Which LHR lounge for QF Platinum?

[ajw373]

Thanks ajw373.....I always thought there was an EK First lounge at Heathrow...glad I checked with youse experts! I would have been a waif wandering around Heathrow dragging my bag, shoulders hunched, sad faced, asking for directions to a non-existent lounge! BA First lounge it is then! pip pip and tally ho.

If I am not mistaken the only EK F lounges are in Dubai. But has Princess Fiona said in some case the combined lounges in their outer ports are pretty good. I have not used LHR, but have used the EK lounge at LGW and it was not too bad. A bit better than the BA J lounge, but nothing of course like the QF first lounges in Melbourne or Sydney.

 

[zachary.august]

When I was last flying through LHR I was chatting to the QF LHR Station Manager who said that LHR remains subject to an agreement with BA and thus they would revoke access if QF passengers could use the EK lounge. So QF chose the larger BA lounge as it's sole London lounge. Also, they want to offer an F lounge to F customers/WP/CL. He said for all intents and purposes LHR is excluded from aspects of the EK deal due to it's significance as a QF port.

 

[JessicaTam]

When I was last flying through LHR I was chatting to the QF LHR Station Manager who said that LHR remains subject to an agreement with BA and thus they would revoke access if QF passengers could use the EK lounge. So QF chose the larger BA lounge as it's sole London lounge. Also, they want to offer an F lounge to F customers/WP/CL. He said for all intents and purposes LHR is excluded from aspects of the EK deal due to it's significance as a QF port.

I guess that would be supported by this sentence from TonyHancock's most excellent post:

When travelling from London Heathrow, ​

eligible Frequent Flyers​

will continue to use the British Airways Galleries Lounge in Terminal 3 if their next onward flight is operated by Qantas.​

"... operated by Qantas" being the operative phrase.​

 

[Kangol]

When I was last flying through LHR I was chatting to the QF LHR Station Manager who said that LHR remains subject to an agreement with BA and thus they would revoke access if QF passengers could use the EK lounge.

How could BA "overrule" the OW agreement regarding OWS/OWE lounge access?
AFAIK, any OW airline can have rules for their own elites (think AA and no A/C or F/L lounge access for PLT/EXP) but OW rules stay in place..

 

[Kangol]

So a WP travelling on an EK operated QF codeshare (i.e. flight no.) would allow access to both EK and OW (specifically BA) lounges?

I doubt anyone flying on EK metal could access a BA lounge because of the OW "operated and marketed by a OW airline" rule..?

Lounge access - oneworld

Unless there is some exception for CL which is completely beside the point of this discussion..

 

[TonyHancock]

How could BA "overrule" the OW agreement regarding OWS/OWE lounge access?
AFAIK, any OW airline can have rules for their own elites (think AA and no A/C or F/L lounge access for PLT/EXP) but OW rules stay in place..

I agree with your post...but would make the comment that BA could pull the pin on the lounge in T3. Would that put QF in a difficult position?

Surely BA will pull out of T3 altogether soon? Would that mean QF taking up the lounge(s)?

 

[ajw373]

How could BA "overrule" the OW agreement regarding OWS/OWE lounge access?
AFAIK, any OW airline can have rules for their own elites (think AA and no A/C or F/L lounge access for PLT/EXP) but OW rules stay in place..

Whilst OW status members can indeed access any OW lounge they like (provided the right status and flying on OW metal of course), in ports where an airline like Qantas operate to where they don't have their own lounge they enter into agreements with a lounge provider and feed their passengers into that lounge. Sometimes that is another OW airline sometimes a 3rd party provider. In LHR Qantas have an agreement with BA (and AA for Qantas Club members which is seperate to OW rules) and that is the lounge that Qantas 'advertise' as the LHR lounge, but of course passengers (excluding Qantas Club) if they so choose can access other OneWorld lounges under OW access rules.

