New Ability to Purchase Single-Visit Lounge Passes

[kangarooflyer88]

Since we are a bit on the topic of overcrowded lounges, plus paid lounge access, I would be curious to hear if some here know some airport where it would be preferable to spend say the equivalent of 50AUD in a descent airport restaurant, rather than 50 AUD fee for an overcrowded lounge (with 10 min queue, packed seating areas, and over cooked rice + curry.

Hobart would be a good example where you would be better off spending $50 at restaurants than the lounge. I think some would be so bold as to even suggest Sydney domestic as well.

QF will not be selling passes to the Flounge.
Not in a million years.
They give P1 two passes a year to transfer to family/ friends.
No way will they be selling them to anyone flying J to use the Flounge.

Completely agree with you here. Hell will freeze over before that happens. The point of the First class lounge is to provide a refined experience for Premium customers. Bumping shoulder to shoulder or having to wait to dine simply won't cut it. Having been now to three Qantas First lounges (SYD, MEL and LAX if you must know) it is a completely different experience. Unique from the countless lounges I have attended from LH, UA, AC, etc (including their premium business class lounges). At the end of the day, would Qantas benefit from making a couple thousand extra per lounge selling access versus the harm to customer goodwill it causes? I think on balance scaring away customers who put down tens of thousands on F fares (or by earning status) is not worth the additional revenue, but would love to be proven wrong here.

 

[MediumToast]

At the end of the day, would Qantas benefit from making a couple thousand extra per lounge selling access versus the harm to customer goodwill it causes?

Joyce was willing to tarnish the brand in the name of profit. Selling lounge passes doesn't sound so bad compared to the everything else.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Joyce was willing to tarnish the brand in the name of profit. Selling lounge passes doesn't sound so bad compared to the everything else.

Except this is exactly what Joyce and co would do. Pull back on longstanding benefits to loyal customers under the guise of "capacity issues" and "preserving the experience" or whatever other excuse.

Then a few months later, all of a sudden you can buy your way in with cash. I've got no problem with offering passes for sale but I do also believe it was unnecessary to pull the benefit of guesting from gold and platinums.

 

[Lynda2475]

believe it was unnecessary to pull the benefit of guesting from gold and platinums.

Gold and Platinums are still able to guest others into the lounges, this has not been removed.

 

[encryptededdy]

Gold and Platinums are still able to guest others into the lounges, this has not been removed.

I assume they meant guesting non-flying guests

 

[Brucetiki]

To be honest, I'm surprised this hasn't happened sooner, given Virgin have been offering paid access to their lounges pretty much since they started operating lounges way back in the Virgin Blue days.

 

[levelnine]

As is expected for Qantas, the implementation is a dog's breakfast.

100 points for the MEL QC lol.

 

[DejaBrew]

100 points for the MEL QC lol.

 

[logicallysynced]

As is expected for Qantas, the implementation is a dog's breakfast.

100 points for the MEL QC lol.

View attachment 365563

Just to clarify, this was posted on the QFF subreddit and the OP said it was a custom offer sent to their email.

 

[levelnine]

Just to clarify, this was posted on the QFF subreddit and the OP said it was a custom offer sent to their email.

Correct. Seeing them pop up everywhere in the last couple of days.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Ouch, imagine paying to visit the HBA QP!

 

[justinbrett]

Oh, so it is still an offer and not just rolled out carte blanche?

 

[levelnine]

Oh, so it is still an offer and not just rolled out carte blanche?

Patience, grasshopper. They haven't even got the correct points cost set up for each of the lounges.

 

[justinbrett]

Patience, grasshopper. They haven't even got the correct points cost set up for each of the lounges.

But they've been emailing those offers in that exact format (not a single design change) for a while now.

PF's post from Jul last year: Qantas offering paid lounge access on invitation basis?

 

[levelnine]

But they've been emailing those offers in that exact format (not a single design change) for a while now.

PF's post from Jul last year: Qantas offering paid lounge access on invitation basis?

As with the other conversation, let's wait and see.

You clearly think nothing is going to change. Qantas would never screw over its loyal customers (lol).

I think Qantas is on a decade-long project to significantly expand the revenue it earns from its lounge offering. The first step was the switch from paper to electronic passes so it could more closely monitor lounge occupancy levels and it could become the exclusive seller of lounge access (ie stop the black market of paper passes). The next step has been to trial lounge access purchase offers to select people by email only. A further step was taken recently with the removal of non-flying guest access (can't have non-paying people occupying seats in the lounge). I see the step to this new platform as the expansion of that offering — indeed, why would Qantas spend all the time and money on creating a new platform if it weren't intending to expand paid lounge access? The MEL QC 100 points offer is a sign they're expanding it by adding new lounges to the purchase system (and some fat fingered intern didn't put in the correct points amount). Rome wasn't built in a day. It's being built out step by step.

 

[justinbrett]

You clearly think nothing is going to change. Qantas would never screw over its loyal customers (lol).

No, I think QF has and will keep its hands on the levers of when it will offer the passes and to how many people.

Very easy to implement, it knows flight loads and approx number of guests for a given time period, it can work out excess capacity and restrict sales once that is exceeded.

In any case if people are spending $60 to go to a domestic QP, let them. They'll be subsidising the rest of us and gives QF more money to fund the lounges and associated renovations.

 

[Guvner]

I see the step to this new platform as the expansion of that offering — indeed, why would Qantas spend all the time and money on creating a new platform if it weren't intending to expand paid lounge access?

That made me laugh. A new platform... Update their Excel spreadsheet macro you mean?

 

[levelnine]

One of the funnier (ie more transparent) forms of Qantas apologia you see in these forums is the one where there's no version of the future where Qantas does something wrong.

Qantas doesn't expand paid lounge access? See, nothing to worry about.

Qantas expands paid lounge access? Nothing to worry about, all these new people are cross-subsiding lounge access for elites by paying for renovations.

Post automatically merged: Jan 11, 2024

That made me laugh. A new platform... Update their Excel spreadsheet macro you mean?

You laugh, but it probably took Qantas 3 years to build this functionality lol.

 

[justinbrett]

One of the funnier (ie more transparent) forms of Qantas apologia you see in these forums is the one where there's no version of the future where Qantas does something wrong.

Qantas doesn't expand paid lounge access? See, nothing to worry about.

Sure there is. Qantas expanding free lounge access. Increasing guest entitlements.

QF has had paid lounge access for years.

 

[levelnine]

When a OWE/OWS elite enters an overcrowded AA lounge, the first thing they definitely think to themselves is: we're so lucky to have all these paid members cross-subsidising these facilities lol.