What defines lounge access?

[slipshot]

More a question that relates to QR hence posting in here.

When I was QA Platinum, lounge choice was easy. Flying Economy or Premium out of MEL or SYD would be the first class lounge and they were both great.

Then work changes necessitated a move to Virgin and I am now VA Platinum. I then did the Qatar status match and have QR Platinum too

In June we flew to England, economy, via QR and as the VA deal was not up and running, linked my QR Privilege Club to the booking and of course gained entry to Qantas First lounge in MEL.

In Nov there is the potential to fly to LHR but Business Class, and hopefully with QR. So ideally I'd want VA status credits and points, hence would use my VA number.

But, what defines lounge access as I have never had to do this? Is it your ticket, which would show VA Plat (and thus irrelevant to QA First Class Lounge and presumably would not let you in), or could I show my QR Platinum status on my phone and would that let me in? Or is the only way in to the First Class lounge to have my QR status on this flight?

Just curious how it works? And thank you

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Lounge access in your case is based on your status with the airline or oneworld. As a qatar and oneworld emerald you are entitled to visit the first class lounge prior to the departure of a oneworld flight. Show your ticket together with your boarding pass.

This is separate from where you might credit your points for the flight itself.

Some airlines restrict certain benefits depending on the FF program linked to your account, for example guest rules can vary.

 

[slipshot]

Lounge access in your case is based on your status with the airline or oneworld. As a qatar and oneworld emerald you are entitled to visit the first class lounge prior to the departure of a oneworld flight. Show your ticket together with your boarding pass.

This is separate from where you might credit your points for the flight itself.

Some airlines restrict certain benefits depending on the FF program linked to your account, for example guest rules can vary.

Thanks so much for the clarity

 

[andye]

Earlier this year I had no problem accessing AlSafwa F lounge on a QR J ticket credited to no-status BA on boarding pass by showing my QR OWE on my phone.

 

[BNEFlyer]

This has been a topic of discussion in a couple of other threads and the consensus seems to be that it's easiest to enter the applicable QF lounge using your QR status and then change the FF details in MMB once in the lounge (or when you're about to leave).

That shouldn't need to be the case as you just need a bp for a OW airline and a physical or virtual card showing OWE, there's nothing in the rules to state that the OW airline FF details need to be on the bp (and QF has confirmed this). But there is anecdotal evidence that some QF lounge attendants won't allow access unless the OW FF number is on the bp.

 

[slipshot]

This has been a topic of discussion in a couple of other threads and the consensus seems to be that it's easiest to enter the applicable QF lounge using your QR status and then change the FF details in MMB once in the lounge (or when you're about to leave).

That shouldn't need to be the case as you just need a bp for a OW airline and a physical or virtual card showing OWE, there's nothing in the rules to state that the OW airline FF details need to be on the bp (and QF has confirmed this). But there is anecdotal evidence that some QF lounge attendants won't allow access unless the OW FF number is on the bp.

Thanks and makes sense. Open to interpretation I guess. What's MMB?

 

[BNEFlyer]

Thanks and makes sense. Open to interpretation I guess. What's MMB?

Manage My Booking.

Really you shouldn’t have any issue having VA on the bp, but it just depends on who is manning the front desk.

 

[moa999]

It should also be noted that Qatar is somewhat different in that while it has a FF program, many of its lounges are CoS (Class of Service) based.

So the Al Safwa and Al Mourjan lounges in their main Qatar hub are BIS (butt in seat lounges). For elites they have separate lounges that historically have been a step below.

Some outstations (eg. Bangkok) are also BIS with other elites getting a pass to a third party lounge.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Curious about this as I will be flying PER-DOH-CDG in J soon.
I thought only a ticketed F PAX (and maybe a QR Platinum PAX ticketed in J) could access the Al Safwa F lounge in DOH.
Would like to know for sure as I would obviously love to access the F lounge, but nothing spoils a flight more than the embarrassment of being refused access to a lounge. Especially when you have a companion!

Earlier this year I had no problem accessing AlSafwa F lounge on a QR J ticket credited to no-status BA on boarding pass by showing my QR OWE on my phone.

 

[andye]

Curious about this as I will be flying PER-DOH-CDG in J soon.
I thought only a ticketed F PAX (and maybe a QR Platinum PAX ticketed in J) could access the Al Safwa F lounge in DOH.
Would like to know for sure as I would obviously love to access the F lounge, but nothing spoils a flight more than the embarrassment of being refused access to a lounge. Especially when you have a companion!

Those are the two entry criteria (F or J+QR Plat) that I understand.
A concurrent thread suggests you will get in on an inbound F flight too

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Those are the two entry criteria (F or J+QR Plat) that I understand.
A concurrent thread suggests you will get in on an inbound F flight too

Thanks your reference to "QR OWE" confused me.
I now assume you have your OWE status because you are QR platinum, which matches my understanding of the access criteria.
It is disappointing that QR don't allow other OWE ticketed in J to use the F lounge.
Any other OWE flying economy can access a better lounge than a OWS flying economy.
But if you book in business on QR then there is basically no recognition of and no benefit from your OWE status at all.

