Too many people with QP access?

[medhead]

Sorry should have been clearer.

Corp members receive a certain amount of drink vouchers dependent on there value to QF, eg a big corp membership buy say a multi-national ect might be bonus-ed some drink vouchers as a sales incentive per member.
Otherwise they pay.

Free pass = 1 drink

"Personally I don't think booze is a big attraction to the lounge. "

I know of many associates who chose flights on the basis of QP bar times.
I know of quite a few others who hit the airport way early so they can get their "money's worth"
This is particularly true of low tier and infrequent flyers who want all the bang for their buck that they can get.
They fill seats for hours, and if they can, they bring their mates! it's a status thing.:evil:

Personally, l think the booze plays a much bigger role than you might think!

As a long term infrequent flyer with paid QC membership on a corporate scheme I think I'm well experienced on the role booze plays.

I also find it strange that corporate members are considered to be higher value that a fully paid member. A corporate member who does fly enough to get free membership isn't worth much in flights and are also getting a discount on membership. A fully paid member also doesn't fly enough to get free membership and can be paying substantially more for their qp membership that the corporate member. If it was my business I know who I would reward with free booze.

As for the idea of reward you good corporations. They do this already by giving the people who decide how to spend the travel budget CL membership. The dude who has to rely on a cheap corporate membership is getting their reward via the corporate membership. I can say that in the corporate scheme I was a member of, I had no say at all about flights and neither did the 80% of the other upto 50000 eligible members of that corporate scheme. It would be a complete waste of time to give these people drink vouchers under this proposal.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

More people in QC is an easy explanation - QF has been pushing hard for people to join personally and through corporate schemes. So logically there are a higher % of QC members on every flight.

As for business lounge increasing - my guess is a combination of international business class connections that same day and QF making it easier to retain Platinum (eg: double SC promo).

 

[serfty]

It's also to encourage Business travellers who tend to fly in WHY on flexi type fares. These are typically at least double the cost of red e-deals.

 

[Groundfeeder]

As for the idea of reward you good corporations. They do this already by giving the people who decide how to spend the travel budget CL membership. The dude who has to rely on a cheap corporate membership is getting their reward via the corporate membership. I can say that in the corporate scheme I was a member of, I had no say at all about flights and neither did the 80% of the other upto 50000 eligible members of that corporate scheme. It would be a complete waste of time to give these people drink vouchers under this proposal.

Totally different for me. I paid QP fees independantly since GW demise and was invited to utilise our Govt Corp deal a few years ago, apparently because I was doing the most airmiles!! This scheme nearly died when the bean-shufflers were trying to sort out govt/non-govt FF points, then thankfully threw this all away as inefficient and granted us all our points (for govt travel only).

This (limited) corporate membership could be regarded as a (earned) privilege rather than a right.

I also make my own bookings and try to tune in some QP time before flights.

 

[JohnK]

Some interesting thoughts. Personally I do believe that the Qantas Lounges are overcrowded at certain times but i have never been refused entry and if it is too hard to get a seat then I will stand up.

Paid members have a right to be there, status members have a right to be there so the only fair way to reduce the numbers is to limit guests.

Not saying the above people do not have a right to be in the lounge but would a possible solution be to increase the cost of Qantas Lounge membership and/or to change the SCs required for membership levels getting complimentary access to lounge. e.g Gold 1,000 SCs and Platinum 2,000 SCs?

Another (unpopular!) option - get rid of "anytime" access for WPs?

Fair enough but how many people would actually make the effort to get to the Qantas Lounges when not flying? I think you will find the percentage is extremely low.

Just experienced the QF F lounge in Singapore.It felt crowded even though only half the seats were actually occupied.They just have to find a practical rather than an "in" designer.

I was in the SIN QF F Lounge on Thursday night and it was crowded. Only some single seats available (in the 2 seat and 4 seat setup) and I was lucky to find one spare desktop and spent the half hour or so before my flight.