Rockpool Bar and Grill Lunch with QFF confirmed attendees

[Pollywaffle]

Glad you all enjoyed lunch. The menu looked good.

I recall ( as I asked the question) that maybe non flyers could be called NB and bronze members that fly be called
AB ( Active bronze)

Active Bronze sounds like a tanning lotion.

 

[anat0l]

Active Bronze sounds like a tanning lotion.

Right.... and Nuthin' Bronze sounds like sunscreen.

 

[Duffa]

Still don't understand why they won't let P1 into the CL...

Why would they!? A Hi-Vi travelling regularly to the Pilbara can easily qualify for P1.
So Marius Kloppers and Julia might get to sit and listen to Jason expounding the theory of economic rationalism while he scratches his a*** through his stubby shorts.
Don't get me wrong; one of my best friends is a Hi-Vi. It's just that he scratches his a*** all the time!
Despite that, I still love him!

D.

 

[amaroo]

Even QF F pax cannot get into the CL (if one existed for them to use). BA F pax can get into the CCR.

QF F lounges are also CL lounges AFAIK.

For BA the CCR is their CL........or more correct - Premier

 

[tuapekastar]

On my phone so I can't multi-quote as I'd like but re the suggestions and/or wishes that P1 QFF members be able to access Chairman's Lounges, I think it falls at the first hurdle because AFAIK CL is not a level of, and is in no way part of, the QFF scheme. P1 is.

 

[anat0l]

QF F lounges are also CL lounges AFAIK.

For BA the CCR is their CL........or more correct - Premier

No.

QF F Lounges are QF F Lounges. CLs can access them if they want; rather, there are no CLs where they need to travel internationally, so F Lounges is the best they can do. Just because a WP is able to enter the same lounge as a CL can does not make the WP a CL, and doesn't necessarily make that particular lounge a CL.

A person flying QF F on the same day is not entitled to access a CL on their domestic connecting flight. There is no way a QF F passenger can access a CL without being a CL themselves, or by some other one-off event (e.g. guest, or in our case where we were put on the list / lounge diary).


BA Concorde Rooms can be accessed by BA F passengers, BA GGLs with Concorde Room Card or BA Premiers. It is not a lounge specifically made for BA Premiers. BA Premiers, AFAIK, lack their own lounge.


To compare the CCR and CL is not possible.


On another note, bit of topic drift here. Suspect the mods should be coming in soon with their usual e-broom to reorganise the place.

 

[Happy Trails]

A Hi-Vi travelling regularly to the Pilbara can easily qualify for P1.

That seems rather glib, unless you have some examples.
I know dozens of Pilbara FFs (sans hi-vis BTW) and while most are comfortably gold, only a handful even make platinum.

 

[oz_mark]

On my phone so I can't multi-quote as I'd like but re the suggestions and/or wishes that P1 QFF members be able to access Chairman's Lounges, I think it falls at the first hurdle because AFAIK CL is not a level of, and is in no way part of, the QFF scheme. P1 is.

Are you trying to brimg sense and logic to the discussion? You should know better than stand between a P1 and their sense of entitlement

 

[Skyring]

I think we've had plenty of discussions of this kind on AFF. It always keeps coming back to the fact that there are too many Platinums through PER who will crowd the J lounge anyway (or at least make for a somewhat deserted QP). Suffice to say, what's not to claim SYD and CBR don't have the same problem (or even BNE for that matter, but we all know the BNE J Lounge is too small - I've been told that is being "addressed").

And that I think stands as a valid reason not to let P1s (or any non-CL for that matter) into the CLs by gazetted policy. It's not anything about P1s not taking up extra space, it's just a matter of preserving the whole idea of what CL is about (and, to be fair, it's more than just an exclusive lounge set).

I'm not sure how many people actually brought up whether P1 had sufficient incentive and benefits for those who attained the level. I know it was raised during a round of questioning, and the answer seemed to be positive, but there's still a difference between a P1 from AFF and one that isn't. So if P1s are not happy about their lounge situation, I'm guessing there must be something else to be offered, but access to CLs is pushing the envelope a bit (and I will re-emphasise here that this pushing has nothing to do with the practical aspect of the proposal).

The CL in CBR is the nicest of the three QL lounges. Has the good view over the tarmac and green hills, rather than the carpark aspect of the J lounge. Gets a good deal of traffic, as you'd expect with all Federal MPs being courtesy members and so many movers and shakers and celebs coming through Canberra. I'd guess that Sydney would be a match in terms of traffic, at least when Parliament's sitting.

The J lounge, at least from my old days when I had ATA isn't that crowded as the QP. Both are huge, but even with a lot of WP and J travellers, I think there's incentives at both ends to escape the J lounge, with some eligible being guested into the CL and others accepting the better view and enhanced conviviality of the QP.

I think QL has got the mix exactly right. The CL concept gives a level of exclusivity that cannot be bought and is under QF's control. That is insanely attractive to some people. It also gives Qantas the ability to host celebrities and others deemed deserving in comfort and privacy.

P1 lifts the game. It's one thing to fly enough to make WP, and as has been pointed out, it's only a couple of thousand dollars and a chunk of flying, but the P1 requirements make that course uneconomical. You have to fly a lot of QF to get there and pay the fuel fines and higher taxes, rather than just book a bunch of AA YUPs or whatever.

The practical benefits aren't that good IMHO. Not unless you do a lot of flying and are heavily committed to Qantas. I'm inclined to look on any QF points after WP as wasted effort when other programs, such as AA or even Virgin, offer many practical benefits.

However, for the enthusiastic Qantas traveller, P1 represents a level that lifts them out of the Hi-Vi and planespotter crowd.

