Auckland QF J lounge is disgustingly filthy, worn out, and with s*^t food. Get it remodelled now Qantas!

[AustraliaPoochie]

Lady in ADL QF lounge tonight was changing her baby’s diaper on one of the sofas!
Not even a towel or blanket being used.
I honestly just don’t get people sometimes

(O/T):, Ta for that tip.
Lucky I decided to drop my QP membership a while back, **not worth it seeing that QF QP membership does not give anything back, really.**
Nar even a guaranteed shadow for being a QF QP, ...
Will be buying the seat next to me, together with my own seat, travelling Y from now on with QF.
Must have been an ick moment, when you first noticed what she was "practically" doing.
Would have been a shock for the "poor" cleaning person if the parent had put the used thing into a regular rubbish bin in the kids zone or near there, or worst, in the zone where the bar is, or the windows facing the carpark are.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Pushka, think about it, can't be a coincidence can it be, that the line (of what ever it is), appears to be on the same spot on the 2 different chairs, at the frontal "crotch" area, on both the seats just seem to be in the same spot, only difference is that its on different chairs.
Maybe its spilt gravy.
Nothing we can do about it, but the mind boggles, what sort of person would do something like that?

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

AKL J lounges are all pretty ordinary in my order of preference being VA, NZ and QF.

There is no VA lounge at AKL. If you mean the Strata lounge, this has worse food & beverages or amenities than both NZ & QF lounges. It is also often overcrowded, although this varies by time of day (and also depending on how many lounge-eligible passengers NZ is directing to Strata to manage overcrowding in their own lounge).

Personally I rate the AKL international lounges from best to worst as EK (but opening hours are limited) > NZ > QF F > QF J and Strata.

 

[serfty]

Personally I rate the AKL international lounges from best to worst as EK (but opening hours are limited) > NZ > QF F > QF J and Strata.

Assuming one world emerald, when do you use the QF J lounge? It could easily be a decade since I have been in the J lounge and that was only to use a computer.

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

Assuming one world emerald, when do you use the QF J lounge? It could easily be a decade since I have been in the J lounge and that was only to use a computer.

Travelling by myself I don't think I've ever used QF J lounge at AKL (ignoring reception desk area). However I have sometimes used it when travelling with others unable to be guested into QF F lounge but who already had access to QF J lounge.

 

[mushez]

Yes, that is one tired lounge. However I cannot help to feel that its upgrade is forced in timeline with all the renovations that Auckland Airport is doing. Maybe that is wrong, and the QF lounge isn't moving anywhere soon and up to QF to sort out doing it themselves.

When it comes to anything at Auckland Airport, what I have seen over the past 10 years - progress is slow. And you never know what is going to be new the next time you land.

 

[Ontime]

I had a great experience there a few years ago. After spending an hour at checkin because my ticket hadn’t been charged I proceeded to the lounge. I was Platinum at the time and presented my boarding pass and was directed to the right onto the Qantas Club. I asked was the First lounge shut and was informed that there was as no First lounge and that room was for Platinums. This was all done in a very condescending way. At this point I held my boarding pass up to the guys face and said read it. I was duly admitted to the First lounge. Once inside I checked the Qantas website for the lounge description and went back out and informed the guy that not only was lacking in the basic skills required to check eligibility, he should check the lounge descriptions provided by Qantas before stepping behind the desk. That was the last time I visited that lounge.

 

[Berlin]

When it comes to anything at Auckland Airport, what I have seen over the past 10 years - progress is slow. And you never know what is going to be new the next time you land.

Yep- anything but yet another Gucci-Shop is slow but isn’t that at most airports in ‘close’ proximity to China these days? Sydney, Melbourne and so on- as long as there’s a Prada, Hermès, Louis Vutton, everything else isn’t important.

I used to rate Auckland as one of the best in the regions and I find it has turned into one of the worst: The new security area is an absolute nightmare, worse than LHR T5 in busy times, and that is hard to top. Lounges all pretty cough, endless walks from some gates and some of the other, older, gates are just horrid. No space, dimly lit, aircon running at half.

One of the best examples of how to ruin an airport by simply milking the Chinese tourists while forgetting everything (and everyone) else.

 

[auskiwiflyer]

I used to rate Auckland as one of the best in the regions and I find it has turned into one of the worst: The new security area is an absolute nightmare, worse than LHR T5 in busy times, and that is hard to top. Lounges all pretty cough, endless walks from some gates and some of the other, older, gates are just horrid. No space, dimly lit, aircon running at half.

One of the best examples of how to ruin an airport by simply milking the Chinese tourists while forgetting everything (and everyone) else.

