QF WP Domestic lounge access if not flying?

[Bundy Bear]

Platinum "anytime" lounge Access ceases from 1 February 2011

Just received an email from QF re a Qantas "enhancement":shock::evil: Changes to Qantas Lounge access From 1 February 2011, Platinum members must be travelling on a Qantas, Jetstar or oneworld® flight to access any Qantas Domestic or International lounges...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Far out feeling old, 12 years ago.

 

[TMP]

Platinum "anytime" lounge Access ceases from 1 February 2011

Just received an email from QF re a Qantas "enhancement":shock::evil: Changes to Qantas Lounge access From 1 February 2011, Platinum members must be travelling on a Qantas, Jetstar or oneworld® flight to access any Qantas Domestic or International lounges...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Reading that thread and it's like reading threads of the last 12 months! ("QF international is not up to standard", "moving my business elsewhere")

 

[serfty]

I have the opposite experience.
Scanned and checked many times.
Including being incorrectly told late last year by CBR that I didn’t have arrivals access.
Another agent intervened and let me in. ...

MEL is also strict about ensuring they check eligibility to enter.

Last year an agent tried to deny me access into the Melbourne domestic Business after arrival on an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur on MH. This was even after my inbound BP was scanned and the scanner had "beeped green".

After discussion they eventually let me in as a "one time curtesy exception" as they did not believe the scanner was correct.

 

[SeatBackForward]

MEL is also strict about ensuring they check eligibility to enter.

As they should be?

I didn't have a physical BP, and by the time I walked off the flight at MEL the SYD>MEL electronic boarding wasn't available. I showed my QFF WP card at the QF DOM J lounge to scan, it beeped green, but the attendant hestiated at first asking If I'd checked in, then err'ed then said "All good" and let me in.

 

[BD1959]

I've entered various lounges after a flight quite a number of times, and have never had to prove that I had just arrived on a flight.

Since the pandemic started I have never yet been able to enter a lounge without entering my card myself into the scanner, regardless of arrival or departure access. This has included: MEL, PER, ADL, SYD, BNE, CNS. ADL were always strict pre-pandemic on having the system scan the card, the others less so.

Regards,

BD

 

[TheInsider]

Last year an agent tried to deny me access into the Melbourne domestic Business after arrival on an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur on MH. This was even after my inbound BP was scanned and the scanner had "beeped green".

After discussion they eventually let me in as a "one time curtesy exception" as they did not believe the scanner was correct.

The scanner will usually always go green in the domestic lounges, it's just 'tracking' the details off thar boarding pass, or it's scanning the boarding pass into the check-in system. So by saying that, they never go red.
It's not a lounge management system that the boarding passes get scanned into. Anything that has a barcode will scan green on the scanner.
Hell you could put a bottle of milk under the scanner and it will scan and go green.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Hell you could put a bottle of milk under the scanner and it will scan and go green.

Just like those scan your card to access the ATM lobbies..even my library card got me in!

 

[Vic]

Are you HLO in these cases? I've been WP for a while but somehow I missed this about arrivals access until reading this thread, although most of my flying has been international where it doesn't apply. But I wonder if you have luggage going around and around on the carousel while you slurp your noodles from the spice bar - does Qantas get annoyed? My one related story is that some years ago, I visited the Qantas museum in SYD T3 (will it ever reopen??) for about a half hour after an arriving flight, then went to collect my checked bag and got politely abused by the staff for not picking it up in good time.

HLO is irrelevant for arrivals access, since luggage takes so long to come out. It is very easy to have a quick pitstop in the amenities, and/or get a coffee. In fact, I had a beer an a snack on arrival in Canberra last year, arrived at the baggage carousel to find it dark and empty. 15 minutes and tracking down baggage services, I'm told your bag is out now.

Your museum visit story: I might have said something like "Oh you don't like waiting for bags?"

 

[justinbrett]

I have the opposite experience.
Scanned and checked many times.
Including being incorrectly told late last year by CBR that I didn’t have arrivals access.
Another agent intervened and let me in.

So no I wouldn’t advise just flashing the card for anytime access.

BNE is funny in that the BP is scanned on entry to the lounge precinct, but always just flashed card for access to the J lounge once inside.

It would be very easy for a SG who had an old WP card to get access if they wanted to.

 

[TheInsider]

It's quite an odd system that Qantas have. There is literally no system being used at domestic to actually track usage or different airlines usage. Been this way for years, and really quite strange to have zero data on entry.

The scanning that happens only puts in a remark in the booking saying the time you have accessed the lounge, but this data goes no where and does nothing besides maybe gate staff seeing where fail to boards could possibly be.

 

[serfty]

The scanner will usually always go green in the domestic lounges, it's just 'tracking' the details off thar boarding pass, or it's scanning the boarding pass into the check-in system. So by saying that, they never go red.
It's not a lounge management system that the boarding passes get scanned into. Anything that has a barcode will scan green on the scanner.
Hell you could put a bottle of milk under the scanner and it will scan and go green.

