Galleries access... NOT quite 'reinstated'?

[dk4]

... and Galleries are their Business Class Lounges at T5, just as Terraces were their Business Class lounges previously ... and I think if you look at any BA Itinerary - including BA.Com it's called Club

You know, any average 17yo posting on AFF would have realised they should have negotiated a contract with BA, that required QP access to BA "business class or equivalent" lounges for QP card holders, rather than specifically named "Terraces" etc. Someone at Qantas needs to be sacked IMO.

Additionally, this has become a CEO to CEO issue (at least), if not chair2chair!

 

[ReLoad]

Cracker of a thread, then there is this:

Lounge access - oneworld

1. American Airlines and Qantas offer programmes enabling travellers to pay to gain access to their lounges. These programmes are not part of the oneworld agreement, and members of these programmes are not entitled to access lounges under the oneworld agreement.

I realise that the BA/QF situation was an exception to this previously, but that now seems to be in line with the above rule?

 

[BD1959]

I realise that the BA/QF situation was an exception to this previously, but that now seems to be in line with the above rule?

No, for 3 reasons:

1. It is nothing to do with oneWorld
2. The partial granting of access is still at odds with the above rule
3. The ongoing access allowed with AA Lounges is at odds with the above rule.

Regards,

BD

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Check out this link:

British Airways - Travel classes

Scroll down past the economy travel class to the BUSINESS CLASS section - titled BUSINESS CLASS and rad these words:

Travel in comfort and style with our range of business class services

BA call their business class - business class.

they have a 'business' product - either Club Europe or Club World - its all branded from check-in counters to menus.

it's the same as their lounges - they have a business waiting lounge all branded as either Terraces, Galleries or Executive club.

QP membership should allow access to BA business lounges (it always did until they introduced Galleries), but BA have chosen to get smart with that.

if you are then going to have a play on words, the oneworld agreement only allows access if you are flying business. If BA can play at it then so should QF.

 

[medhead]

I don't see why BA shouldn't be allowed to allow access to their lounges as they see fit. CX, MA, IB, RJ, Ay don't allow QP members access to their J lounges.

BA saw fit to enter an agreement with QF outside of Oneworld, those other airlines didn't.

I know QF comms can be a funny beast at times but I'm sure that if BA 'terminated' their agreement to accommodate QP members then they would've sent an email at least to that effect, or put it in the latest QF newsletter. (We'd still have an angry thread about the 'enhancement' but at least we could've been clear on what exactly was going on).

I agree that the QP access terms was pretty much just a gentleman's agreement at best that happened to get enshrined into the business somewhere. It's not as binding as the oneworld agreements or even the QF/BA JSA (the former of which BA has only recently fully learned to respect, mind you). So yes BA are in full rights to stop giving access to QP members, but at least have some dignity about it.

Trouble is a lack of an email suggests that the agreement has not been terminated, otherwise notification by QF would have been required. Also i doubt the partner airlines lounge access arrangement was a "gentleman's" agreement. There can be little doubt It was, and still is, a firm written agreement - for access to terraces and exec club lounges.

If I was QF management I would do what they did during the industrial relations - cease all access to BA lounges and let the members invoke clause 4.1 of the T+C and refund anyone who has been materially impacted - for me a reasonable material impact would be for anyone who has over 50% of their upcoming flights from a BA port.

Not sure how you get 50%, but it would not be consistent with clause 4.1, which talks about the members intended use of the membership. I intend to book a large number of applicable flights but I have not done it yet.....

 

[Farnie10]

Anyone going through LHR T5 shortly? As the change on the BA web site was on 2nd Feb and Red Roo's notification earlier than that - I find it difficult to believe we haven't had a QP member try to access the T5 LHR lounge in the last week - or if they were refused, haven't raised the issue that we know of.

Hi guys,
I tried to access both BA galleries lounges (north and south) at LHR T5 yesterday (9th Feb 2012). I can confirm that I was turned away from both. The BA staff showed me an internal notice effective 1st February pertaining specifically to Qantas Club members. I believe the conditions have already been mentioned on this thread. A photo of the BA notice is attached FYI.



