Platinum "anytime" lounge Access ceases from 1 February 2011

[samh004]

Still can't get used to the taste of beer....

Lets keep it that way… and now back to regularly scheduled programming!

 

[m_ratt]

A week or so ago I sent in an email (using the webform) to QFF with my comments about the change.

In the 6 months or so I've been WP I've used Anytime access twice, once while seeing people off at the airport (guests flying QF), and once while waiting for people to arrive (once again, they were flying QF). Neither of the lounges were anywhere near full, so no problem with regards to overcrowding. We made use of a comfortable chair and had a tea/coffee for the 15-30 minutes we waited.

I made it clear that in neither case could this be considered to be giving a 'freekick' to a competitor, nor contributing to overcrowding - the justification given for the change. I viewed use of the QP simply as a gesture of goodwill to a loyal customer.


Surprisingly I received a phone call on Friday from Chris at QFF, regarding my email. He stated that my concerns had been raised with senior management and that from my email it was clear he couldn't add to my understanding of the changes (ie - I knew what I was talking about), and acknowledged that it was a reduction in benefits. He stated that QF couldn't make all changes please everyone.

While I'm disappointed about the change, I am pleased somewhat that my disappointment was acknowledged by Qantas.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

I just re-read the first 150 posts.
Wow. So much useful info from all of our members. I'm sure if we all put our brains together, we could go to the moon.


Not far off before the deadline, and WP anytime access is pretty much in the history books.

FLYGVA (on FT) has put together a list of all the benefits of both OW and Star. So, l guess you can have a look where QF stand in regards to 'benefits' for WP's.

OW Emerald Overview
OW Sapphire Overview
OW Ruby Overview


Star Gold Overview
Star Silver Overview

 

[swilk]

Well, as a QFF WP and a Velocity Gold member I can only comment that Virgin seem to be much more interested in pleasing their customers and showing some common sense flexibility.

I recently had the occasion to pick my daughter up from Perth airport (she was flying into Perth on a Virgin flight). My wife and I joined the priority check-in queue, explained that we weren't flying but were meeting our daughter and would there be any chance of waiting for her flight in the lounge. The girl was very polite, made a quick phone call and said she had cleared it with the gentleman on the desk in the Lounge. We went to the lounge desk and were welcomed. When our daughter's flight arrived the gentleman from the lounge desk personally sought us out to inform us.

A week later I took my daughter to the airport, joined the priority queue, again explained I wasn't the one flying and politely asked if she could allocate my daughter a better seat than row 23. She was give row 4! Again I was actually offered a place in the lounge where we enjoyed a good breakfast.

You can't do better than that!

What a contrast to Qantas where I have had 1 extra guest turned away causing great embarrassment when the QC was practically empty. Yes I know and accept the rules and I don't expect the QC desk staff to break them just for me but the different attitude that Virgin have will make me think twice about sending custom to Qantas.

I wonder what will happen when I try to take an extra guest into the Qantas First lounge in Sydney later this year

It is the little things that make you feel special.

 

[dfcatch]

I wonder what will happen when I try to take an extra guest into the Qantas First lounge in Sydney later this year

It is the little things that make you feel special.

Sounds like great customer service from DJ.

I'm sure you already know the answer re the First Lounge. QF (or should I say Sofitel) are very strict on the 1 guest policy. Seem to be reasonably accommodating in the J lounge though.

As always YMMV and it never hurts to ask politely. But be prepared for a rejection.

 

[serfty]

... The girl was very polite, made a quick phone call and said she had cleared it with the gentleman on the desk in the Lounge. We went to the lounge desk and were welcomed. When our daughter's flight arrived the gentleman from the lounge desk personally sought us out to inform us.

A week later I took my daughter to the airport, joined the priority queue, again explained I wasn't the one flying and politely asked if she could allocate my daughter a better seat than row 23. She was give row 4! Again I was actually offered a place in the lounge where we enjoyed a good breakfast. ...

That's painful to me.

I'll tell you why ... it reminds me of the service I received as a no status QP member in 1994.:-|

 

[ozbeachbabe]

That's painful to me.

I'll tell you why ... it reminds me of the service I received as a no status QP member in 1994.:-|

While we're getting all nostalgic here who remembers the old TAA Flight Deck Club circa 1986 that looked like something out of the movie Boogie Nights. It was in the old grey part of SDT that can't be demolished because it's a National Trust Building.

I seem to remember it was a temporary lounge because there had been a fire somewhere temporarily rendering the other lounge out of action.

That was in the days where there were only 5 aerobridges and they were all painted different colours like red, green, purple, Blue & orange?

 

[serfty]

One specific episode to illustrate:

December 1994, the SYD "3rd Runway" has been open a few weeks thereby cutting* SYD's aircraft movement capacity by 10% or so. It was a Sunday, I was travelling up from MEL to work in [-]Strawberry hills[/-] Redfern for a week.

