Lounge access on arrival

[AIRwin]

Headed to the QF lounge about an hour later (I was flying QF but guested into the VA lounge).

Oh was your flight cancelled? I'd originally wanted to book QF to try the Embraer aircraft and am glad I didn't...

 

[Frankiesdad]

Flew SYD-MEL this morning in J, and stopped into the lounge on arrival no issues.

Used the self service machine, lowly VA Red status.

 

[henrus]

Used the self service machine

I thought the self service machines only worked on departure.

 

[serfty]

I thought the self service machines only worked on departure.

I have used them often both ways.

I find it amusing there is no "you are in" before asking for number of guests - the latter being the first indication that your entry is has been electronically OK'ed.

 

[AFF Editor]

Lounge access on arrival will be restored for Velocity Gold & Platinum members from 25 April.

Virgin Australia Restores Arrivals Lounge Access

Virgin Australia will finally reinstate lounge access on arrival for Velocity Platinum and Gold members from next Monday, 25 April 2022. Before the

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Matty F]

Can I ask what people do when accessing the lounge on arrival? Usually I'm champing at the bit to get to the hotel or get home.

Also what happens if you have checked baggage?

 

[Big John]

Can I ask what people do when accessing the lounge on arrival? Usually I'm champing at the bit to get to the hotel or get home.

Also what happens if you have checked baggage?

Lounge access on arrival is useful when you need to grab a quick bite to save having to cook for yourself when you get home.

The lounge is also useful to finish some work before heading home / to the hotel with a clear conscience.

As ozstamps has said, sometimes you need the lounge to wait for the traffic to die down before leaving the airport.

All of the above obviously doesn't work if have checked luggage !

 

[jase05]

Can I ask what people do when accessing the lounge on arrival? Usually I'm champing at the bit to get to the hotel or get home.

Also what happens if you have checked baggage?

In ADL I’ll normally head in and use the loo and grab a coffee to go. By time I do that my bags are just arriving. If I am going somewhere for work with HLO I will stop in and grab a coffee before picking up the hire car or Uber.
I’m very rarely there for more than 5-10 minutes

 

[Rangalad]

In ADL I’ll normally head in and use the loo and grab a coffee to go. By time I do that my bags are just arriving. If I am going somewhere for work with HLO I will stop in and grab a coffee before picking up the hire car or Uber.
I’m very rarely there for more than 5-10 minutes

Same, same.
Coffee, loo and a quick snack.

 

[Must...Fly!]

It's been so long I can't remember. Do you have any guesting rights for arrival access?

 

[glasszon]

Can I ask what people do when accessing the lounge on arrival? Usually I'm champing at the bit to get to the hotel or get home.

Also what happens if you have checked baggage?

I try to minimize the time I spent at the lounge after arrival, sometimes I take too long and my checked baggage was left at the oversized baggage counter.

I imagine checked baggage won't be a problem if you don't end up spending an hour at the lounge.

 

[andye]

It's been so long I can't remember. Do you have any guesting rights for arrival access?

T&Cs say yes for Plat, Gold, Lounge members and J passengers

However webpage still has "Arrivals access currently unavailable" so they could alter that to limit thongs (edit:meant to say things but they could enforce a dress code too )

PS: Pointhacks say Lounge Members won't have Arrivals access but this is under review

 

[ozstamps]

Lounge access on arrival is useful when you need to grab a quick bite to save having to cook for yourself when you get home.

The lounge is also useful to finish some work before heading home / to the hotel with a clear conscience.

As ozstamps has said, sometimes you need the lounge to wait for the traffic to die down before leaving the airport.

All of the above obviously doesn't work if have checked luggage !

We often check bags or cartons etc. Even after 30 mins in lounge to do some emails and have a drink or coffee etc, they are just sitting on floor next to the relevant carousel.

 

[hydrabyss]

It's been so long I can't remember. Do you have any guesting rights for arrival access?

I have been known to be cheap at times and when my parents picked us up from Adelaide airport I used the lounge to thank them with coffee and something to eat.

 

[AIRwin]

I have been known to be cheap at times and when my parents picked us up from Adelaide airport I used the lounge to thank them with coffee and something to eat.

Did you enter by scanning your boarding pass?

 

[Virgin Bart]

champing at the bit

Thank you, you just taught me that it's "champing". I was never sure.

Post automatically merged: Apr 21, 2022

I have been known to be cheap at times and when my parents picked us up from Adelaide airport I used the lounge to thank them with coffee and something to eat.

Same.

 

[zoomaloid2000]

I'm going to use it for some of my 5 hour stopover in Syd before flying Etihad to Abu Dhabi, if the Etihad lounge isn't open. According to the Etihad website The House doesn't open until 6pm, but Google has it opening at 12.30pm. Does anyone know which it is, or how to get in contact with them? Etihad just direct me to their website. Thanks.

 

[hydrabyss]

Did you enter by scanning your boarding pass?

I would have showed my boarding pass at the lounge desk.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Can I ask what people do when accessing the lounge on arrival? Usually I'm champing at the bit to get to the hotel or get home.

First I should point out, and perhaps I am the outlier in all of this, but my hotel/house is never close to the airport. When I was living in England, Heathrow to my residence in York was a good 3 hours or more by train. Even when I visit Melbourne or Brisbane it's at least half an hour to get into the CBD. And where I'm living now (Hornsby area) it's a good hour drive. Given that, you may just want to grab a bite to eat or shower before you must embark further.

I can think of a number of reasons where I needed to use a lounge on arrival. In particular, I've had long flights without phone or internet connection and need to catch up with everything I missed whilst in the air. Now I know you're gonna say, well why not do that out in the arrivals area? Well, it's noisy, there really isn't much room to lay set everything up to do anything more than a trivial call, etc. In a previous life one of my responsibilities was travel manager and I can remember flying AKL > YUL on UA and literally 30 of our employees were left stranded due to inclement weather in Canada. I found that UA Club in SFO to be a real godsend as I called the airline to straighten everything out (and not a minute to spare either!).

Another thing to take into account is people's itineraries can vary so much. That person seated next to you on that SYD > BNE flight may have come from JFK with tight connections at various airports meaning no opportunity to use the lounge. I can assure you that after being up in the air for close to a day your skin leathery, you feel like garbage and are in no condition to drive or do much. And yes, that includes being in business class with a lie flat seat. Having that hour or so to unwind at the lounge, take a shower, grab a proper bite to eat and drink before you get behind the wheel can really make a big difference. We may never truly know how many lives were saved on the motorways in Australia thanks to arrival lounges, but I reckon it's not insignificant.

-RooFlyer88

 

[kookaburra75]

Can I ask what people do when accessing the lounge on arrival? Usually I'm champing at the bit to get to the hotel or get home.

Also what happens if you have checked baggage?

Much the same as the others have answered. From Canberra, many a time the direct flight to places such as Adelaide and Brisbane arrives too early before the first round of meetings. I'll go to the lounge to get a bit of work done and a bite to eat, before heading into the city or elsewhere. It's better than getting in early and trying to find a coffee shop or similar to get some work done.