Unoffical Wake for WP Anytime Access, Jan 29 2011

[dfcatch]

Was a good day, sorry I didn't make it back in time for dinner at the HI.

Back in CNS now and looking forward to seeing the newly redesigned SYD F lounge again on Tues

 

[JohnK]

Good to hear that all went OK and there were no serious glitches.

By the way what was the final count for this 'wake' and how many on the JQ35 party flight?

P.S If anyone is going to be in BNE ~7:30pm tonight and wants to have a quick catch up let me know. I should be arriving in BNE at ~7:35 pm and departing on 8:00pm or 8:40pm Coachtrans bus service.

 

[dfcatch]

I will say though....

That QF missed a golden PR opportunity....

All it would have taken was to send a mandarin down to greet us either at check-in or the lounge, or even just to accompany us to the gate (first host style).

I think that it's the kind of opportunity that "other nameless corporations" with more switched on marketing folks would have taken advantage of.

Not annoyed, but i would have been very impressed had they done so.

Red Roo - you're clearly letting the team down..... You could have won some serious brownie points (i mean in QF - not just with us

Hell, I've seen plenty of TA Famils being tour-guided through the F lounge..... So the concept isn't completely foreign to QF.

Well done as always to the SOFITEL employees in the lounge, as well as the dumbfounded JQ CSM

 

[awilcockson]

and how many on the JQ35 party flight?

my last count was 25, there may have been 1 or 2 turn up after that.

 

[awilcockson]

Highlights of the day:

Doorman at the entrance to the SYD F Lounge "oh 3 emeralds and only one guest!", me on reply "you ain't seen nothing yet", knowing that there were at least 20 more following close behind.

Lining up for JQ35 for over an hour, watching the line for star class getting longer and longer, and then the annoyed looms on their faces when they were told they were in the wrong line and had to get behind us

Being offered exit row seats on JQ35

JQ35 after lift off announcement "jetstar would like to welcome all of the one world frequent flyers, and a special welcome to the Australian Frequent Flyer group"

Approaching immigration in MEL, and their was a immigration lady saying "please have your boarding pass and i.d. ready". The guy in front of me says "I accidentally ripped my boarding pass" and shows her. You know the old game where you rip a mintie wrapper around the edges to try and fet the longest, thinnest piece of paper? Well that's what he'd done with his boarding pass. I didn't hang around to see what the immigration officer thought when he got to the front of the line

Having my return DJ flight cancelled. Ok that wasn't a highlight, but when the lovely lady in the lounge offered me a 6pm flight (instead of the 8pm) and I said "no thanks, I'll take the 9pm, I've only just got here and we aren't ready to go home yet". "you're crazy" she says with a smile.

 

[kpc]

Back home..tired but a great w/e; loved the group pic (quite a few missing tho) in front of the wall of plants at the Syd F lounge...first and only time so far this has happened according to the QF staffers! Nice meeting old and new faces, including lurkers.

Interesting trip on QF on the way back to Syd. Rows 23-32 A,B didn't get served any drinks / lunch as a passenger collapsed in the aisle behind and lay there for the remainder of the flight with O2 on. Not a biggie as I thought I would just duck into the J lounge O/A into Syd and grab a bite, but on disembarkation, we were told that we could spend up to $20 on food / drink using our BP at any store at Syd! Not bad for a cheap $79 ticket!...however, I think this section of the 767 would have been full of Plats / Golds:shock:

Now, off to buy life insurance...!! (not related to the passenger collapsing!)

 

[markis10]

Interesting trip on QF on the way back to Syd. Rows 23-32 A,B didn't get served any drinks / lunch as a passenger collapased in the aisle behind and lay there for the remainder of the flight with O2 on. Not a biggie as I thought I would just duck into the J lounge O/A into Syd and grab a bite, but on disembarkation, we were told that we could spend up to $20 on food / drink using our BP at any store at Syd! Not bad for a cheap $79 ticket!...however, I think this section of the 767 would have been full of Plats / Golds:shock:

Your aircraft was in a hurry to get to the gate, we were held on bay for ten minutes, I wondered if any AFF members were on board and glad to here it was not the person who was I'll, must have been serious to get priority like that, normally it needs to be life threatening.

 

[samh004]

Having my return DJ flight cancelled. Ok that wasn't a highlight, but when the lovely lady in the lounge offered me a 6pm flight (instead of the 8pm) and I said "no thanks, I'll take the 9pm, I've only just got here and we aren't ready to go home yet". "you're crazy" she says with a smile.