The poster above was making reference to this more or less saying if the QF-BA agreement wasn't in place they would make an agreement with EK. However even if they did that Qantas passengers flying on QF2 and QF10 could still access the BA lounge, or the AA or CX lounges for that matter under OW access rules, but not so if on EK metal and QF flight number.

 

[EmilyHoward]

mmm looks that way doesn't it? I am doing a little gentle probing at the moment.

Tony, I'm sure we'd all like to know ...... Just who are you gently probing............ (at the moment) ??

EH

 

[TonyHancock]

Tony, I'm sure we'd all like to know ...... Just who are you gently probing............ (at the moment) ??

EH

Definitely not Griselda!

...but I can confirm, as has been stated in this thread previously by others, that J and F on QF metal from LHR does not get one access to the EK lounge.

 

[zachary.august]

How could BA "overrule" the OW agreement regarding OWS/OWE lounge access?
AFAIK, any OW airline can have rules for their own elites (think AA and no A/C or F/L lounge access for PLT/EXP) but OW rules stay in place..

I agree with your post...but would make the comment that BA could pull the pin on the lounge in T3. Would that put QF in a difficult position?

Surely BA will pull out of T3 altogether soon? Would that mean QF taking up the lounge(s)?

OW rules now exclude access based on class of travel so BA would stop allowing entrance to purely class entrance. The senior QF rep was also saying that QF has been looking at taking over the lounges from BA and branding them as just QF lounges along the lines of SYD or QF and EK taking over the lounges and joint branding them. But for now, EK is happy for QFs passengers to 'stay in their lounge' and BA is happy to keep getting paid.

 

[OATEK]

OW rules now exclude access based on class of travel so BA would stop allowing entrance to purely class entrance. The senior QF rep was also saying that QF has been looking at taking over the lounges from BA and branding them as just QF lounges along the lines of SYD or QF and EK taking over the lounges and joint branding them. But for now, EK is happy for QFs passengers to 'stay in their lounge' and BA is happy to keep getting paid.

So at this stage J class passengers would have access to BA Galleries, but that could change at the whim of BA?

 

[ajw373]

So at this stage J class passengers would have access to BA Galleries, but that could change at the whim of BA?

It took me several reads of his post to work out what he was saying. To answer your question the answer would be yes it could change at the whim of BA if said J passengers access was based soley on class and not on status. So for example J pax no OneWorld status the agreement is for the BA lounge no other OneWorld lounges. But a J pax with OneWorld status could use any (depending upon status of course) OneWorld louge.

 

[zachary.august]

So at this stage J class passengers would have access to BA Galleries, but that could change at the whim of BA?

Well, not at the whim of BA but yes. Currently, there is no agreement in place in LHR between QF/EK for F/J passengers.

There is an agreement that was separate to the JSA between BA/QF that is not due to expire for a few years that provides lounge access to F/J/WP/CL/SG/CL members into the BA lounges that is separate to OW. It provides specific funding schemes and the ability for QF to brand the lounges independently of BA to their passengers. With BA migrating all but one service to T5, QF is exploring taking over the Galleries lounges and rebranding them. Most likely as their own entity and not a JV with EK since QF view LHR as their flagship service and as such wants full branding rights to their ground services. They would then provide lounge services for any remaining BA services along with Finnair and Iberia. LHR is a unique port since QF isn't willing to simply give branding rights to EK.

 

[ajw373]

Well, not at the whim of BA but yes. Currently, there is no agreement in place in LHR between QF/EK for F/J passengers.

There is an agreement that was separate to the JSA between BA/QF that is not due to expire for a few years that provides lounge access to F/J/WP/CL/SG/CL members into the BA lounges that is separate to OW. It provides specific funding schemes and the ability for QF to brand the lounges independently of BA to their passengers. With BA migrating all but one service to T5, QF is exploring taking over the Galleries lounges and rebranding them. Most likely as their own entity and not a JV with EK since QF view LHR as their flagship service and as such wants full branding rights to their ground services. They would then provide lounge services for any remaining BA services along with Finnair and Iberia. LHR is a unique port since QF isn't willing to simply give branding rights to EK.

