Beware the DragoNZ

[acampbel]

Had a very average experience in NZ last week. Myself and a few colleagues were on a dash around ANZ (4 cities in 4 days), and were scheduled to fly Auckland to Wellington at 8:30am. After the usual kerfuffle of trying to get 3 people checked out and ready, we departed for the Airport at 7:15am into the rainy Auckland rush-hour. Even though we were heading out of town the traffic was pretty bad, but once the taxi deposited us at 8am we were checked in and at the gate within 5 minutes.

I looked to my left and saw the QC so I told the other 2 - "We can grab a quick coffee to wake up" and headed through the door.

Now one of my "colleagues" was a refugee from Koru Club who had generously booked himself on the QF flight so that we could stick together. This decision to flick some revenue to the grumpy kangaroo immediately back-fired as the DB looked at my boarding pass and the other two and said in her best Professor McGonagall tone - "It's only 1 guest in the lounge". I pointed out that our flight boarded in 10 minutes and the lounge was nearly empty but she had insisted that a decree had been nailed to every QC in the land that never more than 1 guest was ever to be admitted.

"OK .... let me find a guest pass for you", says I, and then rummage through my wallet and pass it to her in the asian fashion. She peers intently at it for 20 seconds and then flicks it Letterman-style into the bin behind her. "That pass has expired", she says dismissively. Hmmmm......... she could be right as I think my oldest one was valid to the end of October, but surely only DN and NM would quibble over a couple of weeks! No joy.

"OK .... I think I have another one here" and quickly check the validity before passing it on. After scrutinising both sides for a goodly while, she said through gritted teeth "Yes - both of your guests may use the lounge".

Buoyed by my eventual slaying of the dragon I couldn't help myself but ask "You didn't use to work at BA by any chance?", and barely survived being roasted by her glare. I'll take that as a yes, then .....


Fortunately the nice young man at the Brisbane QC was less hysterical and let me take 2 other guests into the lounge later that same week. Have others found the 1-guest rule to now be enforced strictly? Apart from family trips these are the first 2 times in about 10 years that I have had more than 0 or 1 guests.


Cheers,

Andrew

.

 

[Flashback]

Yep, got rejected with 2 guests both out of PER last week and out of MEL

Had to relinquish my last pass

 

[JohnK]

Sometimes they can be a bit nasty.

Last week coming back from Queenstown with Kiwi Flyer, futaris and his wife on the late ZQN-CHC flight we decided we were going to spend 1/2 hour or so in the lounge.

Kiwi Flyer and I were the first to get off the flight and he wanted to look at emails before his next flight so I waited for futaris and his wife who were seated down the back. When I entered the lounge I showed my Platinum card and mentioned that I have 2 guests. I was asked whether we had further travel plans that night and I said no. She was about to say something when I mentioned to her that as I am Platinum I am entitled to anytime access and I can bring in 2 guests. She reluctantly let us in but scribbled something onto her notepad, I assume either the number of people entering or number of guests.

 

[kiwial]

I see that QF have kindly snuck in a small change to the access conditions for the First lounges for Platinum members from next year:

From 1 April 2008, you must be travelling on the day with Qantas, Jetstar, British Airways or any of the other oneworld members airlines to access the Qantas First Lounge. If you are not travelling on Qantas or the airlines listed, you are still welcome to visit the Qantas Business Lounge before departure.

Will have to succumb to the lesser QP - no more massages and restaurant nosh when travelling on non QF/OW flights.

It would seem that the QC conditions of 2 guests (who don't need to be travelling) are not affected by the change.

 

[Shano]

I see that QF have kindly snuck in a small change to the access conditions for the First lounges for Platinum members from next year:

From 1 April 2008, you must be travelling on the day with Qantas, Jetstar, British Airways or any of the other oneworld members airlines to access the Qantas First Lounge. If you are not travelling on Qantas or the airlines listed, you are still welcome to visit the Qantas Business Lounge before departure.

Will have to succumb to the lesser QP - no more massages and restaurant nosh when travelling on non QF/OW flights.

It would seem that the QC conditions of 2 guests (who don't need to be travelling) are not affected by the change.

Plenty of discussion on this topic in this thread.

The same will apply with the opening of the new domestic J lounges. Anytime access post April 2008 will only be to QC's. Must be flying to access domestic J lounges.