MEL Dom. lounges refurb Completed October 2018

[serfty]

Received an email from Qantas corporate.

The Melbourne domestic lounges are to be remodeled from mid November with completion 2nd half of 2018.

During this period no guesting will be available for SG or QP during 'peak hours' at Melbourne's Qantas Club.

...
Qantas Gold Frequent Flyers and Qantas Club members will be permitted to access the Melbourne Qantas Club, however no guests will be permitted during peak hours (from 5am through to 9am and from 3pm through to 7pm). At all other times, Qantas Club normal guest access policy applies, and guest passes will be accepted during this time, subject to lounge availability.

A Grab and Go offering will be available during construction, providing an easy and convenient access to a selection of tea, coffee and pastries. ...

 

[Hvr]

The door staff are going to have a very hard job during this period. They will see the absolute worst in people demanding guest access and will undoubtedly suffer abuse.

I have a lot of empathy for them doing this role at the best of times with DYKWIA people demanding access, this will be hell.

Lets hope there is lots of signage explaining the restrictions.

 

[levelnine]

Sounds like the renovation period is going to be a disaster with significantly reduced capacity.

I guess it'll get SGs ready for the downgrade in experience with their new windowless lounge.

 

[mviy]

What about WP? Can they still take in two guests during this time?

 

[TheTrimmer]

Looks I,ll be directing my business to Virgin with access available to lounge with Amex Platinum Charge .So much for life membership to QC.

 

[mviy]

Looks I,ll be directing my business to Virgin with access available to lounge with Amex Platinum Charge .So much for life membership to QC.

This is a frustrating but temporary restriction. Once the renovations are finished you should be allowed to take the normal number of guests in again.

On QF at least one way domestic flights cost the same as return so if that’s also the case on Virgin you could fly Virgin from MEL and QF back to MEL if you want.

 

[RooFlyer]

What about WP? Can they still take in two guests during this time?

As usual, Qantas words its releases ambiguously, probably due to the grammatical ignorance of its agents and employees, but still ...

This sentence;

Qantas Gold Frequent Flyers and Qantas Club members will be permitted to access the Melbourne Qantas Club, however no guests will be permitted during peak hours (from 5am through to 9am and from 3pm through to 7pm).

..states that SG and QP members OK, but NO, repeat, NO guests. not for WP, NONE.

This:

A Grab and Go offering will be available during construction, providing an easy and convenient access to a selection of tea, coffee and pastries.

.. tells me that coffee and pastries are the max available during the 6 or so months of renovation.

Now, whether that all comes about depends on the literary skills of Qantas media flacks.

 

[Pushka]

This is a frustrating but temporary restriction. Once the renovations are finished you should be allowed to take the normal number of guests in again.

On QF at least one way domestic flights cost the same as return so if that’s also the case on Virgin you could fly Virgin from MEL and QF back to MEL if you want.

It sounds like over a 6 month restriction though. I took guest restriction to mean it only applied to SG and QP. Why mention those specifically?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

It sounds like over a 6 month restriction though. I took guest restriction to mean it only applied to SG and QP. Why mention those specifically?

I read it that way too. Qantas Club and Gold can access the lounge, but no guests allowed. Platinum and higher will be able to access including guests.

 

[RooFlyer]

I read it that way too. Qantas Club and Gold can access the lounge, but no guests allowed. Platinum and higher will be able to access including guests.

Hope you are correct, but 'no guests' to me means no guests (full stop). If they wanted to discriminate between SG and WP guests, they would have (or should have) said:

Qantas Gold Frequent Flyers and Qantas Club members will be permitted to access the Melbourne Qantas Club, however no guests of SG and QP members will be permitted during peak hours (from 5am through to 9am and from 3pm through to 7pm). At all other times, Qantas Club normal guest access policy applies, and guest passes will be accepted during this time, subject to lounge availability.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hope you are correct, but 'no guests' to me means no guests (full stop). If they wanted to discriminate between SG and WP guests, they would have (or should have) said:

Perhaps that's because platinums will use the business lounge rather than the Qantas Club?

Otherwise the statement should have been Qantas platinum, gold and qantas club can access the lounge as normal, but no guests are allowed...

 

[Pushka]

Hope you are correct, but 'no guests' to me means no guests (full stop). If they wanted to discriminate between SG and WP guests, they would have (or should have) said:

Well we all know how ‘should have said’ is with Qantas. I’m thinking it means WP+ can guest (not stated: Into the J lounge)

 

[muppet]

Perhaps that's because platinums will use the business lounge rather than the Qantas Club?

Otherwise the statement should have been Qantas platinum, gold and qantas club can access the lounge as normal, but no guests are allowed...

I agree.

That limitation is stated on the Melbourne Qantas Club webpage but it is absent on the Melbourne Domestic Business Lounge webpage.

 

[Strategic Aviation]

Qantas restricts guest access to Melbourne Qantas Club lounge - Australian Business Traveller

But once the work itself begins in mid-November, the staged construction will see a much smaller Qantas Club through to the second half of 2018.

As a result, Gold-grade frequent flyers and Qantas Club members will be unable to bring a guest into the Qantas Club during the busy peak hours from 5am to 9am and from 3pm to 7pm.

Outside those hours, guest access will remain available – as will the use of complimentary lounge invitations – although Qantas notes this will still be "subject to lounge availability."

Happily for Qantas Platinum card-holders there's currently no restriction on bringing guests into the Business Lounge.

 

[Simo]

Should let the SG use the J lounge

 

[Pushka]

Should let the SG use the J lounge

The J lounge is often packed to the rafters with current membership. Certainly was a couple of weeks ago. No seats and no standing room anywhere near any kind of ‘table/bench/place to put PC or even drink.

 

[drron]

I'll be transiting MEL mid November but fortunately with mrsdrron who will still be WP.

 

[Melburnian1]

The other issue is whether there will be noisy construction ongoing, or whether magically any such works will only occur from say 2200 hours to 0500 hours.

The sound of an angle grinder is particularly grating in residential areas. If relatively close to a traveller sitting in an airport lounge, it would be worse than the loudest arrogant mobile phone conversation.

 

[Daver6]

I understand the need to restrict numbers. However, I think it is rather unfair to deny QP members guesting privileges. This is something they have paid for directly and sold as such. Access as a SG or WP is an indirect benefit and reasonable to be treated differently IMHO.

 

[kpc]

If I had paid QC membership, and was denied bringing in a guest, I would expect some compensation from Qantas!!!