For what it's worth, I am a Q Club Bronze Member and was travelling on a BA flight from Heathrow T5 to Barcelona T1.
Like all people on this thread, I am looking forward to an expedient and positive resolution as I have more connections through LHR T5 coming up shortly...

 

[bcworld]

Hi guys,
I tried to access both BA galleries lounges (north and south) at LHR T5 yesterday (9th Feb 2012). I can confirm that I was turned away from both. The BA staff showed me an internal notice effective 1st February pertaining specifically to Qantas Club members. I believe the conditions have already been mentioned on this thread. A photo of the BA notice is attached FYI.

View attachment 5925

For what it's worth, I am a Q Club Bronze Member and was travelling on a BA flight from Heathrow T5 to Barcelona T1.
Like all people on this thread, I am looking forward to an expedient and positive resolution as I have more connections through LHR T5 coming up shortly...

This is excellent information - great post!

 

[Princess Fiona]

I honestly think this is nothing really to do with the whole Galleries/ Terraces thing.
September 2011 it was possible to access BA Lounges if you did one of 3 things ( apart from have OW status)
1.Purchased a QP membership
2.Joined BAEC, moved your address to Europe, took one Long-haul CW and one SH CW flight ( 400 tier points)= attained silver BAEC
3.Joined BAEC, continued to live in the UK, had to take at least 2 Long-haul CW flights ( 600 tier points)= BAEC Silver.
IIRC BA announced in mid Oct 2011 that regardless of residency Tier-points levels would be standardized 600 Silver, 1500 Gold an increase from the then Euro 400/800, effective March 2012.
At almost the same time they stopped QP members from accessing the Galleries Lounges.
I don't believe it is a co-incidence.
I think the QF negotiations have probably centred around getting a work around for their AU/NZ members and so far all they can come up with is getting access ex-Oz.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Hi guys,
I tried to access both BA galleries lounges (north and south) at LHR T5 yesterday (9th Feb 2012). I can confirm that I was turned away from both. The BA staff showed me an internal notice effective 1st February pertaining specifically to Qantas Club members. I believe the conditions have already been mentioned on this thread. A photo of the BA notice is attached FYI.

View attachment 5925

For what it's worth, I am a Q Club Bronze Member and was travelling on a BA flight from Heathrow T5 to Barcelona T1.
Like all people on this thread, I am looking forward to an expedient and positive resolution as I have more connections through LHR T5 coming up shortly...

That is relatively good news as the notice suggests that they are ( as Red Roo suggests) still talking

 

[bcworld]

That is relatively good news as the notice suggests that they are ( as Red Roo suggests) still talking

It's just bizarre that at the same time QF is saying problem solved BA are saying that discussions aren't concluded!

 

[NM]

It's just bizarre that at the same time QF is saying problem solved BA are saying that discussions aren't concluded!

there definitely seems to be a difference in perspective here.

 

[bryanjones]

Sad - as this was one of the few reasons to pay for QC access. If travelling around europe a lot on BA it really made a difference.

 

[The Rok]

It's just bizarre that at the same time QF is saying problem solved BA are saying that discussions aren't concluded!

That is a case of "RedRoo" being front line staff and Qantas Management have decided to keep their front line staff in the dark and only drip feed them the basics. My guess is that RedRoo was told by his/her management/superiors that the issue was resolved and gave authority to post, without revealing to RedRoo that negotiations were still ongoing.

Clearly BA are not happy with the situation and will continue to negotiate. I would imagine that BA would be a little bit pissed off if they found out that Qantas had revealed to its members on a public forum that they now have access as per previous arrangements when in actual fact the two companies have not agreed an anything yet.

 

[dfcatch]

Not if that PNR has an Itin such as LHR-DFW-BNE ... BA website states must be "on any BA or QF operated flight LHR to: BKK, HKG, MEL, SIN or SYD" ... or it did before it 404-ed.