For the avoidance of any doubt, I was entitled to access.

Such access on arrival after a oneworld marketed and operated flight is specifically listed as a benefit of Qantas Platinum Status.

https://www.qantas.com/au/en/frequent-flyer/status-and-clubs/status/platinum.html

Domestic lounges​

Unwind with increased privacy or access business services before or after your eligible flightsΩΩ in the following lounges:

• Qantas Business lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Canberra
• Qantas Club lounges around Australia ...

ΩΩ Lounge access eligibility is based on a customer's class of travel, Qantas Club membership, Qantas Frequent Flyer or oneworld membership tier, or partner airline benefit. Access to Qantas lounges is subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Qantas Club. Arrivals: Platinum and Platinum One Qantas Frequent Flyer members may access Qantas Domestic Business or Qantas Club lounges upon arrival, if you have travelled that day on any flight with a Qantas (QF), Jetstar (JQ, 3K or GK), Emirates (EK), China Eastern (MU) or oneworld member airline marketed and operated flight number on your ticket. Departures: Eligible customers may access a Qantas Club lounge when their next onward flight on the same day is with a Qantas (QF) or Jetstar (JQ, 3K or GK) flight number on their ticket. Eligible customers who are travelling in Business or First, are Platinum, Platinum One Qantas Frequent Flyers or oneworld Emerald membership tiers, may access Qantas Domestic Business lounges. Partner and Associated lounge access is subject to various conditions of entry.

 

[dairyfloss]

For the avoidance of any doubt, I was entitled to access.

Such access on arrival after a oneworld marketed and operated flight is specifically listed as a benefit of Qantas Platinum Status.

https://www.qantas.com/au/en/frequent-flyer/status-and-clubs/status/platinum.html

Thank you - I had wondered about arriving INT and going to a DOM arrivals lounge for a freshen up. What would be nice would be if they opened it up to include any accessible QFF-operated lounges, which would be limited to where arriving and departing pax share space, like in Singapore T1

 

[SeatBackForward]

Thank you - I had wondered about arriving INT and going to a DOM arrivals lounge for a freshen up. What would be nice would be if they opened it up to include any accessible QFF-operated lounges, which would be limited to where arriving and departing pax share space, like in Singapore T1

Wouldn't this pose a problem for checked in bags? If you had an Intl>Dom connection then you have access to the lounge regardless. But if you're only arriving Intl, then you'd need to clear customs and then re-enter domestic and through security, which if you had any checked in bags could be a problem.

 

[dairyfloss]

Wouldn't this pose a problem for checked in bags? If you had an Intl>Dom connection then you have access to the lounge regardless. But if you're only arriving Intl, then you'd need to clear customs and then re-enter domestic and through security, which if you had any checked in bags could be a problem.

Yes - for the INT>DOM option, I'm assuming HLO, and a fair bit of spare time before you move on

 

[encryptededdy]

It's quite an odd system that Qantas have. There is literally no system being used at domestic to actually track usage or different airlines usage. Been this way for years, and really quite strange to have zero data on entry.

How do they track usage for the purposes of billing other FFPs for the lounge entry?

I suppose we don't know for certain whether the operating carrier or FFP pays for lounge entry in OneWorld.

 

[TheInsider]

How do they track usage for the purposes of billing other FFPs for the lounge entry?

I suppose we don't know for certain whether the operating carrier or FFP pays for lounge entry in OneWorld.

International they use a tracking system. Domestic, who knows how they do it, the local lounge managers don't even know.

 

[RichardMEL]

Back some years ago before scanning of BP's became more or less mandated for dom lounge access, I would flash my P1 card. At BNE once an agent said "Oh you're P1, you can *do anything*" with a laugh, which was kind of amusing (but you probably had to be there).

These days on arrival I just scan my electronic card barcode (from the app) and it's no issue. If they were checking for same day flight one presumes that info would be attached (as in flew QF1234 yyy-zzz) or something. However @TheInsider's comments above suggest otherwise. Anyway it's never been an issue or questioned.

Of course I mostly have done it at MEL and half the staff know my ugly mug by now so while it's still a scan I doubt much fuss would be made (yeah that sounds so arrogant lol).

I wouldn't try it if I wasn't flying (maybe some day when I'm REALLY bored I'd go out there and try? but I usually have better things to do).

 

[AIRwin]

Of course I mostly have done it at MEL and half the staff know my ugly mug by now so while it's still a scan I doubt much fuss would be made (yeah that sounds so arrogant lol).

They Know Who You Are

 

[SeatBackForward]

Well I can happily say I navigated SYD DOM J, MEL DOM J and currently sat at MEL Intl F in one day..

So not quite "Anytime Access", but the "On Arrival" did seem to work.