Qantas Club - Denied Access [QP member before CX flight]

[BettyB]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

And you have qualified your original statement by the following:

"The general rule is that a person...".

No Dr Ralph didn't. If you read the post "" were used. This indicates a direct quote from another source. You can't attribute what is inside the "" to the author of the post. Dr Ralph indicated what was inside the "" was from "a seminal work on the topic".

 

[BettyB]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

Who cares? It's a commercial issue, not a legal issue.

I don't believe you can separate the two in this situation.

 

[BettyB]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

Well hopefully the court system isn;t busy because people can't be bothered reading agreements that they have said they have read.

I'm sure that court system is very busy, but doubt the majority of the delays are about contract law matters.

 

[BettyB]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

You don't even have to delve into a contract, the access rules are displayed pretty prominently on the website: Eligibility and Access to The Qantas Club Lounges | Qantas

But aren't these part of the contract? And therefore the customer has agree to them?

 

[RichardMEL]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

In simple terms, if Qantas offered the same lounge access to QP, what would be the point of people paying QF the considerably more money it takes to reach Gold ?

for the bonus points earn/upgrade priority/bag allowance and so on?

I'd also suggest in the example of the OP's situation, technically the CX flight/QF lounge scenario is that the QF Lounge in HKG would be acting as a oneworld lounge for purposes of the CX flight, and not a QF lounge.

Paid Qantas Club membership is a totally different product/service to the benefits of status(which is a loyalty thing) and is not related to oneworld (or Emirates) despite QF's partnerships. I think this needs to be taken into consideration in respect of the OP's situation.

Yes, on the surface, as a QP member, flying in on QF, the oneward on a QF partner I can absolutely see why one would assume that the membership would work. It is unfortunate but this is not a situation where QF have provided poor service to their customer IMHO - even with respect of not explicitly informing them of their lounge access rights or not. One gets spoon fed in primary and secondary school. The sales agent can't possibly be expected to know what the consumer's priorities or motivations are (or care). They're selling a ticket. The OP suggested they booked the specific routing *because* of the idea of using the lounge in HKG (which I get, since it's a very nice lounge) but here's the thing, if I booked any kind of travel service, hotel etc for specific reasons like this, then I'd check my own facts to make sure what I thought was the reality as opposed to making an assumption. At the end of the day the ability to spend a few hours in a lounge is a nice thing, but hardly a red flag when it comes to booking travel. 99.6% of pax would make purchase decisions based on things like price and schedule and the sales agents know that and that's what THEY are selling on.

imho.

 

[cambriamarsh]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

Qantas club member for 22 years and still don't know the access policy?

Member for about 20 years and I don't know every rule either. FYI, a few years ago I and SWMBO used the QF lounge in AKL before getting on a CX award flight, albeit ticketed via QF, with no issue being raised.

 

[MelUser]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

I don't mean to be rude but First and Business class lounges are primarily intended for First and Business Class passengers.

I was recently travelling (paid) First Class on an Emirates flight and a friend was travelling in economy on another Emirates flight.

Our of dubai I could not get him into either the First or Business Class lounges. I am a very polite person so was no hint of agression etc. It was then pointed out to me
that if they allowed in everyone who thought they had access that the lounge would be overrun and lose its exclusivity and tranquility.

I have also discussed this with the guardian at the bottom of stairs of Qantas First Class lounge at Sydney international airport. He told me that he turns away the majority of
people who try and enter. The funniest reason he had from a passenger was that they were sitting in a first class seat (think old B747 seats at very front in nose) and therefore deserved to use the First Class Lounge.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

I was recently travelling (paid) First Class on an Emirates flight and a friend was travelling in economy on another Emirates flight.

Our of dubai I could not get him into either the First or Business Class lounges. I am a very polite person so was no hint of agression etc. It was then pointed out to me
that if they allowed in everyone who thought they had access that the lounge would be overrun and lose its exclusivity and tranquility.

That is somewhat unusual. Most airlines will allow F pax to bring one guest into the lounge with them.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

That is somewhat unusual. Most airlines will allow F pax to bring one guest into the lounge with them.

I think they key is that their putative guest was travelling on a different flight.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

I think they key is that their putative guest was travelling on a different flight.

ohhh... I missed that. (But even so, OneWorld lounge access criteria allow FCl pax one guest, does not need to be travelling on same flight... although QF has separate rules for its own F pax)

 

[medhead]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

Yes it is.
You have stated that up until the past year you held OW airline status with QF.
I presume that prior to the formation of OW you had access to the Qantas Club on QF flights.
I do not understand why it would it be a surprise to you that you cannot access a Qantas lounge prior to a CX flight? Having dropped to a status on QF/ One World which did not come with lounge access you purchased Qantas Club membership which gives you access before a QF/JQ flight. Do you think that every flight you buy on the QF website gives you lounge access as Qantas club member? Serious question. On the QF website you can purchase tickets on Air NZ and United amongst others. Do you think that if you purchase those fares in conjunction with a QF sector that QF should notify you upfront that you won't have lounge access as a Qantas Club member?

