Qantas Lounge Pet Peeves

[RichardMEL]

I might be crazy but I thought the point of flying F is to get F food on the plane...

Well, yes.. except for the "J+ food" QF serves in F

*duck & cover*

 

[Jacques Vert]

My pet peeve:

Why do QF lounge staff insist on having 6 bottles of sparkling wine open at the same time? Just so 5 of them can go flat before they are half empty.

 

[RichardMEL]

My pet peeve:

Why do QF lounge staff insist on having 6 bottles of sparkling wine open at the same time? Just so 5 of them can go flat before they are half empty.

Yes! I was literally thinking this just last week in MEL as I poured one (which was, to be fair, not at all flat).

At least AA use stoppers in their flagship lounge. Seems odd,

 

[justinbrett]

Just so 5 of them can go flat before they are half empty.

If 6 bottles last more than an hour y'all aren't even trying

At least AA use stoppers in their flagship lounge. Seems odd,

I watched a mythbusters (or similar) video about this. The stoppers don't do much. The important part is keeping the bottle chilled which slows down the bubbles. It will last overnight like this - so certainly can go a few hours in the lounge.

 

[muppet]

Yes! I was literally thinking this just last week in MEL as I poured one (which was, to be fair, not at all flat).

At least AA use stoppers in their flagship lounge. Seems odd,

AA also serves NV Piper-Heidsieck so not really comparable

 

[MEL_Traveller]

But looking at the SYD-LHR route, BA F is being sold closer to QF/EK J prices; and with all the jokes about BA F being the worlds best J - it does raise the question is it F just because the airline says it is?

The US will be in a weird situation where "First" is associated with domestic recliner seats and "Business" associated with the only long haul lie flat, almost switching the two classes around - as is the case on Euro rail where Business class is superior to First.

Yes, that might be the case for Australia, but TATL, to Africa, Sth America… apparently very strong demand. Not least TATL with the business and celebrity market!

 

[justinbrett]

Yes, that might be the case for Australia, but TATL, to Africa, Sth America… apparently very strong demand. Not least TATL with the business and celebrity market!

No wonder when the BA J seat has been absolute rubbish until the recent upgrade. That's my point, if BA's F is worse than QR's J, is it really F?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

No wonder when the BA J seat has been absolute rubbish until the recent upgrade. That's my point, if BA's F is worse than QR's J, is it really F?

Well… it’s F in terms of exclusivity and privileges. World’s best business class? Possibly. But one of only 8 pax means you get to tailor the flight to your needs. I’d consider that F.

 

[justinbrett]

But one of only 8 pax means you get to tailor the flight to your needs. I’d consider that F.

Ah, that's the US domestic narrowbody mindset!

 

[exceladdict]

Are the coffees produced by the barista better than those produced by the machine? I am not so sure about that. I would argue that it is the beans and milk used that determine coffee quality versus whether a barista was involved. I've had better coffee produced from my Nespresso machine than lattes at some cafes.

Per other posts about machines like the oracle requiring a manual step - proper tamping, and cleaning/flushing between shots, is I think where many automatic machines go wrong. Many of the auto ones in offices I've used feel like you can taste the residue of the last hundred coffees along with whatever you just ordered.

Noooooooo!! I would be really unhappy if they took away my real coffee privileges. It's one of the the things I use the most in any lounge I visit. And as per my recent post #1902 here, I would undergo quite a lot of annoyance to get a real coffee over a coffee machine one, anytime, anywhere.

Absolutely, and that's why I discourage any suggestion that machines are comparable!

Total DYKWIA behaviour. It is very annoying, that's for sure. I don't really know how any lounge operator could deal with this. Maybe instead of a quiet zone, have all lounges quiet, with a phone zone for those who absolutely must....

And people who let their kids watch Baby Shark or Peppa Pig or even Bluey at full volume - on repeat as only kids can do until it drives you totally insane. Headphones, please! For anything that makes more noise than quiet conversations. Actually, there have been a few memorable loud in person conversations too. I think I will just file these all under people who do not care at all about how their behaviour impacts on others.

If i remember correctly I've been in hotel lounges in Japan that have phone booths, as a quiet lounge is expected. It is possible, but training/enforcing the DYKWIAs to use the booths in a western context would be another thing entirely.

 

[Jacques Vert]

If 6 bottles last more than an hour y'all aren't even trying

Well I've tested this theory many times and they definitely loose their bubbles. Perhaps the moment they start to loose their fizz we all switch to the red and they just sit there all day?

 

[rcn]

Lounge users who leaves dirty plates on tables after eating (in lounges without table service). Its not hard to clean up after yourself.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Another pet peeve: they're starting to play Christmas songs at the lounge and have decked the halls with boughs of holly:


It won't be too long before Qantas staff don we now our gay apparel!