Are you talking about BA closing their FIRST lounge in T3 and then Qantas rebranding or BA closing both lounges? The reason I ask is it is not correct to say BA has one flight a day out of T3 as they still have short haul operating out of T3 with no plans that I know of to move in the near future, though yes BKK is the only long haul flight operated out of T3. Cannot see them not having a lounge in their own right if they have flights out of T3.

 

[Kangol]

OW rules now exclude access based on class of travel so BA would stop allowing entrance to purely class entrance. The senior QF rep was also saying that QF has been looking at taking over the lounges from BA and branding them as just QF lounges along the lines of SYD or QF and EK taking over the lounges and joint branding them. But for now, EK is happy for QFs passengers to 'stay in their lounge' and BA is happy to keep getting paid.

There is an agreement that was separate to the JSA between BA/QF that is not due to expire for a few years that provides lounge access to F/J/WP/CL/SG/CL members into the BA lounges that is separate to OW. It provides specific funding schemes and the ability for QF to brand the lounges independently of BA to their passengers.

So how would that fit in line with this?

I had no idea that the "OW COS rules for lounge access changed".

Lounge access - oneworld

oneworld lounge access for First Class or Business Class customers

Indulge yourself before departure in a wider range of airport lounges when you fly First Class or Business Class with any oneworld member airline.

• Customers flying First or Business Class have access to the equivalent class of lounge regardless of their frequent flyer status. First Class passengers may use a Business Class or frequent flyer lounge if a First Class lounge is not available.
• First Class passengers may invite one guest to join them in the lounge. The guest must also be travelling on a flight operated and marketed by a oneworld airline.
• Connecting between oneworld marketed and operated flights:
  • First and Business Class customers connecting on the same day of travel, or before 6am the following day, can access the lounge when travelling between an international long haul* and an international short haul or domestic flight (and vice-versa). (* a oneworld international long haul flight is defined as an international flight marketed and operated by any oneworld carrier with a scheduled flight time longer than 5 hours)
  • Lounge access will be determined on the international long haul ticketed flight (either First of Business Class) regardless of the ticketed class of travel on the international short haul or domestic flight.
  • You must be prepared to show your boarding pass or itinerary showing travel in First or Business class on the international long haul flight, in order to access the lounge before your international short haul or domestic flight.

So what you're saying is, the agreement relates to branding and not access..

 

[ajw373]

So how would that fit in line with this?

I had no idea that the "OW COS rules for lounge access changed".

Lounge access - oneworld


So what you're saying is, the agreement relates to branding and not access..

The rules changed about a year ago, however they changed TO what you wrote. zachary.august (and indeed myself until you reminded me with your post) were talking about the old rules where as a premium non status pax you could only use the airline provided by the airline you were flying with and not any other OneWorld lounge.

 

[ms1]

What are my lounge options as a qf wp flying out of LGW on a Qantas flight number but Emirates metal?

 

[Princess Fiona]

What are my lounge options as a qf wp flying out of LGW on a Qantas flight number but Emirates metal?

You should have access to the EK Lounge at LGW
http://www.ausbt.com.au/london-gatwick-qantas-new-business-traveller-alternative-to-heathrow

 

[ms1]

Thanks Fiona. I'll get in touch with QF to see if they can change my flight so I can depart out of LHR on a QF A380 instead of the Emirates 777. That way I can use the BA first lounge.

 

[Jobu]

I've used both EK and BA lounges in T3 Heathrow many times.

They are both good and I wouldn't get hung up between the 2.

EK lounge has a much better buffet and you can board EK flight directly from the lounge which is convenient.

BA lounge has some a la carte.

If you are flying QF metal and flight number, you cannot use EK lounge unless you are in First or CL member. P1, WP and Business class are not allowed in otherwise (EK do not seem to recognize P1). They do have a list of F and CL pax on QF flights which they check you off against when you enter the lounge and will call the flight boarding if they have QF pax in the lounge.