Airport lounge requires customers to have 73 billion VND to use

(Dan Tri) - Although he had a VIP card, the guest could not prove that he had 20 million yuan (more than 73 billion VND) in his account, so he was still denied access to the international first-class lounge at the airport in Chengdu (China).

A VIP airport lounge in China is facing fierce criticism after it introduced a rule requiring passengers to prove they have assets worth at least 20 million yuan (equivalent to about 73 billion VND) to be allowed to use it. The reason given by the management is to "ensure service quality".

On July 17, a Chinese netizen shared on social media that she is a VIP card holder of the Golden Sunflower program issued by China Merchants Bank.

He had purchased an economy class ticket, but wanted to rest in the first class and business class lounges at Terminal 1 of Tianfu International Airport in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province.

Because he arrived at the airport early and wanted to find an empty lounge to rest, the customer realized that his card had accumulated enough points and wanted to use it. However, this customer was denied the right to use the VIP lounge at the airport because he could not prove that he owned 20 million yuan (more than 73 billion VND).

The guest said that when he called to contact, the VIP lounge staff said that the guest must own 20 million yuan in assets. Real estate and vehicles are not included in this amount.

"I don't understand why they set a limit of 20 million yuan and 9 points on the card. If the customer was rich, they would buy a business class ticket directly, without having to bother exchanging points to enter the lounge. Does poverty limit my imagination?" the customer sarcastically said.

According to public information, Golden Sunflower VIP cardholders must ensure an average monthly balance of at least 500,000 yuan (1.8 billion VND) to open and maintain the card. One of the legitimate rights of cardholders is to use airport lounges.

Therefore, customers who own this type of card are very upset when they know they are denied access to the lounge.

To use this lounge, guests must prove they have at least 73 billion VND in their account (Photo: News).

Responding to the controversial regulation, a representative of the airport lounge said that if passengers buy business class tickets, they will be able to enter the VIP lounge directly. Otherwise, they will have to pay a fee of 600 yuan (2.1 million VND) for each use.

For VIP cardholders of the Golden Sunflower program issued by the Commercial Bank of China, proof of ownership of assets exceeding 20 million yuan is required. The use of the lounge must be booked in advance and confirmed with the issuing bank.

Regarding the controversial incident, a spokesperson for China Commercial Bank also spoke up, confirming that this regulation has been applied since June 2024.

To use the international first-class lounge at Chengdu Tianfu Airport, cardholders need to redeem nine points and prove financial assets of at least 20 million yuan, the bank said.

This requirement is currently only applied at Thien Phu airport due to the high traffic volume causing the lounge to be overloaded. This has led to the airport lounge management having to adjust the rules further to maintain service quality.

Lawyer Truong Hoc Quyen, CEO of Son Thang Phuc Kien law firm, said the bank's move could violate consumer rights and is legally unreasonable.

“Raising the criteria from 500,000 yuan (1.8 billion VND) to 20 million yuan (73 billion VND), a 40-fold increase, and excluding tangible assets such as real estate and vehicles, and only counting financial assets, is completely excessive. Customers who once met the old criteria are clearly being deprived of their legitimate rights by unfair terms,” the lawyer emphasized.

The new regulation continues to cause fierce debate on social networks in the country of a billion people.

Many people sarcastically said that the lounge management is raising the standards too high just because customers have too many demands.

"If the waiting room is still overloaded in the future, they might require proof of having more than 50 million yuan - 183 billion VND," a Weibo account sarcastically said.

"This is the consequence of the Golden Sunflower program card being issued too easily. When customers register, they advertise the right to use the VIP lounge, but now they demand to check their assets. This is ruining the image of the card," another account was upset.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/phong-cho-san-bay-yeu-cau-khach-phai-co-73-ty-dong-moi-duoc-su-dung-20250728103240075.htm