Another pet peeve, people who think it's okay to plug their device into a power point at a desk and just abandon it like an orphaned kid. Today at SYD Dom, I counted two of them in the J lounge:


Update: it would seem that yes, the pet peeve is more Apple related than QF, having managed to plug my 65w charger into the plugs no problem:

I decided to pop by the QP at BNE for kicks and can confirm that yes the Business lounge does offer slightly better views (although they're both marginal in the sense that they point towards the parking lot, it's just that the Business lounge has some apron action). Also, the Qantas Pub does appear to have the power points set up correctly for Apple devices:

Lounge users who leaves dirty plates on tables after eating (in lounges without table service). It's not hard to clean up after yourself.

More a general lounge gripe than QF lounge gripe considering table service is offered at all QF lounges.

 

[RooFlyer]

have decked the halls with boughs of holly

No holly evident.

Another pet peeve, people who think it's okay to plug their device into a power point at a desk and just abandon it like an orphaned kid. Today at SYD Dom, I counted two of them in the J lounge:

Why would that peeve you? How does it impact you? Plenty of space there. Their phones won't get charged in their pockets while they are at the buffet (or waiting for a coffee ).

 

[exceladdict]

Another pet peeve: they're starting to play Christmas songs at the lounge and have decked the halls with boughs of holly:
View attachment 356291

I recommend you avoid MNL airport from September through December at all costs.

I for one thought the trees in the Syd F lounge entrance are quite nice.

Their phones won't get charged in their pockets while they are at the buffet (or waiting for a coffee ).

Or a shower though fortunately, most lounges have power points in the showers too. Though just about my only gripe with the sin F lounge on a recent visit was that I couldn't find one for a powered shaver.

 

[justinbrett]

I decided to pop by the QP at BNE for kicks and can confirm that yes the Business lounge does offer slightly better views (although they're both marginal in the sense that they point towards the parking lot, it's just that the Business lounge has some apron action). Also, the Qantas Pub does appear to have the power points set up correctly for Apple devices:

Honestly you're just talking dribble - first you were bagging the view at BNE, and when I corrected you, you claimed you were talking about SYD, now we're back to BNE again. If you're seeing a carpark you're looking out of different windows to where the apron is.

I'll settle this once and for all - this is the view: (obviously the view is better taken from the window but this is a file photo I have on my phone as I'm not there now)

 

[RichardMEL]

bah, humbug.

Really.. getting upset about Christmas decorations now? Taking the p15S methinks. If someone's that triggered best avoid shopping centres, (some) city streets and many other locations. Perhaps use some QF points to buy a coffee machine for home too and stay there.

good grief. Probably an indication this thread is nearly due for a Silent Night....

 

[mrsterryn]

Isn't the whole terminal decorated ? I love Xmas decorations when I don't have to put them up lol.

 

[encryptededdy]

I don't mind decorations but I will agree that the constant playing of (the same) Christmas music in public spaces can be a bit annoying after a while. I haven't been in a QF lounge in December (yet) so I'm not sure how loud or repetitious it is though.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Why would that peeve you? How does it impact you? Plenty of space there. Their phones won't get charged in their pockets while they are at the buffet (or waiting for a coffee ).

The pet peeve there is the lack of power outlets provided by QF forcing people to resort to such actions. Other lounges I have been to there have been power points abound. And don't get me started with the QF Flounge at LAX and its lack of workspaces. Don't get me wrong. Lovely place to eat and take a shower (the latter if proper planning is done) but you'd be hard pressed to find a spot where you can setup your laptop and work for any amount of significant time.

Honestly you're just talking dribble - first you were bagging the view at BNE, and when I corrected you, you claimed you were talking about SYD, now we're back to BNE again. If you're seeing a carpark you're looking out of different windows to where the apron is.

My updated post was meant to correct the mistake I made earlier around BNE lounge. As stated earlier your assessment was correct.

Why do QF lounge staff insist on having 6 bottles of sparkling wine open at the same time? Just so 5 of them can go flat before they are half empty.

It makes no sense to me either. And it's not just the bubbles either. Anyone who drinks wine knows for a fact that oxygen is the enemy of wine. The longer you expose any wine to air the sooner it goes bad. And for those who claim Qantas is decanting the wine. No they aren't. If they were decanting the wine they would use a proper vessel for it.

I also think (although wine connoisseurs please correct me if I'm mistaken here) that these bottles need to be refrigerated and cannot simply be put in a chiller zone as Qantas has it set up.

At least AA use stoppers in their flagship lounge. Seems odd,

And it's not just AA that uses stoppers even QF does too (just not in their domestic lounges). When I visited the dungeon in January they had a stopper:

AA also serves NV Piper-Heidsieck so not really comparable

They have cases of Piper on standby - from my trip to the DFW Flagship lounge:

If i remember correctly I've been in hotel lounges in Japan that have phone booths, as a quiet lounge is expected. It is possible, but training/enforcing the DYKWIAs to use the booths in a western context would be another thing entirely.

It's not just hotel lounges in Japan that have phone booths with quiet work areas. There are airline lounges (some of them even operated by OneWorld partners) that feature such booths. For instance, when I visited the FinnAir lounge in Helsinki:

For those curious about how much these soundproof booths cost, about $10-$15K AUD. And I say this as someone who was shopping for one of them as part of a study. Certainly not the cheapest "furniture" one can get but can you put a price on tranquility in a lounge?

-RooFlyer88