Single Lounge Passes are back

[aupirate]

So VA plat now have to pay for a guest in the Koru Lounge? SWMBO heading BNE - AKL in March we have always used the lounge especially the AKL one for an early breakfast on they way home. Not happy to have to pay for my guest.

 

[straitman]

QP is more expensive to start with ($370 + $485/pa).

AFF Gold members can join QP for $230 plus $400 pa ($709.99 for 2 yrs) so not quite as bad as it initially seems.

 

[smit0847]

FWIW that's about the going rate for a two hour coughtail party at most hotels in terms of a beverage package with finger food, house wine and beer only.

I wouldn't compare a VA dom lounge with a coughtail party at a hotel!!

As others have said, I don't see any value in wasting on 10,000 points on a hot dog and a beer but its good if it means less crowding in the lounges.

 

[quick_dry]

I was recently in New Zealand, gained entry to the Air NZ lounge in Queenstown as a VA plat (which was great) and had to pay NZD $25 for an additional guest, which I thought was reasonable.

did you mean in addition to the 3 free guests i.e. to bring a fourth guest in to the lounge? or just to bring you plus a single guest in?

"Air New Zealand owned and operated domestic and international lounges**
You and a guest on presentation of membership card and boarding pass for same day departure on Air New Zealand.

Platinum members are entitled to 3 guests when travelling on Trans-Tasman and domestic New Zealand services. "

 

[markis10]

I wouldn't compare a VA dom lounge with a coughtail party at a hotel!!.

My quote was in reference to the food and beverage costs only, not room hire etc, and in some cases the food is more substantial at the lounge, IE cucumber sandwiches and crisps for one venue :shock:

 

[moa999]

Agree 10,000 points is a bit rich,

particularly when you can upgrade a flexi to business for 4,900 points
or a SYD-MEL business soneway is 13,800 points plus $21.

 

[stusxr5]

Agree 10,000 points is a bit rich,

particularly when you can upgrade a flexi to business for 4,900 points
or a SYD-MEL business soneway is 13,800 points plus $21.

As moa999 points out, there are much better options that spending $65 or 10,000 pts. Internationally it might be worth while on a return leg if you needed a shower...

 

[AdMEL]

Agree 10,000 points is a bit rich,

particularly when you can upgrade a flexi to business for 4,900 points
or a SYD-MEL business soneway is 13,800 points plus $21.

Good way to look at it!

Effectively, for an extra 3,800 points + $21, you get a business class flight worth $559! (Or at worst, $299 during a sale).

Using that calculation, which equates to 3.9c/pt, the $65 lounge pass should cost 1,667 pts!

 

[toowongman]

Naturally most of us around here scoff at burning 10k points for a lounge pass. However for the infrequent flyer who managed to scrape it up over a few years, it gives them a ticket to 'behind those doors' that they thought would be outside the realm of their travels. Plus it might encourage them to focus more on VA. And wipes out more points liability for VFF.

 

[markis10]

Naturally most of us around here scoff at burning 10k points for a lounge pass. However for the infrequent flyer who managed to scrape it up over a few years, it gives them a ticket to 'behind those doors' that they thought would be outside the realm of their travels. Plus it might encourage them to focus more on VA. And wipes out more points liability for VFF.

Good points, auto rewards with QFF would be a similar use of points where value is bad but many punters would still go for.

 

[grubbidok]

My guess is that this is aimed at larger parties. I've sometimes stayed outside the lounge when I've been with a group as they (or I) were non-status and we were just over the limit and the beers and food for all of us cost a lot more than $65. $65 isn't too much when it means you don't have to split the group.

Interesting conversion though. I'd pay the $65 over 10,000 points any day. Appears to undervalue the points considerably in my view.

The more concerning thing for me, is that now this option exists the lounge angels may be less likely to 'let one more in to the lounge' like they occasionally used to when I had two guests as SG (which admittedly, isn't so much of a problem now I'm WP).

 

[R36snowbound]

So VA plat now have to pay for a guest in the Koru Lounge? SWMBO heading BNE - AKL in March we have always used the lounge especially the AKL one for an early breakfast on they way home. Not happy to have to pay for my guest.

Sorry aupirate, I should have elaborated further, I was travelling with Mrs R36 and her mother. Mrs R36 and I got in for free, but I had to pay with for the mother in law to gain entry.......... I could not leave her out in the main hall, or could I????

The point I was wanting to make was that I think paying $25 for lounge access is fair and reasonable, probably would have been happy to pay $35 but I think $65 is a bit steep.

Enjoy NZ.

 

[serfty]

NZ restrict the number of guests even for their top level "Elite" members at ZQN to one - I suspect they applied the same restriction to VA WP.¹

Benefits at the Airport - Frequent Flyer Benefits - Airpoints - Air New Zealand - Australia Site

Elite members enjoy the same lounge privileges as Gold members, with the additional right to bring up to five guests (subject to space) into Koru and Air New Zealand International Lounges or one guest into regional or Star Alliance lounges.

¹ (As an "Elite" I can have up to 5 guests at, say, AKL or as a VA WP, it's three Guests).

 

[Kieran2274]

AFF Gold members can join QP for $230 plus $400 pa ($709.99 for 2 yrs) so not quite as bad as it initially seems.

I'm pretty relaxed about airline spend, but I find it hard to justify paying for QP or VA lounge membership.

I took out QP once in 1999, only to earn Gold halfway through the membership year, and it wasn't until 2012 that the remainder of my one-off QP membership started to run the clock again (so really I shouldn't have bothered). It just strikes me that you should either use the money to earn Gold (if you travel regularly), or just travel in J instead.

And given that most major airports now have decent F&B airside, even if you did neither of the above, you could use the fee to buy better quality food and beverage than you could otherwise acquire in the J lounge (the only time you might come out short, is if you were flying frequently, in which case getting Gold remains the best option).

In my view, domestic Lounges only make sense if you get them for 'free' anyway (part of your ticket, or part of your status benefit).

**Although single visit passes if at $10-20 are alright (that seems to me the notional value of these things)

 

[TomVexille]

10,000 seems steep to me. And personally I wouldn't be paying $65 for less than 2 hours either.

 

[aupirate]

Sorry aupirate, I should have elaborated further, I was travelling with Mrs R36 and her mother. Mrs R36 and I got in for free, but I had to pay with for the mother in law to gain entry.......... I could not leave her out in the main hall, or could I????

The point I was wanting to make was that I think paying $25 for lounge access is fair and reasonable, probably would have been happy to pay $35 but I think $65 is a bit steep.

Enjoy NZ.

Cheers SWMBO likes her green tea pre takeoff in the koru lounge! Thanks for the claification much appreciated.

 

[k3nnis]

Does this lounge entry pass allow access to international lounges? or just domestic?

 

[Fruitcake]

Does this lounge entry pass allow access to international lounges? or just domestic?

VA does not have any international lounges.

 

[k3nnis]

Thanks was thinking of LAX but I think they use the *A lounge there...

 

[Fruitcake]

Thanks was thinking of LAX but I think they use the *A lounge there...

That's right - the only overseas lounge that has had the VA name attached to it was the "VA temporary lounge facility" in LAX T3, before it was reborn as the VX Loft.

Ah, I have found that on the VA lounge website it says passes "Available for domestic lounges only and does not include partner or international lounges."

NZ will sell you access at the door to Koru Clubs in Australia and NZ when flying VA - but I don't think that's the case in other ports.