as well as immigration fast track and airport priority.

But the real gem is that it is oneworld sapphire status, which gets airport priority and baggage with oneworld partners and business class lounge access on oneworld airlines when flying with oneworld.

So you get lounge access when flying Alaska Airlines and American Airlines – Alaska Clubs, American’s Admirals Clubs, and American’s business class Flagship lounges. Specifically, eligible business class lounges include:

• New York JFK (Greenwich lounge)
  
• Chicago O’Hare (Flagship lounge)
  
• Miami (Flagship lounge)
  
• Philadelphia (Flagship lounge)
  
• Dallas – Fort Worth (Flagship lounge)
  
• Los Angeles (Flagship lounge)

American Airlines Flagship Lounge Chicago O’Hare

American Airlines Flagship Lounge Chicago O’Hare

Of course you gain access to great oneworld business clas lounges like the Cathay Pacific and Qantas lounges at London Heathrow terminal 3 as well, even if flying economy.

Qantas Business Class Lounge, London Heathrow

Cathay Pacific Business CLass Lounge, London Heathrow

As a formal matter you are supposed to credit the miles for your trip to Royal Jordanian if you’re using the benefits of British Airways status. I have never had this enforced – I’ve always been able to have lounge agents look up my oneworld status while crediting trips to American AAdvantage.

American Airlines Admirals Club, National Airport E Concourse

For those of you with status in an eligible program that is an amazing and rare offer. oneworld frequent flyer programs rarely status match U.S. members.

I don’t live in a city with a Flagship lounge. I already have access to Admirals Clubs and Alaska Lounges with my Citi Executive card. But I’ll spring the $149 for the status match to get 12 months of access to Flagship lounges on my connections, and when departing from airports that have them. For value comparison, a new American Airlines Admirals Club membership – that doesn’t offer Flagship lounge access – starts at $850.

American Airlines Flagship Lounge, Philadelphia

I’ll get plenty of use out of Royal Jordanian oneworld status .. even though my connections usually aren’t that long, and there are lounges I can use in each of these cities already. I’ve never been turned away from a Flagship lounge due to overcrowding, though some do get crowded at peak afternoon transatlantic departure times. So they can be useful when there are waits for a Capital One, American Express or Chase lounge.