New Ability to Purchase Single-Visit Lounge Passes

[justinbrett]

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.

Well the BA Galleries lounges are coughhouse, and they don't have a paid access program (not sure if they do single day passes).

Their F lounge at LHR is one of the worst F lounges in oneworld; AA Flagship lounges cough all over it, and they're not even F lounges.

Many people in US lounges are there because of the credit cards they hold, which is an entirely different problem I'm glad we don't have here.

 

[PumaPilot]

My pennies worth.......it's wrong to sell lounge access to the first lounges, either pay to fly first of pay to sit on many many flights to get to Platinum. After the pandemic, I transited through MEL a lot. I would be in the Biz lounge as a Plat member and the lounge was full of idiots and I do mean Idiots who had cashed in there Wollies points etc. to fly Biz to Sydney of Brisbane and they had no idea how to behave. I saw 2 people empty a full glass jars of sweats into their handbags, another was grabbing handfuls of jams/vegimite etc. On my next visit, the same scene awaited me, idiots taking advantage of lounge access. Please start abusing me for my post, I don't care, I'm not being elitist, just what I saw multiple times.

 

[The Astronomer]

I read "up to" as they can be purchased any time prior to one hour before your departure time. So that if your flight departs at 3pm then you cannot buy the pass after 2pm.

I would read it as prior to one hour before departure, too. However, the use of 'up to' in sentences like this is ambiguous. I was confused last year when reading conditions for applying for a visa to visit a certain country, with the wording that one could apply for visas 'up to 45 days before travel'.

 

[Beano]

I remember buying access to the Air NZ international lounges in SYD and BNE at the door, but not sure that is still available..

 

[p--and--t]

The pedant in me says everyone using a lounge is/has bought access to the lounge (one way or another).

 

[elanshin]

I don't think there's anything crazily wrong about QF selling lounge passes if they're targeted and not available to evey flight.

SYD/MEL QP at 6pm is a very different place to 1pm. They could sell a bunch for flights in the middle of the day then blackout from 4-7.

Overall they have the data to make this work, they know when the lounges are empty at any given day with all the data they need. Whether they end up doing it correctly or not is the question.

 

[TomVexille]

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

100 points for the MEL QC lol.

View attachment 365563

That's about what it's worth based on my last visit

 

[Seat0B]

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

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oh those poor sweet newbies!

 

[Seat0B]

another was grabbing handfuls of jams/vegimite etc.

Might have been me or someone like me .... Vegemite under 100mls for carry on

But I did have a good reason....

 

[lovestotravel]

Another enhancement to make the lounges even busier, a great revenue opportunity

Luckily I don't fly QF

 

[AFF Editor]

Qantas has clarified a few things about the new paid lounge passes tile on its website.

Basically, anyone who was already eligible for a paid lounge pass invitation can now also purchase this online using either cash or points. There are no changes to the eligibility to purchase a lounge pass, although Qantas says it is progressively rolling out this option on certain routes.

If you have an existing booking and want to see if you're eligible to buy a lounge pass, you can long into the new lounge passes page. This is in addition to the emails that get sent to eligible customers ahead of upcoming flights inviting them to purchase lounge access.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Qantas has clarified a few things about the new paid lounge passes tile on its website.

Basically, anyone who was already eligible for a paid lounge pass invitation can now also purchase this online using either cash or points. There are no changes to the eligibility to purchase a lounge pass, although Qantas says it is progressively rolling out this option on certain routes.

If you have an existing booking and want to see if you're eligible to buy a lounge pass, you can long into the new lounge passes page. This is in addition to the emails that get sent to eligible customers ahead of upcoming flights inviting them to purchase lounge access.

Awesome.
So the sky isn’t falling in and everyone won’t be able to buy their way into a lounge on any flight.

 

[levelnine]

although Qantas says it is progressively rolling out this option on certain routes.

Talk about burying the lede lol.

More paid access coming to a Qantas lounge near you. We've seen it has already been extended as far as the dire and horribly cramped HBA QC, which means they're intending to go very far indeed with this roll out on the new platform.

