Would you guest a total stranger into the Qantas Lounge?

[JohnK]

I will post my experience last week at the risk of irking Qantas lurkers and also knowing a lot of people on AFF frown upon it due to overcrowding etc.

I guested a total stranger in BNE last week and I actually feel good about it. He was just sitting there working away on his notebook when I asked him if he was interested in being guested into the Lounge. He got his stuff together and I took him into the Business Lounge and I simply said to him "Enjoy!" and went separate ways.

He came up to me later and thanked me for the kind gesture. He said he had a couple of champagnes and a snack and felt relaxed before his flight. I think he was going to MEL.

Did I do the wrong thing? Would you do it? As far as I am aware there is nothing in the terms and conditions that mentions that the guest needs to be family or friends.

 

[samh004]

Surely this has been asked and answered before

In my case, I rarely look up at the people around me, don’t make eye contact, so wouldn’t even think of doing so most of the time. that’s not to say I wouldn’t though to be friendly, especially if I saw someone I might like to take in with me

I don’t see a problem with it.

 

[drewbles]

Whilst never having guested a stranger in, I would have no problems doing so in the right situation. If I saw someone, say at check-in, who was visibly flustered for various reasons, i'd be happy to let them in if it was obvious it was going to de-fluster them somewhat.

If I saw someone just working on their laptop near the QP for the free wifi, i'd be not asking them in. Free wifi is a QP benefit.

Of course there's always the flirting aspect as well, but i'm not the kind of person to openly invite someone to a QP due to a willingness to flirt with them

 

[JohnK]

Surely this has been asked and answered before

Possibly but the answer changes as the wind changes.

Of course there's always the flirting aspect as well, but i'm not the kind of person to openly invite someone to a QP due to a willingness to flirt with them

I was definitely not going to flirt with this person and I am definitely not the type of person to flirt with someone especially if I liked them. I get very nervous.

 

[drewbles]

I was definitely not going to flirt with this person and I am definitely not the type of person to flirt with someone especially if I liked them. I get very nervous.

ditto. And if it's a significant amount of time before their flight, and they don't reciprocate the flirtations, it could get awkward. I guess "Excuse me I need to attend my spa appointment" would work in the F lounge to excuse yourself in such a situation

 

[samh004]

Of course there's always the flirting aspect as well, but i'm not the kind of person to openly invite someone to a QP due to a willingness to flirt with them

Of course, I’d have to grow some balls if I was going to do this.

I was definitely not going to flirt with this person and I am definitely not the type of person to flirt with someone especially if I liked them. I get very nervous.

Well we knew you weren’t in this case John, I was just providing a possible reason I might guest someone in

Not the only one though, I just don’t ever see the opportunity I guess.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

I would not do that just to a total stranger I walked by in the airport... however,

on a recent UA flight from LAX to SYD, I did guest an older American lady who I had been sitting beside in Y class into the NZ lounge for the transit before the flight to Melbourne. I even sat with her and chatted! And I felt very nice about it afterwards.

 

[MarcB]

After an overnight delay in Heathrow, we guested 2 fellow delayees into the BA lounge. We'd all been stuffed around a fair bit and we had 2 spare spots so to speak (plus one has QF access) so I thought why not do something nice to make their experience a little less awful. They were still strangers in the sense we'd only spoken to them while checking in - but I guess there was some association by virtue of the fact we were all getting on the same flight. They were so stoked to be in the lounge and sat with us while we waited for our flight to be called - there was quite a large group of fellow delayees swapping horror stories by the time we came to board.

I think in the right circumstances, a few random guesting encounters are good for the soul. Let's face it, airports can be awful places, so why not spread a bit of 'free' love!

 

[Leumas]

I don't specifically look for people to guest, as I tend go straight to the lounge after security. Even if I do it, she better be cute.

Having said that, I did guest someone rather cute into a lounge. I think it was AKL-HKG, we sat next to each other in Y. It was a day flight, so we got talking. As it turned out, she said she'd a long journey, from AKL to somewhere in Eastern Europe (she was an exchange student) . All up, it was a 36hrs+ journey for her.

We both had to transit at HKG. I was heading to ... CMB, I think. She was catching the flight to AMS or LHR, can't remember now. Those who are familiar will know these flights leave very late at night, meaning there's a long transit at HKG.

So we ended up at one of the CX lounges ... and I left a couple of hours later after she showed me her portfolio...