My perception of the QL folk encountered last Tuesday was that they were very bright people and they weren't sharing all their secrets with us. They have a lot to do with the success or failure of the company and in these days when there is heavy competition from overseas carriers their jobs cannot be easy. As a child of the Cold War, I never imagined that the best way to London might be on a Chinese Communist airline, but there it is. Qantas needs to sell a few intangibles to make the hip-pocket hit bearable.

And they are doing it well. The Neil Perry hookup is a big positive. The food and drink at the pointy end is important. I don't know what I'd get on China Southern, but I'm sure it wouldn't be as good. The lounges are excellent. I've experienced a few of the oneWorld flagship lounges, and the only one that comes close to the standard of the Sydney Flounge is The Wing.

Cultural aspects are vital, and Qantas is very Australian. A little stuffy in a Commonwealth Club-ish way compared to (say) DJ, but QL knows what makes Skippies like me comfortable. Whether that's enough in our changing society is debatable, but it works for now.

QL, I think, was as keen to hear from us as we were to have our questions answered. Keener, maybe. I suspect that if they had announced lunch with Neil Perry at Rockpool, access to the CL and a chance to ask questions of the QL team, pay your own way plus a hundred dollars, they'd have gotten their twenty in a flash. To give away flights, hotel stays (and Sofitel Wentworth rooms are not to be sneezed at) and an excellent lunch says a lot.

Perth's problems will be addressed in good time, I'd say. It takes time to get new lounges and destinations into the pipeline, and Qantas is struggling a bit with the fleet and other resources. But they are listening, and in any relationship listening is important.

 

[amaroo]

No.

Depends which way you're looking it.

 

[Pushka]

I'm assuming a lot of fifo would reach P1 so I can understand why a blanket no access to the CL makes sense. (Goodness, when did I start speaking in acronyms). But neither Perth or Adelaide has a business lounge. I guess in Perth its pretty much one and the same thing and no room for a division but that doesn't apply to Adelaide. And yes, QFF are fully aware of the issues in Perth. And I certainly mentioned to Leslie about the badly dressed bunch of people in the Adelaide QP on Monday. It was hot and a pH but don't think that excused some of the dress standards that day. Think basically just longer than a bikini top and low rise high cut denim shorts. Well, maybe the men liked it. And I don't think they were travelling. I felt sorry for the staff as there were too many to stop. Maybe its just me but I was surprised.

 

[medhead]

On my phone so I can't multi-quote as I'd like but re the suggestions and/or wishes that P1 QFF members be able to access Chairman's Lounges, I think it falls at the first hurdle because AFAIK CL is not a level of, and is in no way part of, the QFF scheme. P1 is.

Are you trying to brimg sense and logic to the discussion? You should know better than stand between a P1 and their sense of entitlement

I was just thinking how glad I was that they were discussing important issues that would make a difference to QFF members. Real practical suggestions that would represent an improvement to the obvious flaws in the program.

 

[samh004]

Why would they!? A Hi-Vi travelling regularly to the Pilbara can easily qualify for P1.
So Marius Kloppers and Julia might get to sit and listen to Jason expounding the theory of economic rationalism while he scratches his a*** through his stubby shorts.
Don't get me wrong; one of my best friends is a Hi-Vi. It's just that he scratches his a*** all the time!
Despite that, I still love him!

D.

No reason why the CL, unlikely every other lounge, couldn't have a dress code

I was just thinking how glad I was that they were discussing important issues that would make a difference to QFF members. Real practical suggestions that would represent an improvement to the obvious flaws in the program.

It would (ever so slightly) relieve overcrowding

 

[JohnK]

I was just thinking how glad I was that they were discussing important issues that would make a difference to QFF members. Real practical suggestions that would represent an improvement to the obvious flaws in the program.

And I believe that we were discussing the important issues in regards to QFF loyalty.

Not whether a Platinum One should be allowed entry into the Chairmans Lounge or not....

 

[Pushka]

And I believe that we were discussing the important issues in regards to QFF loyalty.

Not whether a Platinum One should be allowed entry into the Chairmans Lounge or not....

Club Access raises an interesting issue though. You can become a member of the Qantas Club through using points and never having flown. Which is I guess why they stopped anytime access. But I wonder how many people come to the club for the first time, having shopped at Woolies, exchanged their points, gained membership for their first flight, and have no knowledge of dress standards. They get away with it once and think that's the norm. Or don't even realise there may a standard.

i did discuss dress standards and access to lounges etc with Leslie so on topic JK.

 

[MarkD]

I dont think the average person who has saved their 200 woolies points each week for 10 years is going to buy qantas club membership with them.... Maybe im wrong, but i dont think that would be a big problem

 

[straitman]

.... and what was the topic again :?:

I agree with a few comments on both sides of this discussion BUT the relevance to the topic is lost on me :!:

 

[Pushka]

Well, we did discuss such issues at the lunch, as I've mentioned a coupla times. .

And Oz_Mark pretty much nailed it anyway.

 

[serfty]

Well, we did discuss such issues at the lunch, as I've mentioned a coupla times. .

And Oz_Mark pretty much nailed it anyway.

Fair enough, but some overtly off topic posts have ben moved here: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....gram/dress-standards-should-p1-get-48496.html

 

[Red Roo]

Part of the feedback we received at the lunch was that members would like to see the Mods eligible to take part in events.


So we had a quick competition amongst the Moderators and Lindsay Wilson and Markis10 were lucky enough to draw the "long straw" and be invited to fly on the Inaugural Qantas flight to Dubai!
They will be the guest of Qantas and Emirates at the Gala Dinner at Atlantis, The Palm and a dinner with Neil Perry at Al Maha Desert Resort. They will also have access to media events and get to explore our exciting new hub in Dubai for a few days before flying home.


This provides Qantas a great opportunity to say thank you to all the moderators who work so hard to make the AFF community so valuable for all.