THIS!!! OMG I can't believe how much slower the new security is than the prior setup.. Those machines just slow everything down oh so much. How oh how did they go from the fastest security of any airport I visit to the slowest!! Who made the decision to buy those ridiculous conveyor machines!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

(O/T),
Apart from (talking about the) slowness of the AKL airport security screening machines, now they (the staff) are made to be as chatty as supermarket checkout staff in Aust.
In the past, the security attendants have been gruff, no talking with the customers, they were like the gruffness of the US TSA, but my last trip out of AKL, I got the chatty where are you off to malarkey, lah lah lah.
I want to get to the A(NZ) lounge mate, not chat about where I am going, was flying A(NZ)191 AKL - ADL, was already not too pleased that my 787 was swapped to a 777, and then, to "rub salt into the wound" so to speak, I get a chatty mate, who used to live in BNE but now works security at AKL airport.

 

[FL360]

What about the CHC J lounge which all non Air NZ flights uses ? including QF and EK ?

 

[themanfromoz]

Was in the Auckland QF lounge last week - I will just let these pictures do the talking..

View attachment 161165

View attachment 161166

How is this in any way acceptable???

Probably a late response to this but I haven't visited AKL in a while as got made redundant and quite simply can't afford to fly.
Even though the lounge hasn't had a 'hard' upgrade there is no reason why the food and drink cannot be made more acceptable. That is simply Qantas not wanting to invest in the AKL-SYD-MEL-etc. passengers who depart early morning and don't have another option available.
On a previous trip the Strata Lounge was far better in terms of quality of seating, etc. as well as food/beverage offerings.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

What about the CHC J lounge which all non Air NZ flights uses ? including QF and EK ?

That CHC QF and EK lounge is known as the Manaia Lounge, no windows to outside either, and also basic food.
Also nothing to shout home about.
If you compare all 3 major lounges that QF is involved with, in NZ, its all below par.
The QF WLG J lounge is small as well.
Have flown out of there 3 times over the past years, all with QF, and small, but at least it had Kapiti Ice Cream (!), had that from the freezer there in the QF WLG J lounge for brekkie!
Pastries, coffee machine, breakfast cereal probably from a supermarket supplier's box, ...
At least the CHC Manaia has got fruits provided for a mid afternoon departure.

 

[RailFlyer]

THIS!!! OMG I can't believe how much slower the new security is than the prior setup.. Those machines just slow everything down oh so much. How oh how did they go from the fastest security of any airport I visit to the slowest!! Who made the decision to buy those ridiculous conveyor machines!

I have had the exact opposite experience. I am flying out of Auckland every week at the moment and I think the new security scanning machines are excellent. Each machine gives about 5 separate people their own space to load up trays (nice big trays - take not some other airports!) and proceed at their own pace without having to wait for the person ahead who has to ask whether each of their various 1 gallon bottles of toiletries is acceptable, thereby avoiding the hold-ups that are typical at many other airports.

 

[serfty]

Each machine gives about 5 separate people their own space

The trick is to get to a bay near the scanner, preferably the last one before it

 

[Major]

There is no VA lounge at AKL. If you mean the Strata lounge, this has worse food & beverages or amenities than both NZ & QF lounges. It is also often overcrowded, although this varies by time of day (and also depending on how many lounge-eligible passengers NZ is directing to Strata to manage overcrowding in their own lounge).

Personally I rate the AKL international lounges from best to worst as EK (but opening hours are limited) > NZ > QF F > QF J and Strata.

I was in the Strata lounge twice last week and found the food offering to be very good. It was clean and not crowded. To my taste it's a very acceptable lounge

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Another +1 here for the new security layout at AKL. Not so much for the new shopping mall though.....

 

[Major]

Another +1 here for the new security layout at AKL. Not so much for the new shopping mall though.....

Agree, I noticed last week they had attached an airport to the shopping mall.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Agree, I noticed last week they had attached an airport to the shopping mall.

At least it’s not in the same league as LHR T5 for those without First Wing access. Now that’s a grand tour of shopping outlets and escalators.

 

[mushez]

I find Auckland Security departing to be slightly better in theory, but reality it is longer.

Starters, you have that huge walk down to the left - rather than walking straight ahead - only to have to walk back past all the new shops past security that takes a good minute to get down there.

Once you get down there, you have the do I wait for this person - or walk further for a passport scanner thingie that is free, which makes for more walking.

Through passport scanner - you are through a lot of back and forward white tape channels that have no one in them - to finally get to security.

I don't mind the new security, it give you time to get your stuff out and fill the 3 trays I had to, and find it takes the stress out of it all.

Then the wait to see if your tray is pushed back for further inspections or not - and if it is, join the que.

And then the spiraling extra walking around the shops......


I see the plan at Auckland slowly coming together. It is a very Kiwi way to do things. But ripping the band aid off faster than dragged out is always the better solution.