Strange interpretation of next onward flight

[ajw373]

I am sitting in the JAS lounge in Jakarta at the moment having just had bit of argument with staff about access.

I am flying to Singapore on Jetstar Asia (3K). According to Qantas lounge access rules gold frequent flyers (eg me) have access if your onwards flight is on, among other airlines 3K. However the lounge dragons when I arrived asked for my connecting boarding pass.

I told them I am just flying to Singapore so don't have a connecting flight so they said no access. Pulled up the page on Qantas.com where it says next onwards flight for gold could be on 3k and says nothing about connecting flight, but the dragon pointed at it and said see your next onwards flight needs to be on Jetstar, Qantas etc.

I said it is who do you think I am flying to Singapore on, but no they said next onwards flight means in my case my connecting flight out of Singapore.

Really bizarre interpretation in my book. But this being Indonesia and with my bemused look they decided to take pity and allow me in so wrote me down on their Jetstar sheet and just make up my "connecting" flight.

Quite amusing I reckon.

Though I do wonder if they might actually be right and the Qantas website is a bit ambiguous in this case. Because to be honest the lounge here isn't mentioned on the Jetstar website.

 

[medhead]

Perhaps confusion about the meaning of "next onwards" versus "next" or "onwards". Your next flight would be Jakarta to SIN, as would your onwards flight. But the "next onwards" flight could be the next flight taking you onwards after your Jakarta to SIN flight.

 

[dajop]

Do Jetstar (status) pax even get access to non QF operated lounges?

 

[Stan0]

I had the exact same problem Thursday afternoon, but after 4 days of being beaten down by the Jakarta traffic I wasn't in any mood for an extended debate.... so walked away and settled for Krispy Kreme donuts instead.

I can only imagine they are costing themselves money by not letting eligible people in.

 

[Austman]

they said no access. Pulled up the page on Qantas.com where it says next onwards flight for gold could be on 3k and says nothing about connecting flight, but the dragon pointed at it and said see your next onwards flight needs to be on Jetstar, Qantas etc.

Ridiculous and 100% wrong interpretation of the rules! It's ALWAYS next onward flight - regardless! I hope they let you in.

qantas.com lounge access rules must get 2/10 for clarity of the rules.

 

[ogs70]

I am sitting in the JAS lounge

According to Qantas lounge access rules

I'm a bit confused as the JAS lounge is not a Qantas lounge.

Lounge access on Jetstar flights for QF frequent flyers is exclusively for QF operated lounges, unless flying J with the max bundle.

 

[Austman]

I'm a bit confused as the JAS lounge is not a Qantas lounge. Lounge access on Jetstar flights for QF frequent flyers is exclusively for QF operated lounges, unless flying and J with the max bundle.

Maybe true but it's not what qantas.com says. It seems the JAS lounge staff interpreted "next onward flight" as the flight after the current one...

 

[moa999]

I'm a bit confused as the JAS lounge is not a Qantas lounge.

Lounge access on Jetstar flights for QF frequent flyers is exclusively for QF operated lounges, unless flying J with the max bundle.

Jakarta is listed as an Associated lounge, and has its own page:
Lounge Locations | Indonesia | Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport | Associated Lounges



That said I agree with ogs70, that I didn't believe that elites flying JQ got access to the third party lounges.
Even stranger is the statement on oneworld elites:

"Next onward flight that day must be on a oneworld operated and marketed flight.#
One guest allowed and must be travelling on a oneworld operated and marketed flight.#"

So as a hypothetical AA Exec Plat, flying on QR to DOH or CX to HKG, I would be able to access the Qantas 3rd party lounge (at QF expense)...
Definitely something wrong with the whole page.

 

[ogs70]

Jakarta is listed as an Associated lounge, and has its own page:
Lounge Locations | Indonesia | Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport | Associated Lounges

That page actually would suggest QF status pax would have access when flying Jetstar. I had no idea, unless it has been lazily copy and pasted from the non-partner lounge terms.

 

[danny09]

interesting really, how un clear it is, so whats the definition of "next onward flight"?

 

[Austman]

Other Associated Lounges have the same rules - eg CHC. Flying JQ should get QF status pax access if the lounge is open...

 

[serfty]

It really is a strange interpretation of the rules.

I suggest a PM to red roo ...