 

[jase05]

Thanks your reference to "QR OWE" confused me.
I now assume you have your OWE status because you are QR platinum, which matches my understanding of the access criteria.
It is disappointing that QR don't allow other OWE ticketed in J to use the F lounge.
Any other OWE flying economy can access a better lounge than a OWS flying economy.
But if you book in business on QR then there is basically no recognition of and no benefit from your OWE status at all.

Good friend returned to ADL last week in QR J and was denied access to the Al Safwa lounge despite being a QF P1. She was told quite bluntly by the lounge dragon that only F passengers and QR Platinums in J could be admitted. She thought that it would be the case but no harm asking as she had heard of passengers being able to pay for entry and was interested in trying a new lounge in her case

 

[RooFlyer]

as she had heard of passengers being able to pay for entry and was interested in trying a new lounge in her case

You can buy access to the Al Safwa (bt its gone up a lot recently!)

Buying Access To Qatar Airways' Al Safwa First Lounge

Here's everything you need to know about accessing Qatar Airways' incredible Al Safwa First Lounge, including how to buy access.

onemileatatime.com

... which makes their tight access rules kinda odd.

Next month I'm going ADL-xDOH (J) - CAI (F) then CAI-xDOH (F) - MEL (J), so I'll definitely get access on the way over and at that time I'll ask about the access on the way back, but at the moment, I believe the answer is yes. Only fly in the ointment might be that its World Cup time and they may be extra tight on access.

 

[jase05]

You can buy access to the Al Safwa (bt its gone up a lot recently!)

Buying Access To Qatar Airways' Al Safwa First Lounge

Here's everything you need to know about accessing Qatar Airways' incredible Al Safwa First Lounge, including how to buy access.

onemileatatime.com

... which makes their tight access rules kinda odd.

Next month I'm going ADL-xDOH (J) - CAI (F) then CAI-xDOH (F) - MEL (J), so I'll definitely get access on the way over and at that time I'll ask about the access on the way back, but at the moment, I believe the answer is yes. Only fly in the ointment might be that its World Cup time and they may be extra tight on access.

Perhaps capacity issues but she was told that no paid access was available at that time but that at certain times they do allow it.
Can see things being a big mess during the WC though

 

[esseeeayeenn]

You can buy access to the Al Safwa (bt its gone up a lot recently!)

Buying Access To Qatar Airways' Al Safwa First Lounge

Here's everything you need to know about accessing Qatar Airways' incredible Al Safwa First Lounge, including how to buy access.

onemileatatime.com

... which makes their tight access rules kinda odd.

Next month I'm going ADL-xDOH (J) - CAI (F) then CAI-xDOH (F) - MEL (J), so I'll definitely get access on the way over and at that time I'll ask about the access on the way back, but at the moment, I believe the answer is yes. Only fly in the ointment might be that its World Cup time and they may be extra tight on access.

I'm flying PER-DOH-MPX so there is no F fare on sale. I read that the ability to pay for access to Al Safwa depend on your fare bucket. If I click on the "buy lounge access" link in "manage your booking" I just get sent to the link for buying airport VIP escorting services, which is the last thing I want or need or am prepared to pay for.
It's just disappointing when you consider that PAX with QR Platinum status enjoy access to OW F lounges provided by every other OW airline.

 

[BNEFlyer]

I'm flying PER-DOH-MPX so there is no F fare on sale. I read that the ability to pay for access to Al Safwa depend on your fare bucket. If I click on the "buy lounge access" link in "manage your booking" I just get sent to the link for buying airport VIP escorting services, which is the last thing I want or need or am prepared to pay for.
It's just disappointing when you consider that PAX with QR Platinum status enjoy access to OW F lounges provided by every other OW airline.

BA don’t allow OWE into their F lounge (Concorde lounge). And outside of OW, SQ also don’t allow Star Gold into their F (or J) lounges.

 

[frequentflyer91]

Has anyone had any luck entering the qantas first lounge in melb/sydney using Qatar Platinum while having Qantas FF number on the boarding pass

 

[slipshot]

Just as an update as the OP - so had my Virgin number on my boarding pass at Melbourne when checking in. Went to Qantas First lounge, showed them my OWE digital pass on phone and myself and a colleague were let in without issue.

Upon arrival into Doha, I headed for the Qatar Platinum Lounge (which as I now found out is the same location and entrance to the Gold lounge too) - showed them my Qatar Platinum status on my phone and they said because we were travelling business and I was Platinum, the best choice of lounge was the Al Safwra lounge and to go there - which I did and they let us in with no issues. So far, so good...

 

[RooFlyer]

Can confirm that you can access the Al Safwa First lounge in DOH when flying in on a First BP and out on a J one.

The easiest (most economical) way to do this is to buy a business ticket through DOH onto one of their nearby ports. The regional legs often get only get serviced by whY and First (still J product, but called First), so you will be have a F BP for those legs. This was the case when I flew onto CAI recently and was also the case a few years ago when I was going to fly onto Khartoum (not done).