 

[CaptJCool]

The best way to obtain loyalty is Lounge access. They’ve known this a long long time

https://www.actuaries.asn.au/Library/Events/FSF/2012/AnalyticsOfLoyalty3BChandlerTubman.pdf

What it suggests is
1. After all the recent fanfare many regular flyers have walked away
2. To bring In the next “wave” of loyalty you need open the door to the lounge to the newbies or the waverers
3. The long term offering (book 45 days in advance) of $449 J fares between Syd & Melb or Bris brings fancy lounge access but since I’d not seen this before (ever) suggests there’s been a significant enough egress to cause them to majorly reduce the J fare for Josephine Public

 

[RichardMEL]

I expect QF would be very careful with this. We've already seen lounge crowding issues go to ridiculous levels for some carriers (hello Delta) and just look at the endless numbers of people eligible for VA lounges (and the - rare - times I've been in them they've been packed). I have no problem with the airline looking at an extra revenue opportunity, but not at the expense of lounge amenity (or just throw all the paid pax into the current SYD dom J lounge where they'll soon reconsider their life choices )

I also agree that QF is unlikely to sell access to the F lounge - but do note that QR for example *do* sell access to theirs (though only to QR ticketed J pax and some other restrictions, so not a free-for-all). At times the SYD and MEL QF Flounges (and even LAX in the evenings when you have QF bank/BA/CX flights all going can get quite crowded as is.

 

[CaptJCool]

I expect QF would be very careful with this. We've already seen lounge crowding issues go to ridiculous levels for some carriers (hello Delta) and just look at the endless numbers of people eligible for VA lounges (and the - rare - times I've been in them they've been packed). I have no problem with the airline looking at an extra revenue opportunity, but not at the expense of lounge amenity (or just throw all the paid pax into the current SYD dom J lounge where they'll soon reconsider their life choices )

I also agree that QF is unlikely to sell access to the F lounge - but do note that QR for example *do* sell access to theirs (though only to QR ticketed J pax and some other restrictions, so not a free-for-all). At times the SYD and MEL QF Flounges (and even LAX in the evenings when you have QF bank/BA/CX flights all going can get quite crowded as is.

In a way
Abandoning the WP “bring anyone guest access” enables them to better pinpoint and target to whom to offer invites should “excess” capacity likely be forecast

It provides a much better throttle than existed before when it was all in the land of the Unknown.

For QF it brings multiple benefits as in revenue and in consequence improved likelihood the next flight will be with them

For mine ….

 

[elanshin]

Their own wording in response to AFF sounds like it's not meant to be all flights.

Once again, QF knows exactly when the lounges are dead everyday and when its packed. Easy enough to just block off periods of the day they expect high traffic. And as they haven't promised everyone paid lounge access, they can shift and adjust it as necessary.

 

[Beano]

I expect QF would be very careful with this. We've already seen lounge crowding issues go to ridiculous levels for some carriers (hello Delta) and just look at the endless numbers of people eligible for VA lounges (and the - rare - times I've been in them they've been packed). I have no problem with the airline looking at an extra revenue opportunity, but not at the expense of lounge amenity (or just throw all the paid pax into the current SYD dom J lounge where they'll soon reconsider their life choices )

I also agree that QF is unlikely to sell access to the F lounge - but do note that QR for example *do* sell access to theirs (though only to QR ticketed J pax and some other restrictions, so not a free-for-all). At times the SYD and MEL QF Flounges (and even LAX in the evenings when you have QF bank/BA/CX flights all going can get quite crowded as is.

I've been in the SYD F lounge on a Friday afternoon before all the big flights (A380s) depart. it could be called busy, but not packed

 

[justinbrett]

Their own wording in response to AFF sounds like it's not meant to be all flights.

Once again, QF knows exactly when the lounges are dead everyday and when its packed. Easy enough to just block off periods of the day they expect high traffic. And as they haven't promised everyone paid lounge access, they can shift and adjust it as necessary.

Don't let facts get in the way of a good rant!

 

[Beano]

Their own wording in response to AFF sounds like it's not meant to be all flights.

Once again, QF knows exactly when the lounges are dead everyday and when its packed. Easy enough to just block off periods of the day they expect high traffic. And as they haven't promised everyone paid lounge access, they can shift and adjust it as necessary.

It would help if you could just go to the desk and see if there is space and sign up on the spot before going in.