That was pretty funny, but I wish we’d tried for the 7PM

 

[Bundy Bear]

1 Alpinia Dr, Eagle Farm QLD 4009, Australia

Back where I started, time for another drink in the lounge, the flights on Virgin Blue were ok, but I prefer Qantas


Sent from my iPhone using AFF Mobile

 

[Alanslegal]

JQ35 after lift off announcement "jetstar would like to welcome all of the one world frequent flyers, and a special welcome to the Australian Frequent Flyer group"

That's Gold!

 

[anat0l]

Hope everyone that went to the wake had fun.

munitalP thanks for some photos. Good to see some new faces that I haven't seen before; a bit of deduction (and a few errant name stickers attached in various places (and one placed somewhere which I won't identify on this forum)) and I think I've been able to put handles to faces. Will be good to meet those who I haven't met before during another Do, or when I'm interstate.

Whilst I couldn't make the wake, I had my last stint at QF Anytime Access at an international port - BNE I J Lounge. This was whilst waiting for MH134. Normally the QF J Lounge at BNE I closes after the last departure, but since QF is a contracted lounge for other carriers - including MH - it remains open at peculiar times.

Here are some photos:

One thing that I like about this lounge, despite it being basic and a bit small, is the great openness of it. Too bad you can't combine the open feeling of this lounge with the prestige of the SYD or MEL F Lounges (but then again SYD or MEL airports themselves aren't as good as BNE, unfortunately).


Great view - you can see all the little non-lounge-eligible ants scurrying about on the concourse Just kidding - that's not a nice thing to say. Did I mention great view and open lounge?


Basic QP selection with limited food. For some reason I was told that there wasn't much food to go around what with shortages thanks to the floods. I wonder why they couldn't just truck some of the stock or leftovers from the domestic lounges? Ah well - not that they needed all that food anyway.




Enjoying a seat next to the view of the concourse - checking Facebook, glass of Sauv Blanc and whatever basics they had available on the buffet.

 

[Alanslegal]

As a final visit under "anytime access" I will be visiting the SYD T2 J Lounge on Monday 31st evening, I'll get there around 630pm. So anyone in SYD feel free to come.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Sounds like a great day was had all in BNE today turned up to the Dom J Lounge with 3 juniors in tow and no boarding passes ( Shrek is a little OCD and likes to board the JQ flight when announced , he had the passes), flashed the dragon my WP card and she waved her hand to the left and said "welcome", no recording of anytime access there thankyou ;p

 

[munitalP]

Sounds like a great day was had all in BNE today turned up to the Dom J Lounge with 3 juniors in tow and no boarding passes ( Shrek is a little OCD and likes to board the JQ flight when announced , he had the passes), flashed the dragon my WP card and she waved her hand to the left and said "welcome", no recording of anytime access there thankyou ;p

You mean to the right into the J lounge (unless this was th 2nd dragon of course)

 

[Aussie_flyer]

You mean to the right into the J lounge (unless this was th 2nd dragon of course)

i think he meant the 'dragon's' left hand. which is his right.... hmmm


i could be wrong

 

[Princess Fiona]

i think he meant the 'dragon's' left hand. which is his right.... hmmm


i could be wrong

Correct I meant the dragons left hand ;p

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Correct I meant the dragons left hand ;p

And i meant 'her' right. apologies your highness.

do dragon's even have hands? i thought they were more claws, or paws

 

[Princess Fiona]

Correct I meant the dragons left hand ;p

I am a medic after all and we refer all positions to the third party ;p

 

[Storyteller]

Thanks all for a fun time. Sorry I didn't get to say hello all round though.

After being the last to leave the lounge, dinner at the HI was delicious & yes, we ordered double water, for both tables! Also caught up with a few people in the J Lounge for breakfast this morning, then lunch in Bne.

So, is it too early to decide that this would be a good annual event? All fly in from wherever for a luncheon at the Flounge, then a party flight to MEL for dinner...

The Annual Re-Wake? Annual Awakening? Wake memorial? Wake Revisited? Ideas??? (Sorry, 0230 hrs & creativity is waning)

 

[Lawlass]

Thanks all for a fun time. Sorry I didn't get to say hello all round though.

After being the last to leave the lounge, dinner at the HI was delicious & yes, we ordered double water, for both tables! Also caught up with a few people in the J Lounge for breakfast this morning, then lunch in Bne.

So, is it too early to decide that this would be a good annual event? All fly in from wherever for a luncheon at the Flounge, then a party flight to MEL for dinner...

The Annual Re-Wake? Annual Awakening? Wake memorial? Wake Revisited? Ideas??? (Sorry, 0230 hrs & creativity is waning)

Ah, Storyteller... I believe that translates roughly to "Lurker who makes spectacular entrance!"