Lotus lounge in Colombo

[moa999]

QF Plat.

Finishing the end of an 10-month long DONE4 in CMB.
Have a few hrs to kill before a UL (Sri Lankan) flight to SIN to hook up with QF. UL/QF combo is on a single paper ticket on QF stock.

What are my chances of getting lounge access???
Assuming its probably a no as CMB is not listed on the QF affiliated lounges, seems to be purely a CX lounge

but really liked the Arialya Lounge on my first go through and was looking forward to the upgrade

 

[Flashback]

Being WP, you should be able to access the CX lounge as you are OW Emerald....

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Being WP, you should be able to access the CX lounge as you are OW Emerald....

I dont think so. aubs is not flying One World. The WP open door access only applies to QF lounges, not partner airline lounges.

If you are flying business or first class then UL will have a designated lounge you can access. If not then unless there is a paid lounge (eg through Diners, Priority Pass or day fee) then no lounge access for you.

 

[Flashback]

Ah, yep, missed that one -- a few too many scotches last night me-thinks

 

[Alan in CBR]

I'm pretty sure that the lounges that CX use in CMB are not actually CX lounges. If you look at their admittance policy you will see that non-CX Emeralds only have access to the Business lounge (Araliya lounge) rather than the Flounge (Lotus lounge). If they were proper CX lounges I wouldn't think they would be able to get away with that.

 

[serfty]

I'm pretty sure that the lounges that CX use in CMB are not actually CX lounges. If you look at their admittance policy you will see that non-CX Emeralds only have access to the Business lounge (Araliya lounge) rather than the Flounge (Lotus lounge). If they were proper CX lounges I wouldn't think they would be able to get away with that.

Spot on ... in August as a oneWORLD emerald flying CX, I had access to the Araliya only.

Still quite a nice lounge however, with a reasonable spread.

 

[Alan in CBR]

Spot on ... in August as a oneWORLD emerald flying CX, I had access to the Araliya only.

Still quite a nice lounge however, with a reasonable spread.

Agreed. Hot snacks, acceptable refreshment selection, not crowded, nice view of the ramp. No showers, but quite adequate for spending a couple of hours on a turnaround after picking up my new DONE4.

 

[SeaWolf]

To drift off topic a little bit...
I keep hearing people refer to a DONE4, but I'm having some trouble finding out exactly what it is. Can anyone help?

 

[Evan]

To drift off topic a little bit...
I keep hearing people refer to a DONE4, but I'm having some trouble finding out exactly what it is. Can anyone help?

DONE4 is an abbreviation of a oneworld product.

D = the class (in this case business class)
ONE = oneworld explorer
4 = 4 continents

There is also versions with 5 continents and economy and first etc, but by far the most popular is the business class 4 continents.
Cost approx AUD 8000 to 12000 with taxes etc, depends on the routes and where you buy the ticket.

I think its a max of 20 sectors and 4 flights to explore on each continent (USA = 6) if i am correct.
You may travel on the oneworld airlines + some selected partners.

oneworld - oneworld Explorer

Thats the official oneworld site, but the airlines also have sites.

Evan

 

[Keith009]

I think its a max of 20 sectors and 4 flights to explore on each continent (USA = 6) if i am correct.
You may travel on the oneworld airlines + some selected partners.

You can buy an additional 2 segments on each continent except on the continent of origin - but it's generally not economical to do it in D or A. Also, only 2 stopovers permitted at the continent of origin.

You can only travel on oneworld operated flights on the oneworld explorer. It's the Global Explorer that allows flights on other partners (some soon-to-be oneworld members).

 

[serfty]

To drift off topic a little bit...
I keep hearing people refer to a DONE4, but I'm having some trouble finding out exactly what it is. Can anyone help?

What they said.

Also a DONE4 can not only get one around the world, it is considered to be one of the best ways to get more ff miles/status for your buck.

As far as the "Lotus lounge in Columbo" goes, it wasn't built when in October 2005 I collected a DONE4 ticket from CMB airport and commenced a DONE4 as a QF SG. (It was when I finished in Aug 06 but even as a by then QF WP/oneWORLD emerald I had to make do with the Araliya Lounge)

This AUD8100 ticket directly earned me 2360 QFF SC's and over 150,000 QFF points.

Columbo is mentioned as it is one of the least expensive places to buy and originate a DONE4.

There is a very good thread on FlyerTalk here: The oneworld explorer ticket FAQs - FlyerTalk Forums

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

There is also versions with 5 continents and economy and first etc, but by far the most popular is the business class 4 continents.

I wouldn't say DONE4 is the most popular, except perhaps amongst AFFers.

Since we all like to travel in comfort if possible, and the price difference between DONEx (in business class) and AONEx (in first class) is significant for the few true longhaul first class flights you would get, generally DONEx is preferred if it can be afforded.

DONE4 is popular amongst Australian-based FFers in the know because you need a minimum of 4 continents to visit Australia, because the 20 segment limit means adding more continents doesn't add a lot of extra travel (although of course if you want/need to visit it may still be worthwhile), and because a DONE3 would not use all 20 sectors and require separate paid or award ticket to include Australia (thus less cost effective). In summary, from the perspective of mileage/status earning, a DONE4 gives the most bang for the buck, although of course considerably more expensive than a LONE4 (in economy class).

 

[Shano]

In summary, from the perspective of mileage/status earning, a DONE4 gives the most bang for the buck, although of course considerably more expensive than a LONE4 (in economy class).

As a rule of thumb I suppose you would earn at least 4x the # of SC's on a DONE4 than a LONE4, due to the difference in discount Y SC earning and business (or first) SC earning.

Has anyone purchased a LONE4 fare recently as a comparison the the cost of Serfty's DONE4 posted above and how many SC's were earned?

 

[serfty]

Back then the base fare was ~AUD6,180 with ~$1,020 in +++ making a total ~$8,100. (LKR600,000)

These days the ex CMB DONE4 base is $7,253.

Current ex Columbo / ex Oz base cost comparison (AUD):

Fare   Columbo      Oz

LONE3 : $2,960     n/a
LONE4 : $3,550  $3,129 (LHONE4: $3,309)
LONE5 : $4,085  $3,669 (LHONE5: $3,889)
LONE6 : $4,710  $4,279 (LHONE6: $4,529)
DONE3 : $6,361     n/a
DONE4 : $7,253  $9,699
DONE5 : $8,339 $10,809
DONE6 : $9,497 $12,159
AONE3 :$10,855     n/a
AONE4 :$12,022 $13,669
AONE5 :$13,555 $14,679 
AONE6 :$15,316 $15,689