QP members diverted from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Complete - "Next Year"

[cmon0005]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

What's the bet the new F lounge once built will be too small as well ?

 

[serfty]

I guess when the TBIT *O First section with an extra 200 PAX capacity opens "Early Next Year".

I wonder when the actual date will be.

As I posted on another thread:

Note that it will increase by 200 seats to 600 when the First section is completed "early 2015".

There is a further extension of 200 to the Business lounge as well, making the total capacity 800.

Until then I may hang out at T4 as I have been doing the last four or more years.

Further lounge related discussion here: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ntas-oneworld-lounge-56927-2.html#post1066735

 

[BD1959]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

If the are indeed allowing Admirals Club members in, but not Qantas Club members, when both have nearly identical access and rights, then it really is poor form. If they failed to build a lounge big enough, that is on Oneworld. I borrowed part of the following from a previous post I made. In effect, between roughly 9:30PM and 1AM, Oneworld international carriers have nearly 2800 total seats flying out of LAX on some nights. Of these, around 500 of those seats are in F or J on one of the carriers. And yet the lounge only holds 400 when they also allow OWE or OWS members in PE or Y, or QP or AC members in PE or Y into the Oneworld lounge as well? And never mind possible guests for all of these people? Looks like opening the F side can't come soon enough. There are two CX flights leaving not soon after the QF flights depart as well, one just before midnight and one shortly after 1AM most days. Also a BA A380 to LHR at 9:45PM. And of course, all four QF flights leave from TBIT now, so anyone early on the BNE flight will be there in addition to the 2xSYD and the MEL. There's also a LAN flight to LIM some nights just after midnight.

According to this article in the Australian Business Traveller, there's a further extension to the Business Lounge (+200) AND the completion of the FLounge (+200)


This will take the overall capacity to 800:

The total footprint for the combined business and first class lounges will sprawl across Level 5 of the newly renovated Los Angeles International Terminal, with capacity for over 800 travellers.

Regards,

BD

 

[harvyk]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

It's nice to see that us QP's can at least use the T4 admirals club. However for all those who say "well that should be good enough" I would like to raise the following points.

1. Unlike the SYD / MEL FLounge, where we knew we were never going to get a look in on our own merits, all the promo material has included QP members as people who would gain access to this new TBIT lounge, even now the QF website states I would have access. I myself was seriously looking forwards to seeing this lounge later this year, much like I was seriously looking forward to seeing the SIN lounge last year.

2. Had they said “we’ll be opening up the new TBIT lounge to QP members at the end of the year” we’d have probably accepted that. We know that we are not the pinnacle of QF flyers, and QF will no doubt build better lounges for F’s / WP’s / P1’s / CL’s. We get that, what we don’t like is having a carrot dangled in front of us and then been told “oh, well actually”.

3. A QP member can travel just as much as our higher tiered brothers and sisters, it’s just we tend to be forced to fly Red-E-Deals and Sale fares. 1 x paid F fare equals as much SC’s as 6 sale / red-e-deals. Do not assume that because someone is just a QP member that they are not frequent flyers.

4. On the same token, there are QP members who do not get to fly as much, so their visits to a OS lounge is rare. Especially to a place which is more difficult to get to like LAX (let’s face it, it’s no SYD-MEL vv), so our opportunity to visit LAX will be less than a P1 whom is there every second week.

Why am I so annoyed about this? Well LAX is an airport which I do travel to, this is not “annoyance on principal”, this is actual annoyance that later on this year I’ll be shafted, despite what the promo material said.
In my mind, this is a hole which QF has dug themselves. We might not be the pinnacle of loyal flyers, but you’ve promised something, you’ve gotten our hopes up, we’ve seen the wonderful photos, and now you’ve cruelly taken this away. Personally I don’t know what QF should do, but then again I’m not paid to know what QF should do, however I'll tell them one thing for free, updating your website to say QP's are no longer welcome is not the response we're after.

My message to QF is simple, F-up’s like this will be your undoing. You want to save QFi, then the answer is simple, make sure that next time I get one of those “do you think the QP is value for money” and “would you recommend the QP to your friends” the answer is in the affirmative, because right now I am hardly willing to recommend the QP, and I’m pretty sure there are holes appearing in my QF blinkers.

