[Confirmed Fixed - Maybe Not!] No LHR T5 Galleries access for QP before BA/QF flights

[JohnPhelan]

I fear BA is not being very helpful .............

 

[JetLagged]

This was what QF told me on the 26th October, see post #80.
Obviously conducting negotiations via carrier pidgeon

Or, it be what we term 'typical British efficiency' - with billions of pounds in their superannuation black-hole, their probably trying to fill in the hole with QP fees and charges for use of their facilities!

Ahh England - the land of dysfunction!

 

[Blackadder]

This was what QF told me on the 26th October, see post #80.
Obviously conducting negotiations via carrier pidgeon

Obviously the trade winds haven't been favourable to said pidgeon.

 

[oz_mark]

I fear BA is not being very helpful .............

I think you are right, and I think it was BA that initially put their foot down on this.

 

[Bundy Bear]

---

I was wearing a suit...

Maybe they thought this scruffy person could not be OWE.






Sent from a cool Apple product using Aust Freq Fly app

 

[tuapekastar]

Maybe they thought this scruffy person could not be OWE.



View attachment 4850


Sent from a cool Apple product using Aust Freq Fly app

Which one?

 

[Flashback]

Which one?

Definitely the one on the right

 

[Awesom Andy]

Obviously the trade winds haven't been favourable to said pidgeon.

That pigeon has probably defected to a frequent flyer program of another alliance, and is currently enjoying lounge access somewhere between AU and the UK.

 

[tyrolean]

Or it has been caught and eaten by the falcon of the owner of an airline somwhere over arabia...

 

[MrJetset]

Or it has been caught and eaten by the falcon of the owner of an airline somwhere over arabia...

There is no such place as Arabia. The Middle East, Arab World perhaps, but no Arabia.

I believe I may have seen said pigeon in the EY First lounge at AUH in the cigar lounge.

 

[medhead]

There is no such place as Arabia. The Middle East, Arab World perhaps, but no Arabia.

Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary disagrees with you, as quoted by Wikipedia.
Arabian Peninsula - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I believe I may have seen said pigeon in the EY First lounge at AUH in the cigar lounge.

I just assumed that the pigeon was flying the original kangaroo route.

 

[MrJetset]

Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary disagrees with you, as quoted by Wikipedia.
Arabian Peninsula - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



I just assumed that the pigeon was flying the original kangaroo route.

Oh, well if it's in Wikipedia!

I am Arabic and Islamic studies scholar and there is no such thing as Arabia. Look at the actual footnote 'Arabia: See Arabian Peninsula'

 

[bcworld]

I am Arabic and Islamic studies scholar and there is no such thing as Arabia. Look at the actual footnote 'Arabia: See Arabian Peninsula'

Did BA change its name?

 

[medhead]

Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary disagrees with you, as quoted by Wikipedia.
Arabian Peninsula - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



I just assumed that the pigeon was flying the original kangaroo route.

Oh, well if it's in Wikipedia!

I am Arabic and Islamic studies scholar and there is no such thing as Arabia. Look at the actual footnote 'Arabia: See Arabian Peninsula'

Perhaps read what I wrote, I've quoted it again for your. I said it was in Miriam-webster's geographical dictionary as quoted by Wikipedia. Wikipedia is perfectly capable of quoting sources. If you actually go beyond the footnote and check the reference you will see that the listing says:

Arabian Peninsula or Arabia

The Arabian peninsula is also known as Arabia, in which case there is such as thing as Arabia. It does exist and it goes by a number of names. As a physical place I'm not sure how anyone can claim it doesn't exist. You call it what you want, that doesn't mean other people can't call it Arabia.

 

[simongr]

Interestingly the company I work for has a business in Saudi called [insert company name] Arabia...

 

[MrJetset]

The term Arabia, when used correctly, is only used to describe Pre-Islamic Arabia. See Oxford Bibliographies Online - Pre-Islamic Arabia/The Jahiliyya

Whether people use the term now for travel, or for company companies is redundant. The reality is there is so such place, and anyone in the field of Arabic and Isalmic Studies will confim this. If you insist on using it, perhaps you should educate yourself and Edward Said's great work Orientalism.

