Will Virgin's Premium Lounge Entries open back up at some point?

[Matty F]

Jayney and The Cost Cutting Posse

What is this tone and language for? I feel like I'm reading a Murdoch rag.

focus on real world issues like this as a priority

Oh, ozstamps. Let me be perfectly blunt with you... none of us on this forum are discussing actual real world issues.

vicious cost-cuttingPosse

I think most understand the turbulence experienced by the travel industry over the last two years, and are happy to support cost-cutting during the recovery phase. We are not so entitled as to demand such frothy offerings from a company who've recently exited voluntary administration - these perks will continue to roll back out, but now is not the time.

 

[Must...Fly!]

This issue re SYD kerb entry security station, is ENTIRELY in the control of Virgin.

I'm not sure how it is Virgin's fault? If the terminal can't deal with the volume of passengers through the regular channels at security due to short staffing, how are Virgin supposed to operate priority entry, even if they wanted to?

Sydney is not the only airport facing these problems. For example I became acutely aware of Dublin airport's issues when passing through there last week.

Dublin Airport suspend 'expected wait time' amid ongoing security chaos

Delays at the airport continued this weekend as many unhappy passengers took to Twitter to document their long wait times and missed flights

www.dublinlive.ie

 

[eastwest101]

I'm not sure how it is Virgin's fault? If the terminal can't deal with the volume of passengers through the regular channels at security due to short staffing, how are Virgin supposed to operate priority entry, even if they wanted to?

Sydney is not the only airport facing these problems. For example I became acutely aware of Dublin airport's issues when passing through there last week.

Dublin Airport suspend 'expected wait time' amid ongoing security chaos

Delays at the airport continued this weekend as many unhappy passengers took to Twitter to document their long wait times and missed flights

www.dublinlive.ie

Yep the problems are widespread throughout Australia, shortage of trained security staff and inability of security providers to ramp up capacity along with probably quite a few unplanned staff absences for security screening contractors as Covid infections and close contact isolations run through the population, and also I reckon the aircraft scheduling recently that had a lot of aircraft and crews returning to "home base" hubs to avoid crew layovers interstate, which compresses a lot of air traffic into shorter but more intense bursts of flights all departing around the same time has compounded this. There is certainly less "back of the clock" flying happening so with the return of people to the air, they are all compressed in time into a shorter part of the day and swamping the capacity of the security and screening staff on hand.

SYD and MEL have been particularly bad on the QF/JQ and VA parts of the airports.

 

[serfty]

Interestingly several of times I was in the MEL lounge on weekdays last month, they opened the premium entry lounge exit during periods when there was a lot of flights boarding, closing it again after the rush.

 

[AIRwin]

Interestingly several of times I was in the MEL lounge on weekdays last month, they opened the premium entry lounge exit during periods when there was a lot of flights boarding, closing it again after the rush.

Premium exit?

 

[klymen]

Premium exit?

Yes. When I was there they were notifying about (and apologising for) delays at security, then said they'd opened the premium exit.

 

[Mattg]

The Virgin staff response when asked this week was 'I Do Not Care''.

I thought it was the Sydney Airport security staff who said this.

 

[Ewing]

I thought it was the Sydney Airport security staff who said this.

Confirming it was the security staff who said it to me. No VA staff were visible.

I chose to ignore him and push my way through anyway which ended up being the right decision.

I’ve cancelled Monday’s flight on VA and rebooked on QF. I don’t even want to think what that queue will look like during school holidays - and I probably will avoid flying out of T2 during peak until the lounge entry returns. (Fortunately our Concur setup books us in full flex and also lets us choose the airline).

 

[TMP]

I'm not sure how it is Virgin's fault? If the terminal can't deal with the volume of passengers through the regular channels at security due to short staffing, how are Virgin supposed to operate priority entry, even if they wanted to?

Sydney is not the only airport facing these problems. For example I became acutely aware of Dublin airport's issues when passing through there last week.

Dublin Airport suspend 'expected wait time' amid ongoing security chaos

Delays at the airport continued this weekend as many unhappy passengers took to Twitter to document their long wait times and missed flights

www.dublinlive.ie

And Manchester, which I'm not looking forward to in a few weeks time...

Manchester airport manager quits after weeks of chaos

Karen Smart steps down after thousands of passengers miss flights due to hours-long queues

www.theguardian.com

 

[jase05]

And Manchester, which I'm not looking forward to in a few weeks time...

Manchester airport manager quits after weeks of chaos

Karen Smart steps down after thousands of passengers miss flights due to hours-long queues

www.theguardian.com

One of the worst airports in the UK. Even though I have plenty of family in the region I avoid it like the plague

 

[kerfuffle]

Melbourne Premium Exit not open this afternoon. Unlike Sydney, passing security was a breeze and got through within minutes using the priority lane (must remember to put my iPad mini in its own tray next time I fly; seems to be treated as a laptop now)

 

[Ewing]

(must remember to put my iPad mini in its own tray next time I fly; seems to be treated as a laptop now)

Yes. I miss the days when the iPad could stay in my bag (a main reason I often travelled with it rather than my laptop when I didn't need it).

Now the iPad has to come out I just travel with my laptop anyway.

 

[ferntree]

Yes. I miss the days when the iPad could stay in my bag (a main reason I often travelled with it rather than my laptop when I didn't need it).

As an inveterate technophobe I could never understand why notebooks had to be "declared" but not so tablets. Somebody told me once it had something to do with whether the device has a keyboard or not, but that makes no sense to me.

 

[Stealthflyer]

Meanwhile at HBA, security is a breeze. Sometimes it pays to have a tiny local airport. Now if VA would just open a HBA lounge it would be perfect.

I’m really worried about my flight back from Sydney after reading this thread!

 

[ferntree]

Meanwhile at HBA, security is a breeze. Sometimes it pays to have a tiny local airport. Now if VA would just open a HBA lounge it would be perfect.

Couldn't agree with you more!

 

[samas]

As an inveterate technophobe I could never understand why notebooks had to be "declared" but not so tablets. Somebody told me once it had something to do with whether the device has a keyboard or not, but that makes no sense to me.

I was travelling with my laptop, iPad and a portable usb-c monitor (which looks like an oversized tablet) - despite my temptation to leave the portable monitor in my bag to see what happened and then say to security "my laptop and iPad are already out my bag - do you need monitors taken out as well?" - i decided to just put the portable monitor in it's own tub for my pass through security to hopefully be more expediated.

 

[ozstamps]

I don’t even want to think what that queue will look like during school holidays - and I probably will avoid flying out of T2 during peak until the lounge entry returns.

I think many know what the lines were like during Easter and Holidays!

 

[Ewing]

I think many know what the lines were like during Easter and Holidays!

Yes. I unfortunately had to fly a number of times.

 

[ozstamps]

As an inveterate technophobe I could never understand why notebooks had to be "declared" but not so tablets. Somebody told me once it had something to do with whether the device has a keyboard or not, but that makes no sense to me.

Maybe physical size is the reason .. i.e. hiding explosives in a laptop would allow much greater volume, so they want a clear unimpeded view of them?

 

[kangarooflyer88]

That priority lane at the main security hasn’t been enforced for quite a while now, they’re always telling you to use all open lanes. To be fair, they do a good job getting you through quickly considering how busy T3 gets these days.

Here, here! That's been a frustration I've had for sometime as a QF Gold travelling on JQ!

-RooFlyer88