[/rant, hopefully seen by Red Roo]

 

[medhead]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

To that list I would add that paid Qantas club is the ultimate loyal flyer. They have paid money to commit to always fly with Qantas whenever they fly.

 

[BD1959]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

Just adding a little to harvyk's points:

For those of us who have been in the situation of once-a-year QF overseas travellers, the purchase of the QF ticket is coupled with the conscious decision to purchase the QC Membership (I know this has been said before - but I don't think it can be overemphasized to those at QF). It is a serious "branding" exercise which later pays dividends when personal frequency changes to be a more regular occurrence.

I'm sure the bean-counters look at this and figure it doesn't count in the great scheme of numbers. Fine, but then don't have your CEO bleating about customers deserting QF because you chose to disenfranchise them.

I'd like to raise the point of irrops. To my mind, one of the great assets QF has over other OW carriers is the empowerment it places in the hands of it's Lounge Staff (personally, I've been turned away at the BA service desks in LHR and told to join the throng at the CS Desks in T5 ... I'm not aware of similar service facilities in the MH Lounges in KUL etc etc).

QP Members directed to the AAdmirals Lounge, presumably, would either have to trek back to TBIT to get to a CS Desk or join the throng on the phone to QF in the event of an Irrop??

If QF took a deliberate attitude of not wanting to lose one single customer (and remember, it's easier to maintain an existing customer than to win a new one) then I think a lot of the "enhancements" and "initiatives" which have been introduced over the last 18 months would have been viewed from a different angle.

Rather than asking "how much can I save by" QF should be asking "what will it cost us customer-wise if we do ..."

Regards,

BD

 

[Katie]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

What were the capacities of the old J and F Lounges? Were any other lounges closed in the refurb?
I'm trying to figure out why what appears to be a bigger lounge (even with J and F combined) is having much worse crowding problems than its predecessor.

I guess another contributing factor is the move of QF16 to TBIT departures??

 

[harvyk]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

What were the capacities of the old J and F Lounges? Were any other lounges closed in the refurb?
I'm trying to figure out why what appears to be a bigger lounge (even with J and F combined) is having much worse crowding problems than its predecessor.

I guess another contributing factor is the move of QF16 to TBIT departures??

AFAIK QF16 was moved to TBIT some time ago...

 

[Ewing]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

What were the capacities of the old J and F Lounges? Were any other lounges closed in the refurb?
I'm trying to figure out why what appears to be a bigger lounge (even with J and F combined) is having much worse crowding problems than its predecessor.

Maybe people are using the lounge now?

I know I rarely bothered with the old horrible OW lounges.

 

[TheBOSman]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

According to this article in the Australian Business Traveller, there's a further extension to the Business Lounge (+200) AND the completion of the FLounge (+200)


This will take the overall capacity to 800:

The total footprint for the combined business and first class lounges will sprawl across Level 5 of the newly renovated Los Angeles International Terminal, with capacity for over 800 travellers.

Regards,

BD

800 should be enough, and I know construction takes time, so the onus here should be on QF for telling people with a QP membership that they would be able to access, when it is clear from my math above that 400 isn't even enough for the premium passengers who could all use the lounge, never mind the elites in PE and Y or the QP members or AC members.

 

[wandersen]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

This may sounds selfish - but all I can say is "Thank God".

It was hardly a premium experience when I was there a few weeks ago. Anything to cut down on the substantial overcrowding is a benefit.

 

[Anna]

Re: Qantas removes Lounge Access for QP members on EK flights from Oct 1

Two possibilities come to mind on how this came about.

I've got a third option.

Staffer 1 - we've done such a good job of marketing the spiffy new lounge at LAX as our new QP that now we have an overcrowding problem. We have to keep some people out.

Staffer 2 - who has the least options for alternatives if we p1ss them off?

Staffer 1 - non status QP members. If they rack off over to Velocity as non status members they still won't get lounge access at LAX.

Staffer 2 - you mean kind of like when we got rid of MASAs leaving the MASA users nowhere else to go?

Staffer 1 - yes, exactly.

Staffer 2 - brilliant. Do it.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

This may sounds selfish - but all I can say is "Thank God".