 

[Danger]

I don't actively seek out someone to guest into a lounge, even though 90% of the time my guest spot/s go unused. But I agree that every once in awhile it can give you a nice warm feeling. About two years ago I was getting a fancy muesli yoghurt thing from one of the exhorbitantly expensive shops in Sydney T3 when I saw an elderly couple (one in a wheelchair) grappling with can best be described as warm bread that one of the restaurants had served up for breakfast. I admit, I'm a sucker for the elderly and I offered to take them into the lounge but they politely declined.

I think it's important, though, to find the appropriate 'middle ground' between having what might be called legitimate guests and just taking in random people for the sake of it. So, yeah, every now in then when someone looks like they could use the serenity (?) of a lounge, why not.

 

[coco50]

I don't think that I would guest a stranger into the QP. I am now a pensioner and have fallen from one time WP to NB. I purchased a 4 year QP membership and as well have a Priority Pass when travelling overseas. If people want to enter the QP, why don't they join? There are many reasons not to guest strangers in (just as there are many reasons to guest strangers in) such as:

• crowding issues
• responsibility for the stranger's behaviour
• people soliciting entry to the QP
• technically the stranger should leave when you do if your flight leaves earlier

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Not normally...but there are exceptions.

One time I was checking in with my wife and there was a frail old lady checking in at about the same time who was struggling with her bags.

We assisted her and doing so learnt that her flight to Perth from Melbourne had been delayed by hours and while she was not pleased at that she had a good attitude about things.....and so we guested her in even though we were only going to be in the lounge a short time.

She had never been in before and most appreciative of the extra comfort for her long waitand my wife and I were pleased with our "good deed for the day".

 

[Flashback]

I've done it before, after having just got off a PER-MEL red-eye (on my way to AFF#3 in fact) the girl who sat next to me had a 5 hour layover on her way to LAX to travel the US following Pearl Jam around on their concert tour.

She was most appreciative and it gave me a warm fuzzy knowing that I had helped make her layover a little nicer. Not too much later I then headed over to the International terminal for some FLounging with fellow AFFers where I was guested in :mrgreen:

 

[Lawlass]

I did this recently flying from Heathrow to Melbourne. The lovely Irish lady sitting next to me saved all year to be able to fly over to see her grandchildren. I guested her into the Hong Kong lounge during our stopover. She was very excited to have a shower, just so she could tell her daughter she'd had a shower in Hong Kong.

Definitely gave me the warm fuzzies

Am hoping someone will be warm and fuzzy enough to guest my niece when I fly BKK-MEL later this month, as I will be guesting her mother. Does anyone know if they are ever amenable to pleading to get one more guest in?

 

[Flashback]

I did this recently flying from Heathrow to Melbourne. The lovely Irish lady sitting next to me saved all year to be able to fly over to see her grandchildren. I guested her into the Hong Kong lounge during our stopover. She was very excited to have a shower, just so she could tell her daughter she'd had a shower in Hong Kong.

Definitely gave me the warm fuzzies

Am hoping someone will be warm and fuzzy enough to guest my niece when I fly BKK-MEL later this month, as I will be guesting her mother. Does anyone know if they are ever amenable to pleading to get one more guest in?

Welcome to AFF Lawlass!

You can only try, how old is she? The younger they are the better chance. Also check the meeting threads as someone else may be near then too.

 

[straitman]

Welcome to AFF Lawlass!

You can only try, how old is she? The younger they are the better chance. Also check the meeting threads as someone else may be near then too.

Lawless,

Welcome to AFF.

As Flashware says have a look at the meeting threads.

 

[Flashback]

Lawless,

Welcome to AFF.

As Flashware says have a look at the meeting threads.

And they already have!

 

[UP4014]

95% of the time I'm by myself when flying, but if I see someone 'in need' say a bit elderly or frail or lost looking I would do it without hesitation.

A guy or gal on their laptop don't need me, they need to buy their own lounge membership.

Having said that, I've never had the circumstances right to do it.

Matt

 

[Lawlass]

And they already have!

Thank you for the warm welcomes, and indeed I have! I'm a 'she' by the way - I will fill I. A profile soon.

My niece is 18 and gorgeous so I think I will have a pretty good chance of finding a benevolent stranger to guest her in any event!

Cheers
E x

 

[BVT]

Interesting thread with many and varied interesting responses.

Having said that I have taken as my guest a relative stranger - we were the only two pax in J, BNE/SIN into the SIN Flounge. An elderly nervous flyer was most grateful.

Now, think about your response if a complete random came up to you in an Airport and invited you into an airline lounge? Irrespective of gender , age or disparity in age, how would you react?

No judgement.

I commend those who have helped a traveller in distress by exercising a right that they had - to take a guest into the lounge - to assist another.