Back then QP was a same day travel deal and my Father was in Sydney for a conference or something. I arranged to meet him at the QP on arrival, but my flight was ¾ hour late. He arrived at our arranged time to meet me. He had the details of my flight etc. They told him my flight was running late and invited him inside.


*Apparently the 3rd runway had been completed ~6 months early. There must have been a state/federal election or something looming as the "powers that be" decided it would be "beneficial" to commence operations on the third runway even though, at the time the ATC's did not have the equipment yet commissioned to operate parallel runways, thereby cutting capacity. I had 8 MEL/SYD Nov/Dec 1994 and the average departure delay was 55 minutes. 2 of the eight flights departed on time, all but 1 were either Friday or Sunday evening 6pm peak.

 

[JohnK]

.... it reminds me of the service I received as a no status QP member in 1994.:-|

So what you are saying (even though you did not say it) is that it is better not to have Platinum or any status at all!

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I remember my uncle checking me in at the Ansett first class(?) check in when I was 14. He wasn't flying. Then he took me into the Golden Wing and said 'enjoy the tim tams and don't miss your flight'.

Sure left a lasting impression on me of how to treat your most loyal customers.

 

[nlagalle]

I remember my uncle checking me in at the Ansett first class(?) check in when I was 14. He wasn't flying. Then he took me into the Golden Wing and said 'enjoy the tim tams and don't miss your flight'.

Sure left a lasting impression on me of how to treat your most loyal customers.

I had a few times I was waiting for people to collect from the airport and I waited in the Gold Wing lounge even though I wasn't flying - but they were.

 

[dfcatch]

As a Golden Wing member I remember taking my parents to the airport and lounge a few times when I wasn't flying.

I never really thought of it as "anytime access" until now......hmmm

Can't even remember what the "published" benefits were. I was only Silver status at the time. (was it called silver?? I can't remember).

 

[serfty]

So what you are saying (even though you did not say it) is that it is better not to have Platinum or any status at all!

Not at all - this was 1994; in the 15 or so years since things have changed drastically.

I was comparing contemporary DG service for Velocity Gold members with the QP service of last century.

 

[Danger]

I sent off a long letter to Qantas last Tuesday outlining my discontent with the removal of anytime access. Today (very quick) I receive a call from the service centre. The response was along much the same lines as others have noted, above: we've had a lot of feedback and it's being passed on to headquarters. I pushed further and ended up keeping the bloke on the phone for 15 minutes.

At first he thought anytime access wasn't being withdrawn from international lounges but I asked him to double-check and he said that it was. It doesn't say much when the service centre staff don't understand the changes. I pointed out the now small difference between Gold and Platinum; the insulting promos Qantas offered for new Qantas Club members after claiming lounge overcrowing was the issue; the fact that it's rarely about giving the competitors a 'free kick' and more often about Qantas not flying a route, inconvenient flight times, meeting your parents at the lounge before their annual big trip away etc; the fact that I've only ever accessed the lounge by showing my card and so I fail to see how there's any evidence that Platinums have been clogging up the lounges with anytime. I pointed out the appealing nature of the AAdvantage and the fact Executive Club (as far as I know) offers anytime access (although I understand it has its limitations).

Anyway, fingers crossed something positive comes of all the backlash.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Anyway, fingers crossed something positive comes of all the backlash.

Maybe AFF could start up a thread for people who are currently QF WP but have had DJ do a status match for Velocity Gold again highlighting lack of incentive to attain status higher than SG with QF.

Maybe even a spreadsheet in dollar terms outlining business QF have lost to DJ as a result of this change.

Let's go for Gold!

 

[bossreggie]

Maybe AFF could start up a thread for people who are currently QF WP but have had DJ do a status match for Velocity Gold again highlighting lack of incentive to attain status higher than SG with QF.

Maybe even a spreadsheet in dollar terms outlining business QF have lost to DJ as a result of this change.

Let's go for Gold!

Good Idea Oz.

Can one of the mods do this please??

 

[markis10]

Good Idea Oz.

Can one of the mods do this please??

There are probably privacy implications in doing that, a quick browse of the Velocity Status match thread is a pretty good indication, who retains Velocity Gold will be an even better one in a years time!

 

[NM]

There are probably privacy implications in doing that, a quick browse of the Velocity Status match thread is a pretty good indication, who retains Velocity Gold will be an even better one in a years time!

Anyone interested in knowing how many people are willing to identify with a particular demographic can start a poll thread asking people to vote for the option that best matched their situation.

 

[awilcockson]

There are probably privacy implications in doing that, a quick browse of the Velocity Status match thread is a pretty good indication, who retains Velocity Gold will be an even better one in a years time!

They comped us all two years, so you'd have to wait two years to find out

 

[markis10]

They comped us all two years, so you'd have to wait two years to find out

Not quite, depending on your dates it is not two years, my timing was poor hence I have a year!