 

[ajw373]

I'm a bit confused as the JAS lounge is not a Qantas lounge.

Lounge access on Jetstar flights for QF frequent flyers is exclusively for QF operated lounges, unless flying J with the max bundle.

You are most correct if you read the Jetstar website and to be honest I think this is very much the intent. Logically so too. By all rights I think the dragons initial refusal was right even if their interpretation of what makes a next onwards flight is a bit warped.

But that said if you read the Qantas website re access it quite clearly says a Qantas gold flying Jetstar with a 3K flight number gets access no mention what so ever that this only applies if your are connecting to Qantas later.

So basically very unclear rules it would seem.

Ps didn't mention in first post but I asked at check in if I had access to which the agent said yes and told me where to find the lounge b

 

[dk4]

Lounge access on Jetstar flights for QF frequent flyers is exclusively for QF operated lounges, unless flying J with the max bundle.

Other Associated Lounges have the same rules - eg CHC. Flying JQ should get QF status pax access if the lounge is open...

IIRC, a special exemption was made for the CHC associated lounge, when it transitioned from being a Qantas operated lounge to independence - so QP/status holding passengers departing on JQ still get access at CHC, but not other associated lounges?

 

[BD1959]

There's a simple remedy to all of this - just don't fly Jetstar!!

Regards,

BD

 

[ajw373]

There's a simple remedy to all of this - just don't fly Jetstar!!

Regards,

BD

That is what I will be doing. This was actually my first time ever with the orange cancer see why people despise them so so much.

My wife, her sister and niece flew to Singapore from BKK to meet me. They had another odd experience onboard. We brought a package that included at $10sgd voucher but on board all thy had for sale was instant noodles. No other food on the menu was available and they were sitting in row 6. So basically had a voucher that was more or less useless and non transferable. Good way to make some dosh I reckon.

And just now I sent the sister in law and neice home to Bangkok and experiences a head bashing experience at checkin in Singapore.

Being shuffled from queue to queue because the girls were apparently too early for checkin despite being there 90 minutes before. Turns out the real issue is my niece was 13 and travelling with someone with different surname but frustrating to be shuffled from pillar to post just to checkin.

At the time it was kiosk which we tried first or manual checkin for a flight to Ho Chi Minh City but no general assurance queue.

So really not sure if it was worth it.

The wife and I fly out latter today on these mongrels was looking forward to sampling the Qantas lounge until I realised the lounge doesn't open until 230pm which is about the time we need to be at the opposite end of the terminal. Oh well next time will fly SQ. At least never much issue with them and get lounge access due to being Virgin Gold (at Singapore anyway).

 

[dajop]

Flying SQ is one way of fixing the lounge access issue if you have status that allows access. However on regional flights from SIN they are often a lot more expensive (sometimes $500 return vs $200 on Jetstar). With the savings you can buy lounge access and/or preflight meal and still have lots is money left over.

 

[ajw373]

Flying SQ is one way of fixing the lounge access issue if you have status that allows access. However on regional flights from SIN they are often a lot more expensive (sometimes $500 return vs $200 on Jetstar). With the savings you can buy lounge access and/or preflight meal and still have lots is money left over.

Main issue at the end of the day is the run around. Lounge access don't really need it though if it says I have or should have access I will use it. But to me it is little things like my wife's flight where they didn't have food to use a voucher on or the run around at checkin this morning for my family.

Funnily enough this afternoon the wife me and the infant check in use machine and not surprisingly get bounced. One person says join general checkin queue another after I lined up said use self serve assistance queue. Used that and now sitting at Texas chicken having lunch. Still 15 mins till Lounge opens.

 

[moa999]

Unfortunately the rules are neither clear nor internally consistent and the staff often have yet another set of rules or are not well trained... Can make it frustrating.

 

[SpudOz]

Wading into the debate is the following definition of an onward journey:

An onward ticket is a proof of a booked train or airline ticket originating from the country about to be entered.[SUP][1] {source: Wikipedia}

[/SUP]In order for this passenger who lands in a country (in this case Indonesia), his NEXT flight must be an onward flight on an eligible airline (in this case being Jetstar). There is no other interpretation. Unfortunately, I believe the passenger was subject to the interpretation of the rules by someone who is not entirely fluent in English and its idioms, tenses and contexts.