TBIT 'Qantas' Business Lounge - extremely confused, as are staff

[bertair]

While never having a problem with lounge access in the US, Canada, UK & Europe, my best recent experience was flying into HKG with Cathay who are at the stop of my list for a lounge welcoming. Then flying on to HEL with Finnair, the lounge there is on an equal footing with Cathay and the "Reindeer Route" is now my choice when going to Europe.
Sorry Qantas, but you do not have my confidence in delivering service any more.
You see, recently returning to SYD, and going to the domestic terminal for a transfer, then to be denied access to the domestic lounge due to the QF reception staffer tried to say to me that I was not entitled to entry on arrival as I had come in with Cathay.
It was early morning and it looked busy, so maybe, they just wanted less people in there.
Since then I have been in there early morning and it does get crowded with "suits". Sorry, no insult intended to the suits.
I went on this forum to tell my story, not long afterwards, with good advice from members in response, although nothing came of anything I told Qantas about it, so it is now history.
Qantas has a staffing problem in some quarters that give the appearance of arrogance by the company, but is this not common in other customer service areas in Australia ?
I think that we are expect to grin and bare it. Things could be worse.

 

[moa999]

Its my understanding that the club lounge staff are not Qantas employees - neither are check in staff at airports, even Australian airports. They don't get the same privileges as Quantas staff so maybe this is the one opportunity to wear "the power badge". No excuse though. They should all know the rules before being put on the front desk. First impressions do count. As others have mentioned, I'd write a strong letter of complaint to management. You deserve some sort of compensation.

There are plenty of people wearing QF uniforms or acting in QF roles who are agents/ subcontractors.
It doesn't matter - they are representing Qantas and should behave as such, and follow the rules...

The issue in this case was that management provided the wrong rules to frontline staff.

 

[Franky]

I know it was a typo bert, but you might even have been tempted to 'bare' something at that particular receptionist..

 

[bertair]

I know it was a typo bert, but you might even have been tempted to 'bare' something at that particular receptionist..

Ho Ho Ho !!! Yes, if had "bared" something, anything, in the QF lounge, I would expect to be barred for life !!!
Spell check can cause enough embarrassment when you don't do it yourself .

 

[FlyboyAl]

I'm going to admit to not reading all the threads in this post so maybe I missed something.
In January of this year I did ADL-SYD-LAX-SEA all on a single QF booking, with LAX-SEA on Alaskan..
I'm curious why the OP went to TBIT lounge as Alaskan fly from another terminal (is it T8?)
I had no issues at all with lounge access in LAX - I checked my bags at TBIT and got the shuttle bus to the Alaskan terminal then went to the Boardroom and settled in for 3 hours for my connecting flight to SEA.
I had no issues at all with any access although I might not have known about the Boardroom except that one of the flight crew told me that I could use it.
I'm sorry if I've missed something obvious.
Oh, I was told that I did NOT have access to the Boardroom on the return leg from SEA. The Boardroom access at LAX is some sort of "special arrangement" with Alaskan Airlines.

 

[Himeno]

There are plenty of people wearing QF uniforms or acting in QF roles who are agents/ subcontractors.
It doesn't matter - they are representing Qantas and should behave as such, and follow the rules...

The issue in this case was that management provided the wrong rules to frontline staff.

A few times I've been sitting in check in areas at large airports waiting for check in for my flight to open and have seen the same group of people close up one flight wearing CX uniforms, disappear out the back and come back 30 mins later wearing SQ or JL uniforms.

 

[N860CR]

So we have established that, yet again, the Qantas cheap contract staff at LAX have done the wrong thing.

I'd comment that RedRoo has failed to even raise their voice, but is it worth the bombardment of abuse?

There are clearly major issues with QF in the USA. Lucky it's not a major destination for them.... Oh wait.

 

[opusman]

I'm curious why the OP went to TBIT lounge as Alaskan fly from another terminal (is it T8?)

Because the QF-operated TBIT lounges are the best lounges at LAX (and probably in the whole USA).