It was hardly a premium experience when I was there a few weeks ago. Anything to cut down on the substantial overcrowding is a benefit.

A lounge constantly at capacity still isn't a premium experience.

What was the wait to get a drink at the bar?


RooFlyer

 

[Pleb Status]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

Not many airlines in the world offer 'paid' lounge access to their own 'brand name' lounges. The ones that do are generally US based and they do this so they can charge their own elites for lounge access (AA for example).

Although disappointing, QP members should not get too 'excited' about the temporary restrictions as the simple solution would be for QF to enhance (remove) 'paid' QP membership to align their lounge access policy to almost every other non US airline in the world.

 

[harvyk]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

Not many airlines in the world offer 'paid' lounge access to their own 'brand name' lounges. The ones that do are generally US based and they do this so they can charge their own elites for lounge access (AA for example).

Although disappointing, QP members should not get too 'excited' about the temporary restrictions as the simple solution would be for QF to enhance (remove) 'paid' QP membership to align their lounge access policy to almost every other non US airline in the world.

Yes, and VA would LOVE them to remove a paid QP product. There would be a massive switch over to VA faster than you could blink.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

It's nice to see that us QP's can at least use the T4 admirals club. However for all those who say "well that should be good enough" I would like to raise the following points.

<snip for space>.

My message to QF is simple, F-up’s like this will be your undoing. You want to save QFi, then the answer is simple, make sure that next time I get one of those “do you think the QP is value for money” and “would you recommend the QP to your friends” the answer is in the affirmative, because right now I am hardly willing to recommend the QP, and I’m pretty sure there are holes appearing in my QF blinkers.

[/rant, hopefully seen by Red Roo]

I'm sure RedRoo will read it and the gist if the thread may well be noted somewhere.

But again, the 2 choices (or 3, per Anna) we have is that either QF management are incompetent and didn't see the overcrowding issue arise ( in which case they won't be admitting a mistake any time soon ) or they knew full well what would happen, and this jettisoning of QP members is very cynical ( in which case they will be congratulating themselves that their good work is recognised).

And for those folks who think, " bad form by Qantas ( but at least it doesn't affect me)", I venture that it's just a matter of time before we all feel the turning of the thumbscrews ( oh ... I forgot ... The enhancements have been 'simply and fairly' spread pretty widely this year, haven't they?)


RooFlyer

 

[Pleb Status]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

Yes, and VA would LOVE them to remove a paid QP product. There would be a massive switch over to VA faster than you could blink.

I would guess if QF removed paid access then VA would too. Also, even if they did not, the 'massive switch' of low value QF customers may cause some high value VA customers to switch to QF.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

I would guess if QF removed paid access then VA would too. Also, even if they did not, the 'massive switch' of low value QF customers may cause some high value VA customers to switch to QF.

People are selfish and switch for their own needs.

VA and NZ could collectively smack Qantas right now by offering lounge access to customers in LAX by showing Qantas Club card on a nz/va flight#.

My message to QF is simple, F-up’s like this will be your undoing. You want to save QFi, then the answer is simple, make sure that next time I get one of those “do you think the QP is value for money” and “would you recommend the QP to your friends” the answer is in the affirmative, because right now I am hardly willing to recommend the QP, and I’m pretty sure there are holes appearing in my QF blinkers.

[/rant, hopefully seen by Red Roo]

Like any airline disaster there is no one thing that brings it down. There are a series of events that ultimately lead to disaster. We're seconds from it...

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

A few too many assumptions that qantas club members are low value.

 

[timster]

Re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Y

My message to QF is simple, F-up’s like this will be your undoing. You want to save QFi, then the answer is simple, make sure that next time I get one of those “do you think the QP is value for money” and “would you recommend the QP to your friends” the answer is in the affirmative, because right now I am hardly willing to recommend the QP, and I’m pretty sure there are holes appearing in my QF blinkers.

My two-decade QP membership is coming up for renewal in a few months. It comes out of my own pocket. RIght now there's not a single reason I can think of to renew it. It's kept me with QF and OW all that time. Fortunately I realized some time ago that QF no longer cared to, or could afford to, offer me the services I paid for. So I made other plans.