Qantas First Lounge in Singapore

[zenyattamondatta]

I didn’t think that Peasant was asking for unfettered lounge access and an attack on the menu, just a tour - a quick guided look-around of a lounge of which Qantas should be proud, and one he’d likely visit on a future QF trip by dint of his Platinum status. Obviously such a tour is at the discretion of staff but under the circumstances I don’t think it would have been the worst thing to do.

Maybe they could sense that his "loyalty" to QF was such that a polite and justified refusal would lead to the termination of his long-term relationship with the corporation...

 

[Peasant]

I didn’t think that Peasant was asking for unfettered lounge access and an attack on the menu, just a tour - a quick guided look-around of a lounge of which Qantas should be proud, and one he’d likely visit on a future QF trip by dint of his Platinum status. Obviously such a tour is at the discretion of staff but under the circumstances I don’t think it would have been the worst thing to do.

Absolutely right David, I certainly wasn't looking for anything to eat or drink, or even to take a seat. I just asked whether they'd let me have a look...

Obviously opinions are split here, but I can say with absolute surety for all of my intra-Asia flying I won't be trading SQ Business Class for Jetstar Asia. Does that make me disloyal?

Ultimately I'm of the view a bit of flexibility goes a long way in the service industry. Some airlines are better than others at it, and customers should also be respectful of rules, especially during busy periods. That said, for me anyway, having a look at the new F lounge might well have been an inducement to fly QF between Aus and Singapore each fortnight...

 

[moa999]

While I agree a bit of flexibility could go a long way, they've also just opened and suspect have a lot of very green staff still needing training, even if it looks quiet.

 

[RooFlyer]

I don’t think it would have been the worst thing to do.

Especially since the lounge hasn't been opened yet!

You holding up your SQ boarding pass is saying to them, "I'm disloyal and not spending money with you." They indeed should not give you the time of day.

Also held up their QFF Platinum card. With the SQ BP that might have said "I'm very loyal to QF, but flying SQ to somewhere QF doesn't fly to". An airline not giving the pax the time of day can work both ways.

 

[DavidFlynn]

Especially since the lounge hasn't been opened yet!

It opened on Monday. The official opening is Dec2 but the lounge is fully operational, admitting F passengers and Platinums and above, in fact yesterday evening it was chockers.

 

[RooFlyer]

It opened on Monday. The official opening is Dec2 but the lounge is fully operational, admitting F passengers and Platinums and above,

Yeah, yeah, I've been following along ... but if there was any time where true flexibility might be on, its before its "opened" (officially).

 

[Happy Trails]

I was allowed a 'quick look' at the, then, newly opened TK lounge at BKK earlier this year.
I was flying on either EK or CX and had no TK status.
Though I would have been understanding if turned away.

 

[levelnine]

in fact yesterday evening it was chockers.

That doesn't bode well. Already at capacity before it is even officially opened?

 

[Princess Fiona]

Sometimes it's funny how the very small, trivial things lead to the termination of your long-term relationship with a corporation...

Travelling today on an SQ regional sector in J, but thought it was worth a shot to wander over to SIN T1 to ask nicely whether they'd give me a quick tour of the new lounge (escorted or not), thinking they'd be excited to show off the new lounge.

Was met by Nestor - I'm fairly sure it was him from my bi-weekly visits to the SYD F lounge - along with my SQ BP and QF Platinum card and asked whether there was any way they'd let me have a quick peek. Absolutely not...very adamant and inflexible, particularly as this was just before 3pm when he and his colleague were just standing around chatting. Poor form I thought.

Wandered back to the SQ F lounge, which I'm sure is far darker and inferior to QF's new creation, but instantly handed my favourite Piper Heidsieck Millesime 06 and a "welcome back mr X" by the barman. Put everything in perspective really and made me a happier SQ Solitaire.

Ah...the small things Qantas!

Sorry, completely agree with the staff here.
Enjoy SQ.

 

[Princess Fiona]

That doesn't bode well. Already at capacity before it is even officially opened?

A colleague of mine was there yesterday evening. QF WP flying in F on QF2. Couldn’t get a seat, standing room only. Does not appear there is any reserved seating for QF F pax.

