Platinum "anytime" lounge Access ceases from 1 February 2011

[samh004]

and everyone in the lounge will be a QP member :shock:

Or an international* OneWorld Sapphire/Emerald member

*As in not Qantas frequent flyers, but other OneWorld airline programs. Nothing to do with domestic versus international.

 

[Martin J Cowling]

Totally agree, and much enjoyed your blog.

Thank you!

 

[JohnPhelan]

JohnPhelan,

Does the BNE domestic business lounge still get severely overcrowded since they extended it?

It's certainly better than it was, but as Sam has noted, it still is badly overcrowded at certain times - around breakfast flights and especially on Friday afternoons/evenings.

And there's little QF can do about it until such time as BAC expands the terminal (which is on the forward plan, but still some years off) as, short of taking more room off the QP again, there is nowhere else to go!!

 

[JohnPhelan]

That would be fine with me as I do not fly economy.

HOWEVER..... It would be a totally stupid move by QANTAS to FURTHER erode benefits of their most loyal customers. DOM J Lounge access has been something EARNED by WP's (Like anytime access actually) and the removal of that benefit would send even more customers to DJ!!

Reggie, I think you missed the second part of my comment - that there would need to be a separate lounge created for WPs who are flying in Y. I'm certainly not suggesting they should be deprived of lounge access; I just happen to think that there should be a premium lounge for pax who have paid premium fares - one that isn't full of WPs flying on red e-deals!!

 

[Oneworldplus2]

...I just happen to think that there should be a premium lounge for pax who have paid premium fares - one that isn't full of WPs flying on red e-deals!!

So, 3 (4, if you include CL Lounges) Domestic Lounge offerings, you propose?

A normal Qantas Club
A Club for WP's who are flying Y (current Dom J Lounges)
A new Club for pax (regardless of status), flying J (J exclusive)
CL Lounges - invite only

So by that example, a road warrior WP who does 100+ sectors in Y (because of company policy/Self funded WP), shouldn't be allowed into a special exclusive J lounge where someone might do 1 J trip per annum should be?

I don't agree with that.
That sound's a little bit snobby to me.

I think that QF have got it right, in regards to the J and QC DOM Lounges on offer, QF just needs to put more distinguishing factors between the two and also put them at all major airports (...PER). I can fly J if need be, but l personally find that $500/20k points JASA for 1.5 hours SYD-BNE/MEL on an old 737 or $1600 PER-SYD 3.5 hours is a waste of money/rip off.

Some Star alliance carriers have this similar qualifications for their top tiers, like SQ with their PPS scheme and LH with their LH HON level, where you can only earn miles in premium cabins to get their top tier (I think, please feel free to correct me).

 

[david870mdg]

My apologies - clearly I am mistaken. I keep forgetting about the international anytime access consideration.

Is crowding that much of an issue in international J lounges? I've not experienced it, though I haven't done much international travel.

3 Times i've been in the QP at SIN, it was like a pig circus - absolutely pakced each time...
That being said, LAX TBIT lounge before A380 departures can be stading room only!

 

[markis10]

It's certainly better than it was, but as Sam has noted, it still is badly overcrowded at certain times - around breakfast flights and especially on Friday afternoons/evenings.

And there's little QF can do about it until such time as BAC expands the terminal (which is on the forward plan, but still some years off) as, short of taking more room off the QP again, there is nowhere else to go!!

As someone who uses the J lounge on a very regular basis, I can assure you it gets very busy for most of the day any day of the week, it was full at 1PM on a Tuesday and Wednesday in December with no weather issues backing up flights. As for space, that is simply not true, the QP could be expanded back to the size it was by moving the J lounge to the space adjacent where the old QP used to be, which of course is now the CL, worst case it could be moved to a space where the admin offices are on the western side of the building. Its not a case of space, more likely $$$ for rent etc.

3 Times i've been in the QP at SIN, it was like a pig circus - absolutely pakced each time...
That being said, LAX TBIT lounge before A380 departures can be stading room only!

There are plenty of QPs the get crowded, DRW is a shocker from 11Am each day, TSV before any BNE flight and CNS during school holidays, I would also put MKY in the same boat but its a quasi QP that technically does not have the anytime access now, yet still suffers from overcrowding.

 

[cove]

Why is the LAX TBIT in such a poor state for that lounge?
Is there a heritage listing on the Internet copper cables? Maybe the whole lounge there is heritage listed?
It really is not a great intro to the world of Qantas for folks heading to OZ.
I hope our former Jetstar chief does the first flight to LAX when the A380 heads there again to check his flagship lounge over in the US.

 

[serfty]

OT: TBIT lounge

Why is the LAX TBIT in such a poor state for that lounge?
Is there a heritage listing on the Internet copper cables? Maybe the whole lounge there is heritage listed?
It really is not a great intro to the world of Qantas for folks heading to OZ.
I hope our former Jetstar chief does the first flight to LAX when the A380 heads there again to check his flagship lounge over in the US.

Poor planning I guess?

The TBIT lounges have only been open for just over 26 months.

I endeavour to use T4 as much as possible before taking the ½ hourly airside bus over to TBIT.

 

[cove]

Let me tell you Serfty that is very clever.That TBIT lounge in LAX needs help.
I just hope QF board members get to experience it rather than them hob nobbing it somewhere that is nice!
I started on your favourite web sites at 4 am this morning and it may take a weekend to go thru them.
Your sites are so very different to mine!