 

[anat0l]

Too funny :mrgreen:
What I think should happen in the interests of fairness is that BAEC Golds and family are given exactly the same response when trying to get into the Flounge or even J Lounge after flying in from LHR.

I agree - we were very grateful that QF, IB and CX let us in. I had forewarned the 'kids' that it may not happen. However, we were clearly a family group so I was expecting or hoping for some flexibility.

The point I was trying to make is that BA was the greatest stickler for the rules whereas the others showed more flexibility.

Actually, BAEC Golds are given the same kind of treatment. Without much surprise, you can see how hardened some of the stalwarts on the FT BAEC board are in accepting this rule. (Just as much as many of the QF flyers here are great sticklers for upholding the reasons why QF are not quick to give away international upgrades, or why you can't get a difference refund if the fare drops after you buy it).

There are many stories of BAEC Golds who are a family of 3 - spouse and young child in tow - who have been turned away due to the rules (i.e. 1 guest only, and the young child probably wasn't young enough according to the rules). Stories along the lines of, "We've just come off a long flight and we only needed to quickly use the lounge shower to freshen ourselves and especially our child, but the dragon was very adament," are not unusual.

When BAEC Gold still had "open doors" (ATA for the QF familiar), it was always the Gold member only and no guest. Which means the business man on an EasyJet flight had no trouble, but the couple on the same flight had to either flip a coin or go without.

The BA dragons are notoriously strict for all of this. Some of them can be quite methodically draconian:

• You are required to produce your card if they want to see it. No card? Bad luck - no access. No, I don't care that your boarding pass shows your FQTV/FQTS info; it's a card for entry or bust.
• Are you sure you are a oneworld Emerald? Yes that looks like a green oval, but let me double check
• Even at T3, I've heard stories where QPNB or QPPS members had to work tooth and nail on the agent to convince them that they were eligible for access. They mustn't be very used to it, but still.
• Many of them reach back for the access manual just to double check you really are eligible to enter. Let's see.... which is the Qantas page.... <3 minutes later> oh here we are, let's see.... Platinum....Platinum.... oh right! OK you're a oneworld Emerald (du'h... that's what the green oval is for).

All in a days life. Many people believe the dragons must be this strict because there was a really bad culture before of people trying to blag entry to the lounge, or blag over their entitlement. I suppose the mid-level execs didn't like the precedent, so they decided to remove discretion and set a different one.

All in all, I still hope QF will restore access to the BA network in due course. There aren't many Terraces lounges left in the world at all. Frankly, I also don't buy the BA side of things (i.e. that QF has stopped payment; I think it's more BA sneakily shifted the goal posts and hoped that QF wouldn't look before they kept on kicking).

 

[Princess Fiona]

Are you referring to the QF F Lounges regarding family access?
I know that BA are uber strict with everyone but I'm not aware that QF are just as strict with the BAEC Golds and kids here? I mentioned this at the QF Lunch and Simon Hickey seemed to be well aware of the anomalies between the two programs.

 

[anat0l]

Are you referring to the QF F Lounges regarding family access?
I know that BA are uber strict with everyone but I'm not aware that QF are just as strict with the BAEC Golds and kids here? I mentioned this at the QF Lunch and Simon Hickey seemed to be well aware of the anomalies between the two programs.

No, not referring to QF F Lounges. Just BAEC Golds (or anyone for that matter) accessing BA operated lounges (or even contract ones, they can be a PITA, especially if they "don't know about oneworld"). To clarify my statement (and perhaps misinterpreting the one I quoted you on), we find that BA are very inflexible with their access rules, and both non-BAEC and BAEC members (including Golds, GGLs and so on) are treated the same.

I realise QF has a measure of discretion, which the majority board finds laughable, but it is certainly greater than that of our BA contingent. It is not within any company's policies to necessitate discretion, and to what degree is up to them, and getting the right balance point is an art, not science.

Ironically, once you are deemed acceptable by the BA lounge dragons, they can be really pleasant people to talk to (in typical English banter fashion).

 

[Princess Fiona]

Spot on, it is BA's policy of no discretion that I have trouble accepting
Think it must be time soon for some news from Red Roo ?