 

[jase05]

A colleague of mine was there yesterday evening. QF WP flying in F on QF2. Couldn’t get a seat, standing room only. Does not appear there is any reserved seating for QF F pax.

That doesn’t sound ideal. Those flying in F should most definitely be accomodated

 

[levelnine]

That doesn’t sound ideal. Those flying in F should most definitely be accomodated

Seating should not be a problem in a F lounge for anyone. Indeed, if you can't get a seat in a F lounge, it barely warrants the label 'F lounge'.

 

[DavidFlynn]

That doesn't bode well. Already at capacity before it is even officially opened?

I don't expect 'officially opened' will make much difference, as QF would already be directing F and other lounge-eligible passengers to the new lounge.

QF says seating capacity is 240 pax but clearly this is being hammered in the evening peak, when you have QF2 arriving at 6pm so there's an offload of transit passengers, as well as people flying out on (and connecting from QF2 onto) the QF flights to SYD, MEL, BNE and PER, which all leave between 7pm and 8.30pm, and of course those flying ex-SIN on one of those flights will be in the lounge prob two hours ahead of time.

So count on 5pm - 8pm being a bit of a bell-shaped curve of capacity, and the peak of this really pushes things. It's also an interesting metric on how many WP and P1s there are!

 

[DavidFlynn]

That doesn’t sound ideal. Those flying in F should most definitely be accomodated

Agree 100% and we'll be asking about this, I'd really expect that there should be a bunch of tables and seats with a Reserved sign and F pax should be directed to these.

 

[jjj777ccc]

Would be interesting to know if the regular lounge was relatively 'quiet' at the same time.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I don't expect 'officially opened' will make much difference, as QF would already be directing F and other lounge-eligible passengers to the new lounge.

QF says seating capacity is 240 pax but clearly this is being hammered in the evening peak, when you have QF2 arriving at 6pm so there's an offload of transit passengers, as well as people flying out on (and connecting from QF2 onto) the QF flights to SYD, MEL, BNE and PER, which all leave between 7pm and 8.30pm, and of course those flying ex-SIN on one of those flights will be in the lounge prob two hours ahead of time.

So count on 5pm - 8pm being a bit of a bell-shaped curve of capacity, and the peak of this really pushes things. It's also an interesting metric on how many WP and P1s there are!

Correct me if I'm wrong; there is at most, 4-5 QF departing flights worth (1500-2000 total pax) at Singapore at any one time. Even if 100 of these passengers were Emerald, that would be a high number, no?

BA F/Emerald pax will no doubt be making their way over. As will EK Plat. And MH Emeralds making the trip from T2..... and Jetstar... and the savvy CX pax who do the loop-de-loop via T1 instead of T4.

Methinks maybe the new lounge is about making cash from other airline pax (via intra-airline lounge fee agreements), rather than it strictly about overcrowding of existing lounges. Sneaky sneaky QF! (I love it!)

 

[levelnine]

Methinks maybe the new lounge is about making cash from other airline pax (via intra-airline lounge fee agreements), rather than it strictly about overcrowding of existing lounges. Sneaky sneaky QF! (I love it!)

And in the process delivering a decidedly sub-standard experience to its own frequent flyers. Hardly a premium experience if you can't find a seat!

 

[serfty]

Hardly a premium experience if you can't find a seat!

Wasn't that the problem with with the "International Business Lounge"?

Would be interesting to know if the regular lounge was relatively 'quiet' at the same time.

Good observation!

 

[jase05]

Maybe JQ passengers should be directed to the J lounge

*ducks and runs for cover*

 

[DavidFlynn]

Would be interesting to know if the regular lounge was relatively 'quiet' at the same time.

That’s be rather an irony but you’d have to think it could be approx 150-200 pax down due to all of those being in the F lounge. FWIW, I heard that QF was predicting up to 200 J lounge pax per day would be diverted to the F lounge so this would have played some part in determining the lounge’s space and seating, but I think there’s an X-factor which Mark alluded to with regards to BA lounge leakage (although I seriously doubt many MH flyers would come across from T2 nor CX flyers ahead of a T4 flight,I think we are over-estimating the % of those types of people compared to the ‘norm’).