Regards,

BD

I am saying how it should be easily fixed.

Solves all the problems.

The only people that miss out then are the European based pax that decide to take out a QP membership for the sole purpose of having BA access but don't reside in australia, now take QF flights.

 

[Flashback]

I am saying how it should be easily fixed.

Solves all the problems.

The only people that miss out then are the European based pax that decide to take out a QP membership for the sole purpose of having BA access but don't reside in australia, now take QF flights.

Which is silly, as well. I'm currently resident in the EU but when purchased life membership (and most likely will be again, at some stage) was resident in AU

 

[MEL_Traveller]

That is a case of "RedRoo" being front line staff and Qantas Management have decided to keep their front line staff in the dark and only drip feed them the basics. My guess is that RedRoo was told by his/her management/superiors that the issue was resolved and gave authority to post, without revealing to RedRoo that negotiations were still ongoing.

Clearly BA are not happy with the situation and will continue to negotiate. I would imagine that BA would be a little bit pissed off if they found out that Qantas had revealed to its members on a public forum that they now have access as per previous arrangements when in actual fact the two companies have not agreed an anything yet.

so a potential scenario:

Lounge Negotiating team: great news RR, we've got Qantas Club members their access back at Heathrow
RR: brilliant! Can I post the good news?
Lounge Negotiating team: you sure can!

But then you have to ask yourself... what's missing? Perhaps:

RR: what exactly am I posting?
or
RR: you say Heathrow... what about other airports?
and
RR: should we update our webpage to reflect this agreement?

 

[Danger]

Hi guys,
I tried to access both BA galleries lounges (north and south) at LHR T5 yesterday (9th Feb 2012). I can confirm that I was turned away from both. The BA staff showed me an internal notice effective 1st February pertaining specifically to Qantas Club members. I believe the conditions have already been mentioned on this thread. A photo of the BA notice is attached FYI.

. . .

For what it's worth, I am a Q Club Bronze Member and was travelling on a BA flight from Heathrow T5 to Barcelona T1.
Like all people on this thread, I am looking forward to an expedient and positive resolution as I have more connections through LHR T5 coming up shortly...

Farnie, well done in getting the BA lounge dragons to allow you to photograph it. Very interesting (although I am curious as to why it doesn't have the BA logo on it).

It's just bizarre that at the same time QF is saying problem solved BA are saying that discussions aren't concluded!

Yes, very interesting.

there definitely seems to be a difference in perspective here.

Indeed. I find it particularly interesting that the alleged BA circular ". . . there are ongoing commercial discussions with QF . . ." and ". . . until these discussions are concluded . . ." Both statements fly in the face of what here were lead to believe.

Interesting also the statement says "NEW: Customers arriving . . . connecting to any BA operated flight". That's only "new" from October last year. Prior to that, it was (part of) the norm.

 

[Austman]

When this issue was first announced as 'solved' on 27th January, 2012, I (and some others) posted that we thought the handling of whole matter was "NOT well done Qantas". (then came the trashing of us from many others for saying this )

I still say it wasn't handled well then and it is not being handled well now. I just wish I didn't have to say it.

But again: NOT well done Qantas. Soon it will be (a staggering) 5 months.

Sort it out for goodness sakes.

(Sorry Red Roo, nothing personal)

 

[Grogan]

So the way I understand this is..
Next week I am traveling Qantas BNE - SIN-LHR then BA LHR to Athens (out of T5).
I am QF Gold and wife is QF Silver (QP member), we are traveling with our 2 adult kids and were expecting to use BA lounges along the way.
I will be able to take 1 guest in as a OW but wife will not?

Is that correct? or have I misread..


Thanks in advance

 

[serfty]

Welcome to AFF.

If you are transiting, i.e. -xSIN-xLHR-ATH then by the speedbird information posted about you should be fine for all four of you for entry.

Also, by that information, you would be out of luck for all four at ATH, but ok when transiting LHT T3 should that be how you are returning.