Airline Lounge 'pub crawl'

[justinbrett]

I'm about to set off on a RTW trip with a friend, flying a mixture of QF, BA and AA.

Just wondering, at places like JFK and LHR, is it possible to visit more than one lounge in a single visit? (Ie, start of at the Qantas Club, then go to the Terraces Lounge and then the Admirals Club).

I'm QF Gold so I know I can access any OW club I like, but my understanding was that someone has to pay for me to visit a lounge and I was thinking they might not appreciate me visiting three lounges in one go.

Also, can you go to a lounge in another terminal?

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Just wondering, at places like JFK and LHR, is it possible to visit more than one lounge in a single visit? (Ie, start of at the Qantas Club, then go to the Terraces Lounge and then the Admirals Club).

I'm QF Gold so I know I can access any OW club I like, but my understanding was that someone has to pay for me to visit a lounge and I was thinking they might not appreciate me visiting three lounges in one go.

Also, can you go to a lounge in another terminal?

You have to have access to the part of the airport the lounge is in, and it has to be open. Most lounges are airside, and many major airports (which tend to be the ones with multiple OW lounges) have separate terminals for some airlines. So lounge hopping is only possible in a few locations.

Yup FFPs do not like it (unless you are hopping between their own lounges). There have been reports on Flyer Talk of *A lounges in some locations not accepting passengers who just came from another *A lounge at the same airport (ICN springs to mind).

 

[vt01]

I'm about to set off on a RTW trip with a friend, flying a mixture of QF, BA and AA.

Just wondering, at places like JFK and LHR, is it possible to visit more than one lounge in a single visit? (Ie, start of at the Qantas Club, then go to the Terraces Lounge and then the Admirals Club).

I'm QF Gold so I know I can access any OW club I like, but my understanding was that someone has to pay for me to visit a lounge and I was thinking they might not appreciate me visiting three lounges in one go.

I did this recently in Singapore. I'm WP so went from the QF/BA FCL to the BCL and then down to the CX lounge. They looked at me strangely at the CX lounge and told me I could use the QF lounge but I said I wanted to use this lounge. So they let me..
I also used to do this at HKG quite regularly.. Went to the Wing, the Pier and QF/BA lounge both FCL and BCL.. i liked the single malt scotch in the the CX lounges but preferred the Haagan Daaz in the QF/BA FCL

 

[Dave Noble]

I'm about to set off on a RTW trip with a friend, flying a mixture of QF, BA and AA.

Just wondering, at places like JFK and LHR, is it possible to visit more than one lounge in a single visit? (Ie, start of at the Qantas Club, then go to the Terraces Lounge and then the Admirals Club).

At JFK, you will, iirc, be only able to get beyond security in the terminal from which you are departing. If on BA/QF, that is T7 and so you can visit the BA Terraces, if on AA, then T9/T9 and can visit the AC

At LHR, BAA regulations only permit lounge access in the terminal from which you are departing.

That pretty much limits you to

At T1, BA Terraces
At T2, IB
at T3, AA Admirals Club or Cathay lounge
at T4, either of the 2 BA Terraces

so unless departing from T3, there is little choice of lounge. I think that there is currently an EI lounge but they are departing OW as from sunday

Dave

 

[justinbrett]

The two places I'm most likely to do this is IAD and LAX (T4).

I'm flying IAD - LAX with AA and LAX - SYD with QF.

Is the Qantas Club at LAX T4 a seperate club to the Admirals Club? Because the QF site says its a joint club, but the enterance to the QP is inside the Admirals club. Also, the LAX Admirals Club says you have to pay for drinks (like all Admirals Clubs, I assume) but surely a QF passenger with QF status in a QF club (joint or otherwise) won't have to pay for drinks?

I know it will probably be a different story at IAD hence why I want to go to the Terraces Lounge.

 

[JohnK]

Is the Qantas Club at LAX T4 a seperate club to the Admirals Club? Because the QF site says its a joint club, but the enterance to the QP is inside the Admirals club. Also, the LAX Admirals Club says you have to pay for drinks (like all Admirals Clubs, I assume) but surely a QF passenger with QF status in a QF club (joint or otherwise) won't have to pay for drinks?

From what I understand as a QF status member you should get 2 drink vouchers in Admirals Club lounge. Tip US$1 per drink is customary. Some people have mentioned that they have been able to source more than 2 drink vouchers on some occassions.

 

[justinbrett]

From what I understand as a QF status member you should get 2 drink vouchers in Admirals Club lounge. Tip US$1 per drink is customary. Some people have mentioned that they have been able to source more than 2 drink vouchers on some occassions.

Two drink vouchers? They seriously underestimate my drinking capabilities.

I'd expect this at IAD as it has nothing to do with Qantas Club - but as LAX is a joint club QF members should get what they earnt/paid for!

 

[JohnK]

Two drink vouchers? They seriously underestimate my drinking capabilities.

I am not the expert but I think this is the case in all lounges in the USA for QF status members.

Nothing stopping you going back and asking for 2 more vouchers, or even more!

 

[Skyring]

I am not the expert but I think this is the case in all lounges in the USA for QF status members.

Nothing stopping you going back and asking for 2 more vouchers, or even more!

It was indicated to me that if I wanted more, just come back and ask. I went away thinking that I had a winning smile.