Minor point of order: QC allows access before a flight with a QF flight number including presumably (for example) SYD-ICN QF flight operated by Asiana. Reading the replies I'll assume they were on a CX flight number, but if it was a QF flight number of CX to MNL then they would, indeed, be allowed access. Given the potential price premium charged by QF when booking on the QF website even with a CX flight number, why not throw a "old bone to the dog". So to speak.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

ohhh... I missed that. (But even so, OneWorld lounge access criteria allow FCl pax one guest, does not need to be travelling on same flight... although QF has separate rules for its own F pax)

Yes with the perverse result that when I travel to Singapore to attend a meeting with colleagues from our Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane offices, and we are all travelling on QF flights, I cannot take any of them as guests into the QF lounge, but I can take them as guests into the BA lounge.

 

[medhead]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

Well I see the probably is that the OP naively things Qantas club is about loyalty, or that loyalty, for Qantas, is about retaining customers. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case.

Wonder how OP would feel if people flying on Tiger or Virgin got access to the QC before each flight.... that's essentially what is being said...

Buy QC membership, fly another competing airline. Yeah, that sound's like good business sense...

Oh yeah? Qantas compete with CX on HKG-MNL? I wonder why QF would sell seats for their competitors?
Or your analogy is false.

 

[Mattg]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

To be fair to the OP, I had to call Qantas a couple of weeks ago to seek some clarification on Qantas Club lounge access rules. I had to speak to several operators before I was able to get clear answers on a couple of the rules, as quite a few of the call centre staff didn't know/had trouble interpreting the rules themselves.

Having said that, I don't recall seeing any mention anywhere of access being granted when flying on Cathay Pacific.

 

[RichardMEL]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

The Qantas Club was never really (in its original incarnation, with paid memberships like the OP has, prior to oneworld) a "Business or First class" lounge. It sort of turned into that, and the place for status pax and the like, but the paid membership idea was that QC members could access the lounge regardless of travel class (that's what you paid for). All the rest of the freeloaders(as it were) be it status pax, OW/EK pax others etc have crept in over the years and, in a way, diluted the original concept of the QC - but I wonder how many paid memberships they have these days - I suspect mostly corporates, but I digress.

My point is, that a paid QC membership is a TOTALLY different product to one's entitlement as a status passenger, or flying on a First or Business class ticket. Same lounge perhaps, but very different policies and customer "segments" if you will (paid QC, QF elites, OW elites, etc).

Hence some confusion, but really. When I *was* a NB and then PS member with QC membership (yes, I had that so I know that side of it) I never contemplated using the QC before a CX flight or whatever. As I suggested in an earlier post, yes there were (a few) agreements between QC and (for example) AA and one or two others (they have changed over the years IIRC) that allowed access to some other clubs, but in general it was QC for QF flights (or JQ).

On the logic of it it does sort of make you wonder - I mean if CX is a partner of QF (the well known issues CX/QF have had over the years notwithstanding) then you'd think you should get into a QF operated lounge in HKG (ie: a QANTAS Club for all intents and purposes) as a paid member because - heck - QF already got your money for membership (or someone's money anyway ) so you should be able to use it. QF obviously decided they only wanted QC members to be able to have access prior to QF group flights - well that's their call - but I can certainly see one's thoughts that you've paid for a service, other QF pax flying CX can access this lounge, so why not me? sort of idea. However I also note the access rules are very clear, and I'd think if this was my goal I'd do my homework *before* I booked and flew. That's just me though.

 

[timster]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

In simple terms, if Qantas offered the same lounge access to QP (as to Golds), what would be the point of people paying QF the considerably more money it takes to reach Gold ?

for the bonus points earn/upgrade priority/bag allowance and so on?

Secondary benefits IMHO, compared to what would be Gold-equivalent lounge access at QP rates.

But QF have never offered that AFAIK (ie the OP's mistaken understanding of QP rules that have been in existence for as long as I can remember ... over 20 years ?). And they never will - QF's current aim across the board is clearly to penalize pax flying with carriers other than QF.

If you want alliance-wide benefits, you need gold status within an alliance. And there are easier ways to get that than QF / OW. Whether that is a better result for the individual will depend on individual flying patterns.

 

[opusman]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

The Qantas Club was never really (in its original incarnation, with paid memberships like the OP has, prior to oneworld) a "Business or First class" lounge. It sort of turned into that, and the place for status pax and the like, but the paid membership idea was that QC members could access the lounge regardless of travel class (that's what you paid for).

Originally the Qantas Club was membership only - even J pax didn't get access (domestically at least).

 

[RichardMEL]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

Originally the Qantas Club was membership only - even J pax didn't get access (domestically at least).

Yes, that was my basic point (which you made so much better )

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

Originally the Qantas Club was membership only - even J pax didn't get access (domestically at least).

First class were allowed entry.... but I can't recall if they were 'guests'?

 

[snabbu]

Re: Qantas Club Lounge - Denied Access

If I wanted to sit in a plastic chair for 3 hours in Hong Kong, I could have flown with any other airline, and at a lower ticket price.

Admittedly I haven't read through the entire thread however HKG has some super relaxing "lounge" chairs that I personally have spent a good few hours dozing in. If there was anywhere to be stuck without lounge access then HKG would be top 5 for me.