 

[grussellt]

The OP was seeking access to the International Business Lounge based on Qantas Club membership which, according to the QF website doesn't offer access to the Alaskan Boardroom (In Terminal 6). However, as opusman points out, the QF-operated lounges at LAX are the best and if you have paid for it then it's the lounge of choice.

 

[TomVexille]

Because the QF-operated TBIT lounges are the best lounges at LAX (and probably in the whole USA).

F lounges aside, the VS Clubhouse at JFK puts forward a pretty good case to being hte best J lounge in the USA

 

[michaely]

Thanks for your comments. I thought that on B747 there was an F cabin.
I have taken other options internationally after bad experience a few years ago on QF.
Other carriers e.g. CX, BA were also flying around the same time, although in different directions. QF flights were certainly bunched up.
The lounge was worse than Changi Silver Kris Lounge a few years ago, or Heathrow T5 Lounge with weather delays! A zoo!
Thanks again for your thoughts,
M

 

[serfty]

So we have established that, yet again, the Qantas cheap contract staff at LAX have done the wrong thing.

...

There are clearly major issues with QF in the USA. Lucky it's not a major destination for them.... Oh wait.

No, the contract staff at LAX were doing what they were told to do, this was based on a poorly defined email from Qantas Lounge Management in Sydney. See post #69.

 

[mannej]

Thanks for your comments. I thought that on B747 there was an F cabin.
I have taken other options internationally after bad experience a few years ago on QF.
Other carriers e.g. CX, BA were also flying around the same time, although in different directions. QF flights were certainly bunched up.
The lounge was worse than Changi Silver Kris Lounge a few years ago, or Heathrow T5 Lounge with weather delays! A zoo!
Thanks again for your thoughts,
M

Only 2 of the 747's left have an F cabin, and as such aren't always sold as F.

 

[GCBSYD]

Those 2 QF 747 F configs. are sold as J and seem to be reserved for Plat and above

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Seems I wasn't overreacting at all. Here's a comment from a poster on Lucky's Onemileatatime blog regarding TBIT lounge access (or refusal thereof):

Victoria says:
November 10, 2015 at 9:17 am
I’m a Qantas Platinum One member and was refused access to this lounge a month or so ago and threatened with the police. Needless to say I was less than impressed and upon my return to Australia I wrote to Alan Joyce. The reply was sincerely apologetic and they threw in a rather nice gift by way of apology but if I’m honest it would take a lot to make up for the humiliation of being threatened with the police. I’ve started spending a lot more time on CX……

We don't know whether Victoria was rightly or wrongly denied access, but she was told the police would be called.

Link to blog page: Oneworld Clarifies Qantas Lounge LAX Access Policy - One Mile at a Time

 

[Deleted member]

But they are separate businesses....

Doing damage to (other) Virgin brands.

 

[moa999]

Rightly or wrongly,
in an airport if you walk into the lounge without permission, stand your ground over excessively/obstinately (even if by the written rules you are correct and the staff member is wrong)
you are disobeying the direction of a person in airline uniform

And I would expect the police to be called (particularly for the former, maybe for the latter if you are causing a scene/ stopping other pax entering)

 

[Deleted member]

Rightly or wrongly,
in an airport if you walk into the lounge without permission, stand your ground over excessively/obstinately (even if by the written rules you are correct and the staff member is wrong)
you are disobeying the direction of a person in airline uniform

And I would expect the police to be called (particularly for the former, maybe for the latter if you are causing a scene/ stopping other pax entering)

Perhaps it would be best to call the police first and complain that you were being prevented from going about your lawful business ...... Or just book a seat in a premium cabin

 

[defurax]

Or just book a seat in a premium cabin

I don't think this would have changed anything, since the directive to the lounge manager was not to let people flying on AA domestic inside the lounge.

 

[Himeno]

Rightly or wrongly,
in an airport if you walk into the lounge without permission, stand your ground over excessively/obstinately (even if by the written rules you are correct and the staff member is wrong)
you are disobeying the direction of a person in airline uniform

And I would expect the police to be called (particularly for the former, maybe for the latter if you are causing a scene/ stopping other pax entering)

There are no laws forcing people to obey directions from someone in "airline uniform". There are laws relating to crew members. Ground and lounge staff are not crew members.