Surely it is now now time to change lounge access rules

[drron]

AA EXP get FL access in the USA only before travelling to non North American destinations or on specific transcontinental USA flights. Shortly am travelling SYD to MEL on a domestic flight from T1 - I get general F/L access merely by flying a Qantas marketed flight, an AA EXP in a similar situation flying AA within the USA would not.

Of course that is what I said.There are the exceptions for canada/mexico/carribean but AA not too strong in those markets and many going from places such as DFW that doesn't have a flagship lounge anyway.
There are very few purely domestic flights here that depart the international terminals and i doubt that many apart from AFf/FT people seek them out.

 

[simongr]

I think it is entirely appropriate to question the legitimacy of status levels created from the double SC offers. Yes the rules are created by QF but it doesn't make them right. Why shouldn't the OP have an opinion on the rules?

In this case QF sets the rules....and then changes them half way through the year...but only for the benefit of some members.

It does seem that the DSC promos have been hitting a broader range of pax. There have always been these promos and other bending of the rules - for example people being comped status based on past travel when they failed to achieve the required SCs.

I know we can all cite individuals who have benefitted (like your wife TH) when they "shouldn't" have benefitted but just because you or I now know individuals doesn't mean that there are unlimited new WPs and P1s.

 

[harvyk]

it was for the purpose of benefitting Qantas's bottom line.

I think that's something that everyone needs to remember. QFF is a program set up to benefit QF and QF alone. The fact that us pax can use it to score free things is a nice little side affect. Don't think that for a second QF would not turf every single WP out of the F lounge and fill it with NB's if they determined it would get them more money.

 

[TonyHancock]

I know we can all cite individuals who have benefitted (like your wife TH) when they "shouldn't" have benefitted but just because you or I now know individuals doesn't mean that there are unlimited new WPs and P1s.

I don't think there are unlimited beneficiaries, but I do believe there are enough to dilute the benefits at each status level. Anecdotally I have seen an increase in the number of pax in the SYD F lounge over the last two years. (There may of course be other factors influencing this.)

Please don't get me wrong. If QF makes the offer why shouldn't members make the most of it?

I'm sure some of the posters here will call me a hypocrite, in the absence of any reasoned argument, for taking the DJ status match. The natural reaction on AFF appears to be to jump on the higher level frequent flyers when a suggestion is made that benefits are being diluted. I think the OP has made some valid points that have been misinterpreted.

 

[Princess Fiona]

A little OT if I may:
*Puts on flame suit *
I personally think that QF should restrict WP access to the F Lounge to those flying internationally, ie. exclude JQ and QF domestic legs.
If indeed the only people using the FLounge in this way are FT/AFF'ers and their guests it probably won't make much difference but I would feel a bit annoyed if I couldn't get a seat or a spa appointment prior to a flight to LAX or LHR for instance when the seats / appointments were taken by WP's and guests on a MEL-SYD

*keeps flame suit on* I love you all despite this :mrgreen:

 

[eastwest101]

A little OT if I may:
*Puts on flame suit *
I personally think that QF should restrict WP access to the F Lounge to those flying internationally, ie. exclude JQ and QF domestic legs.
If indeed the only people using the FLounge in this way are FT/AFF'ers and their guests it probably won't make much difference but I would feel a bit annoyed if I couldn't get a seat or a spa appointment prior to a flight to LAX or LHR for instance when the seats / appointments were taken by WP's and guests on a MEL-SYD

*keeps flame suit on* I love you all despite this :mrgreen:

Thats OK Princess Fiona - you are allowed to have your own opinion about things, and I am sure that people who disagree with each other here keep it very civil 99% of the time from what I have seen.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I think you're all wrong.

Being Platinum means QF has made $$ out of them at some point and will continue to in the future. This is a good thing for Qantas.
It simply means, the current lounges are too small to meet the massive profits these Platinum members are feeding to the bottom line.

Build bigger & better lounges - because it's a GOOD problem for QF!

 

[markis10]

Build bigger & better lounges - because it's a GOOD problem for QF!

I think this thread was sponsered by the airport owners myself!

 

[serfty]

... but I would feel a bit annoyed if I couldn't get a seat or a spa appointment prior to a flight to LAX or LHR ...:

Never fear Princess, a massage is one thing that I'll never be partaking of in an airline lounge - massages and I don't mix - they creep me.

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...

 

[serfty]

..
There are very few purely domestic flights here that depart the international terminals and i doubt that many apart from AFf/FT people seek them out.

All true but out does not alter my point that oneworld member airlines can and do have different access rules for their own members in their own lounges than those for elites of other oneworld airlines.

(To further illustrate this, consider A/C access for AA elites on most north American journies when travelling AA.)

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...

