Qantas will no longer allow frequent flyers or Qantas Club members to bring guests into its airport lounges who aren’t flying on the same day with Qantas or a partner airline.
When travelling on any domestic Qantas or Jetstar flight, Qantas Club members are entitled to bring one guest with them into the Qantas Club lounge. Qantas offers the same guest allowance to Qantas Gold and Oneworld Sapphire frequent flyers. Qantas Platinum, Platinum One and Oneworld Emerald frequent flyers can bring up to two guests into any domestic Business Lounge or Qantas Club.
Qantas also allows eligible passengers to bring up to two additional children with them into domestic lounges.
When accessing Qantas domestic lounges, as per the Qantas website, guests currently do not need to be travelling:
What’s changing from 15 June 2023
From 15 June 2023, guests will need to be travelling that day on a Qantas, Jetstar or partner airline flight.
This means someone who is not travelling that day, or who is booked on another airline like Virgin or Rex, won’t be able to use the Qantas lounge as a guest.
Qantas is now displaying the following message on its website:
Update to our Qantas Lounge access policy
From 15 June 2023, we’ll be simplifying our lounge access policy. Guests will be eligible to use lounges when travelling on Qantas-operated and eligible partner flights that depart on the same day.
Qantas also included the following notice in its monthly newsletter sent today to some frequent flyers:
From 15 June 2023, we’ll be simplifying our lounge access policy whereby guests will be eligible for entry when travelling on Qantas operated and other eligible partner flights that depart on the same day. This will ensure customers travelling with Qantas and selected partners can enjoy the comfort of the Qantas Lounge.
Qantas is selling this change as a way to “simplify” its lounge access policy and reduce lounge overcrowding.
Many overseas airlines including Air New Zealand have similar policies. And this is already the case when accessing Qantas international lounges. But the option to guest people who aren’t travelling into domestic lounges has long been a valued benefit for Qantas frequent flyers.
Virgin Australia allows its Gold and Platinum frequent flyers, as well as Virgin Australia Lounge members, to bring guests into the airline’s lounges who are not necessarily flying that day.
Change to international lounge guesting for Qantas Club members
On the plus side, there has been a slight improvement to guesting arrangements for Qantas Club members flying internationally.
Previously, Qantas Club members could only guest other people travelling with them on the same Qantas or Jetstar flight into Qantas international Business Lounges. Following this change, Qantas Club members can guest anyone travelling on any Qantas, Jetstar or Oneworld flight into international lounges with them.
This aligns Qantas’ lounge access policies for domestic and international flights more closely.
AFF members respond
As you’d expect, many AFF members are unhappy with this change. But views are mixed. Here are a few of the comments on our forum:
For me personally this is actually some of the biggest value I get from QFF status… Domestic flying will never be the same come 15th June!
Wow. This is a horrible change.
A big change for me. Often my wife would pop into the lounge with me for a coffee when picking me up or dropping me off (although that was exceedingly rare, it was very nice).
This is a bit of shame as eg when I am travelling for work my partner often comes to the lounge with me and waits to see me off. He usually doesn’t eat or access any resources other than a chair. Oh well, it is what it is
Fine, but cut out the crap “Making it simpler”. Just be flipping well honest. This is what I hate about Qantas, the spin and politician type speak. Just say “From 15 June 2023 we are changing our lounge access policy”.
Good. The lounges are too crowded.
Does this change align with Qantas’ terms & conditions?
According to section 3.2 of the Qantas Frequent Flyer terms & conditions, Qantas Loyalty “will use best efforts to advise Members of material changes” to the program where such changes will limit benefits. Where the benefit is provided by Qantas, the airline should give members “at least three months notice”.
Access to Qantas-operated lounges is a benefit provided by Qantas. Further, this change removes a material, published benefit for Gold, Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers. So, we believe Qantas should be giving at least 3 months’ notice of this change, rather than one month.
Australian Frequent Flyer has contacted Qantas for comment.
The Qantas Club terms & conditions do not state that Qantas needs to give advance notice of changes to paid-up Qantas Club members. However, if you’re a Qantas Club member and this change substantially impacts the way you intended to use your membership, you may be entitled to a refund. Section 4.4 of the Qantas Club T&Cs states:
4.4 Subject to clause 4.5, if Qantas closes a Qantas operated airport lounge in a Member’s registered city of residence without replacing it, or amends these Terms and Conditions or the Club Rules in a way that deprives the Member substantially of the intended use of the membership, the Member will have the option of cancelling their membership and receiving a pro rata refund of the membership fee for the remaining period of membership.
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