 

[dfcatch]

Re: OT: TBIT lounge

Poor planning I guess?

The TBIT lounges have only been open for just over 26 months.

I endeavour to use T4 as much as possible before taking the ½ hourly airside bus over to TBIT.

I do the same Serfty.

That said - I've only recently been in the new lounges at TBIT once - that was the J lounge in Apr-09. Flown out of T4 or SFO or elsewhere otherwise.

I found the internet slow, but the lounge wasn't overly crowded and I thought it was ok. I was flying QF94.

Is there a separate QP at TBIT? Or is it just the TBIT J/F lounges?

I guess from all the reports here the lounge must really have gone downhill..??

Although I do remember the days when I used to get palmed off to "associated lounges" in TBIT.

 

[dfcatch]

I just happen to think that there should be a premium lounge for pax who have paid premium fares - one that isn't full of WPs flying on red e-deals!!

I'm with Oneworldplus on this.

WP is not a trivial achievement, and whether you have earned it from flying J or F, or from exclusively Y on domestic red e-deals (respect!), by virtue of having WP status you have demonstrated loyalty and spend with QF and have earned the right to sit in the Dom J lounge (where they exist). Perhaps even more so than a once-off J-class passenger with no status.

WP's do not have anytime access to Dom J lounges so this should not be an issue. And if it has been occurring, then simply enforcing the rules would resolve this issue.

If the Dom J lounges are overcrowded - then that's great for QF, it means their premium pax are flying lots. By "premium pax" I mean WPs and J pax.

I agree - I think QF have got this right in this regard. I would also just like to see a more "premium" offering in the Dom J lounge differentiating it from the QP, also more of them. I only ever get to see them if transiting through SYD or MEL.

 

[JohnK]

I have no idea where this discussion is heading but I will really really miss anytime lounge access when the rule comes into effect from 1 February 2011.

But on the other hand I also got a taste of what it would be like to travel without lounge access at BKK airport this morning. Got to the airport ~2 hours before TG flight (no QF lounge open anyway) and I spend THB55 on a can of Chang. I could have spent THB65 on a can of Singha but decided the THB10 was better off in my pocket.

No big deal but I would do the same thing in the future if I have QF Platinum status in the bag and TG/SQ have cheaper flights. QF won't lose a lot of money from me but they will lost some with this recent "enhancement"....

 

[Happy Trails]

But on the other hand I also got a taste of what it would be like to travel without lounge access at BKK airport this morning. Got to the airport ~2 hours before TG flight (no QF lounge open anyway) and I spend THB55 on a can of Chang. I could have spent THB65 on a can of Singha but decided the THB10 was better off in my pocket.

....

And not to mention that Chang is a fair bit stronger at 6.4%

 

[samh004]

and I spend THB55 on a can of Chang. I could have spent THB65 on a can of Singha but decided the THB10 was better off in my pocket.

So how long did you last before having a drink?

 

[tuapekastar]

Why is the LAX TBIT in such a poor state for that lounge?

Pretty sure I've read (probably on FT, and I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the info) that as to the overcrowding issues in the OW TBIT J and F lounges (and I have not been in them), OW (or at least the OW airlines involved - BA, CX, QF) were offered a certain amount of room for their lounges when they were redeveloped a few years ago but opted to take only half that amount ($ issues) and hence the redeveloped lounges were crowded from Day 1.

Thsat's the longest sentence I've typed this year.

 

[JohnPhelan]

Re the TBIT lounge at LAX - you think it's bad now? (which it is, I agree) - But you should have seen it prior to the renovation about 3 years ago!! It's far from great now, but it was MUCH worse then!

It probably needs to be double the size it is now, to be comfortable for the bulk flights in the evening - and bear in mind that a couple of QF flights already use Terminal 4 - imagine what it would be like if they were operating out of TBIT as well!!

 

[levelnine]

FWIW, unless an airline outlays an absurd amount of money for an enormous lounge (which they are highly unlikely to do given the negligible economic benefit), they are always going to have capacity problems. I think this is something that is unlikely to ever go away, anytime access or not.

When I worked for someone with CL, I remember even the BNE and old CBR CLs being standing room only at certain points (eg end of parliamentary sitting weeks in CBR).

 

[JohnPhelan]

As someone who uses the J lounge on a very regular basis, I can assure you it gets very busy for most of the day any day of the week, it was full at 1PM on a Tuesday and Wednesday in December with no weather issues backing up flights. As for space, that is simply not true, the QP could be expanded back to the size it was by moving the J lounge to the space adjacent where the old QP used to be, which of course is now the CL, worst case it could be moved to a space where the admin offices are on the western side of the building. Its not a case of space, more likely $$$ for rent etc.

Markis, I'm sure the rent is a big issue. But I believe there is generally a major lack of space in the QF terminal in BNE. If they were to move the J lounge to the current CL spot, and the CL over to the western side, then where do the admin offices go? No matter how they move the deck chairs around, the underlying problem is that there's just not enough space in the terminal for all the things that need to be there. The planned extensions can't come soon enough!

 

[JohnK]

And not to mention that Chang is a fair bit stronger at 6.4%

I think it has been down below 6% for a while.

So how long did you last before having a drink?

I went 101 days without a drink and did not do too badly while I was away. Only a couple of nights that I regret but I will keep those under ontrol. Still can't get used to the taste of beer....