 

[harvyk]

A little OT if I may:
*Puts on flame suit *
I personally think that QF should restrict WP access to the F Lounge to those flying internationally, ie. exclude JQ and QF domestic legs.
If indeed the only people using the FLounge in this way are FT/AFF'ers and their guests it probably won't make much difference but I would feel a bit annoyed if I couldn't get a seat or a spa appointment prior to a flight to LAX or LHR for instance when the seats / appointments were taken by WP's and guests on a MEL-SYD

*keeps flame suit on* I love you all despite this :mrgreen:

No, noooooooo evil evil thoughts that must never again be spoken :shock:, in fact don't even post them out loud, as you never know which QF rep is currently lurking and is thinking dropping them might be a good idea...

Those lovely dom from int flights are what allowed me to first (and then again secondly) experience the FLounge... Technically my first experience of an FLounge flying international will be happening at the end of this month...

 

[The Rok]

WP,WP1 & CL should not have access to a true "First Class" Lounge.

I agree that there is the difficulty surrounding the names of the lounges but a True FIRST CLASS LOUNGE should only be for those who are travelling F.

Those Lounges should be smaller, better equipped & finished and provide a better service than a First Lounge.

 

[burmans]

And I don't expect to get the backing of the majority, by definition and design this will be apply to a small group only.

Not according to QF though, by current definition and design this isn't the case. Obviously they just aren't that into you (to steal from the movie).

 

[nlagalle]

A little OT if I may:
*Puts on flame suit *
I personally think that QF should restrict WP access to the F Lounge to those flying internationally, ie. exclude JQ and QF domestic legs.
If indeed the only people using the FLounge in this way are FT/AFF'ers and their guests it probably won't make much difference but I would feel a bit annoyed if I couldn't get a seat or a spa appointment prior to a flight to LAX or LHR for instance when the seats / appointments were taken by WP's and guests on a MEL-SYD

*keeps flame suit on* I love you all despite this :mrgreen:

Honestly though how many people daily or even weekly do this (AFF do's aside)? I think it would be quite low.

Perhaps if QF had more flights from MEL, then less flights from SYD and less people in the lounge. Don't make SYD the sole departure point!

 

[burmans]

It's only my last 2 visits through the SIN F lounge (since it swapped as a temporary measure) that I've experienced any overcrowing in the F lounges.

Is overcrowing an excessive amount of DYKWIA?

 

[drron]

Honestly though how many people daily or even weekly do this (AFF do's aside)? I think it would be quite low.

Perhaps if QF had more flights from MEL, then less flights from SYD and less people in the lounge. Don't make SYD the sole departure point!

And dont forget BNE,ADL and PER.There are certainly times evem mrsdrron would give up flounging to save a few hours.

 

[nlagalle]

And dont forget BNE,ADL and PER.There are certainly times evem mrsdrron would give up flounging to save a few hours.

Indeed.. If they built F lounges there like in MEL and put more flights from there it spreads the load.

 

[tuapekastar]

A little OT if I may:
*Puts on flame suit *
I personally think that QF should restrict WP access to the F Lounge to those flying internationally, ie. exclude JQ and QF domestic legs.
If indeed the only people using the FLounge in this way are FT/AFF'ers and their guests it probably won't make much difference but I would feel a bit annoyed if I couldn't get a seat or a spa appointment prior to a flight to LAX or LHR for instance when the seats / appointments were taken by WP's and guests on a MEL-SYD

*keeps flame suit on* I love you all despite this :mrgreen:

Two nice young ladies offered me a massage in the MEL F lounge prior to my JQ30 MEL-SYD on Friday. I declined as always - like some here, I'm not a massage person.

I think this thread is much ado about not much. I have never had an issue getting a table to eat at MEL or SYD, nor a seat at SYD/LAX. I appreciate that others may have had an issue but at MEL/SYD you can wait a little while or eat at a 'comfy' chair - hardly purgatory.

I think some peoples' expectations (not referencing you Princess Fiona - I quoted you re the massage only, in fact I would lose no sleep if domestic legs lost access to the F lounge, much as I enjoy the meals) are somewhat over-the-top. To operate a lounge that was never at or near (or even over) capacity I think would be financial lunacy. A comfortable chair, a nice drink and some reasonable food seem to fit the bill, for me at least, and QF-operated lounges usually meet those criteria IME.

And I've never had a QF double SC offer as far as I recall

Post #1 in this thread lacks logic in parts:

The time has come to get these first class lounges back to what they say they are, for First Class passengers, CL and P1 only.

 

[elbarto]

Why? Because I am calling on QF to stop creating these false status holders?
If you want to be at these levels then put your bums in the seats and do the miles.

As for other posts saying they would take their business to DJ, good luck finding that First lounge with them, they are probably in a worse position, they made me Platinum without me ever sitting in their seats.

Just like your status matched DJ Platinum.

Surely, you are joking, have you ever been to BA Concorde at LHR or SQ First at SIN, hardly deserted wastelands.

The CCR room is probably busier because BA offers over 100 F seats a day to JFK alone from LHR whereas Qantas probably offers no more than 100 F seats network wide from SYD.

 

[yohy?!]

shall we nominate this thread for whitewhine.com ?