Oh well.

Not that these are much use to me. I usually travel alone, and I have little interest in drinking alone.

 

[NM]

At IAD, not that the BA lounge is only open for a few hours before each of the BA flights depart.

At LAX T4, the lounge is a joint AA/QF lounge. There is no separate QF lounge. I have arrived into T4 and used the T4 lounge before heading to the TBI lounge (CX) prior to departure.

In HKG its easy to visit both the joint QF/BA lounge and the two CX lounges (The Wing and The Pier).

Not too many other places this can be done. Try MIA for BA and AA lounges, LHR or LGW for BA arrivals lounge (land-side) and Terraces lounge (air-side). But note the access requirements for the arrivals lounge and allow enough time for clearing immigration to get to the arrivals lounge. At HEL, if you are departing non-Schenzen then you can use the pre-immigration lounge and the post immigration lounge.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

so unless departing from T3, there is little choice of lounge. I think that there is currently an EI lounge but they are departing OW as from sunday

Unless it has been demolished and completely rebuilt, the LHR EI lounge is a hovel. It's sole redeeming feature is it is on the long pier used for Ireland flights, thus saving a long walk back to the Terraces if you have headed to the gate too early.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

At JFK, you will, iirc, be only able to get beyond security in the terminal from which you are departing. If on BA/QF, that is T7 and so you can visit the BA Terraces, if on AA, then T9/T9 and can visit the AC

OW at JFK - AA T8 & T9, AY T8, BA T7, CX T7, (EI T4), JL T1, LA T4, QF T7, RJ T4.

No entry airside without boarding pass of that terminal. At JFK many of the lounges are landside, although some are contract lounges (thus no access without flying that airline).

 

[Dave Noble]

Unless it has been demolished and completely rebuilt, the LHR EI lounge is a hovel. It's sole redeeming feature is it is on the long pier used for Ireland flights, thus saving a long walk back to the Terraces if you have headed to the gate too early.

It was my understanding that it was not a v good lounge, however the OP wasn't asking for qualitative comparisons

Dave

 

[moa999]

Best for lounge hopping (admittedly all AA) is at DFW

Visited 4 lounges in the space of 3hrs - skytrain is great!

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Best for lounge hopping (admittedly all AA) is at DFW

Visited 4 lounges in the space of 3hrs - skytrain is great!

Hmmm. They're all Admirals Clubs, all have limited food and drinks you need to pay for. I think I'll pass on the hopping - not worth it.

 

[serfty]

Hmmm. They're all Admirals Clubs, all have limited food and drinks you need to pay for. I think I'll pass on the hopping - not worth it.

During a 3 hour transit, I did 3 AC's in DFW on the one Day last year. Received 1 Voucher in the first and 2 in the second & third.

Was late morning for the first and drink chilled water from the tap in the first lounge; still use the voucher as a bookmark.

Was only later I saw NM's advice about using a voucher in the AM for a reasonable coffee. :-|

Had a 5 hour JFK transit as well and had no problem entering the T8/9 airside AC on arrival before heading to BA's T7 lounge before my CX flight to YVR&HKG. I was going to hit the T8/9 landside AC as well, but decided to take an "air train" ride first to Station D then back to T7 instead.

 

[d15.in.oz]

...the OP wasn't asking for qualitative comparisons Dave

Yes, seems to want more of a quantitative comparison! hic

If you start at the top of the shelf, then move your way down, you become a bit more immune to the diminishing quality. Or should you start at the bottom and then head up? Ahhh, the dilemmas!

 

[Skyring]

I'd like to think that it is really really pointless to try to do as many lounges as possible, but then again, here I am trying to get the most out of a DONE4, confirming the doubts of everyone who knows me, by flying from Canberra to Sydney via Perth, as well as sundry other oddities.

So, odd away!

I'm also thinking that this is precisely the sort of thing that seperates AFF/FT folk from the rest. To do a pub crawl like this, presumably in a limited transit time (though I've had my twelve-hour transits, oh yes) needs both access to the lounges and the sort of nut-picking squirrelly research of working out which lounges are in a terminal and the best ways of getting between them. Oh yeah, and having an optimum number of drinks so you don't miss the flight.

For the record, I've never gone on a lounge crawl, apart from my last trip to Wellington, when I had a few quiet drinks with fellow member Altair (not flying that day) in the domestic QC, and then went airside to the international QC, where I didn't have time to do much else but drain out the now thoroughly filtered drinks. Which I thought was optimum use of time and facilities.

 

[Alan in CBR]

Best for lounge hopping (admittedly all AA) is at DFW

Visited 4 lounges in the space of 3hrs - skytrain is great!

If you were travelling internationally later in the day on a oneworld flight then you missed one lounge - the BA one. Small, and not open all day, but free drinks.

It was my understanding that it was not a v good lounge, however the OP wasn't asking for qualitative comparisons

Clearly, otherwise you wouldn't have mentioned the LHR T3 Admirals Club in the same sentence as the CX lounge.

 

[Dave Noble]

Clearly, otherwise you wouldn't have mentioned the LHR T3 Admirals Club in the same sentence as the CX lounge.

Indeedy. Cannot see why people would want to visit the AC when CX has a lounge

Dave