Galleries access... NOT quite 'reinstated'?

[MEL_Traveller]

just seen posted on FT... according to the BA website, qantas club member can only access galleries lounges at LHR in advance of a qf or BA operated flight to selected Asian destinations... OR if you are immediately connecting from a long haul flight operated by BA/Qf from selected Asian destinations and connecting on with BA.

NO lounge access starting in London for European or any other routes (including USA).

 

[moa999]

The source referred to is a BA website:

British Airways' Speedbird Club: QF Club members - access to BA Galleries Club lounges

 

[ozmille]

so the issue seems not to be fixed after all

 

[Danger]

It's not even close to being fixed.

I can't directly quote the original post by Red Roo as the thread is closed but it is:

Hi All,

Really sorry for all the inconvenience that the BA lounge access issue has caused. I would have liked to have been able to update you sooner but we have been working to get a resolution.

So, I can now (very happily) report that access to BA lounges including Galleries, Terraces and Executive Club lounges has been reinstated for Qantas Club members. This will be effective from Tuesday 31 January.

For further details on lounge access visit qantas.com/loungeaccess

Cheers,
Red Roo


​

The information on the BA website is extremely limited. Apart from minimal access at T5, it is clear that access to other BA Galleries lounges is not included, despite a very clear statement from Red Roo to the contrary.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

It's not even close to being fixed.

I can't directly quote the original post by Red Roo as the thread is closed but it is:

Hi All,

Really sorry for all the inconvenience that the BA lounge access issue has caused. I would have liked to have been able to update you sooner but we have been working to get a resolution.

So, I can now (very happily) report that access to BA lounges including Galleries, Terraces and Executive Club lounges has been reinstated for Qantas Club members. This will be effective from Tuesday 31 January.

For further details on lounge access visit qantas.com/loungeaccess

Cheers,
Red Roo


​

The information on the BA website is extremely limited. Apart from minimal access at T5, it is clear that access to other BA Galleries lounges is not included, despite a very clear statement from Red Roo to the contrary.

which seems to indicate that 'we' only meant qantas as a whole, not red roo personally. if RR had been involved then they would have known about this potential limitation.

maybe BA has got it wrong.

 

[The Rok]

QF have no control over how often or how speedily BA update their website. So this issue is really a non starter.

Does anyone have first hand experience of being refused access since 31st January or is this all about what a website says?

 

[bcworld]

QF have no control over how often or how speedily BA update their website. So this issue is really a non starter.

Does anyone have first hand experience of being refused access since 31st January or is this all about what a website says?

Well it seems a bit of a coincidence that this item was added on 02Feb12 describing lounge access rules for QC "with immediate effect" if it wasn't related to this whole situation and the outcome of their negotiations.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

QF have no control over how often or how speedily BA update their website. So this issue is really a non starter.

Does anyone have first hand experience of being refused access since 31st January or is this all about what a website says?

not sure what you mean. the BA page was dated 2 February and states it is effective immediately. this would seem to be their new policy.

 

[Danger]

QF have no control over how often or how speedily BA update their website. So this issue is really a non starter.

Does anyone have first hand experience of being refused access since 31st January or is this all about what a website says?

I'm sorry, I don't understand your point. No disrespect or antagonising intended but what is your point?

What else do we have to rely on but a website? We can't rely on a "he said, she said" situation. It's certainly no help telling a lounge agent "But I was allowed in here last week" or "My Mother-in-Law got access a month ago, why can't I" or "The Qantas phone agent/check-in agent/baggage boy said I would have access". It needs to be in writing (such as the website), hence the reason we've all been waiting anxiously for QF to update their website - then we'd have something concrete to argue with if rejected.

 

[ozmille]

QF have no control over how often or how speedily BA update their website. So this issue is really a non starter.

Does anyone have first hand experience of being refused access since 31st January or is this all about what a website says?

On that BA web page it says that it is effective 02 Feb 2012

 

[scwappy]

Had purchased two BA flights between FCO-LHR-EDI after to the reinstatement and confirmation regarding access, only to find out know its not the case. Not happy :evil:. Another reason to never give Qantas another red cent for blatantly misinforming their customers.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Had purchased two BA flights between FCO-LHR-EDI after to the reinstatement and confirmation regarding access, only to find out know its not the case. Not happy :evil:. Another reason to never give Qantas another red cent for blatantly misinforming their customers.

I hope qantas doesn't come back with the argument that they have reinstated galleries access at heathrow and that was all that was ever intended... ANY reading of the extended thread made it very clear that galleries Lou ges were now in outposts not just heathrow.

 

[The Rok]

Hold on a second turbo, maybe I am reading this incorrectly, I have gone back and reread the OP just to make sure, but as I see it a QC member arriving into LHR from a QF or BA flight now has access to the Galleries lounge so long as connecting to another BA European flight, correct? So what is the issue?

Arriving from Australia and connecting to ANY BA flight? I do not see what the issue is?

If the issue is that you want access to BA lounges when not arriving on a BA or QF flight then I think that is a bit unreasonable. Do you think that you should be allowed to arrive into LHR on a Emirates flight and then connect onto a BA flight intra Europe and then be allowed Galleries access?

Waiting for a certain individual to jump in here to argue against this point at any time, he usually does.

 

[FrankC]

QF have no control over how often or how speedily BA update their website. So this issue is really a non starter.

Does anyone have first hand experience of being refused access since 31st January or is this all about what a website says?

It would help if QF update their website?
Eligibility and Access to The Qantas Club lounges

In addition to Qantas Club lounges, you can relax in British Airways lounges (Terraces and Executive Club lounges) and American Airlines​

[SUP]®[/SUP]

Admirals Club lounges.

​

Still no mention of this 'new enhancement'

Cheers​

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hold on a second turbo, maybe I am reading this incorrectly, I have gone back and reread the OP just to make sure, but as I see it a QC member arriving into LHR from a QF or BA flight now has access to the Galleries lounge so long as connecting to another BA European flight, correct? So what is the issue?

Arriving from Australia and connecting to ANY BA flight? I do not see what the issue is?

If the issue is that you want access to BA lounges when not arriving on a BA or QF flight then I think that is a bit unreasonable. Do you think that you should be allowed to arrive into LHR on a Emirates flight and then connect onto a BA flight intra Europe and then be allowed Galleries access?

Waiting for a certain individual to jump in here to argue against this point at any time, he usually does.

absolutely, yes. that is when we want access. what if you are stopping over in London for a week before continuing your journey? then according to the rules there might not be any lounge access.

we have always had the ability to access lounges, regardless of how we arrived in the uk.

let's just suppose for one minute that they hadn't renamed the lounges. you would be perfectly happy if the lounge access was 'enhanced' to only allow it on connecting flights?

there is a financial advantage to BA in allowing access. a) BA gets the revenue from any ticket b) they get the revenue from lounge access.

under the new rules if you begin your return flight to Australia from Munich, Amsterdam or Milan... no access to the galleries club before departure.

 

[scwappy]

Hold on a second turbo, maybe I am reading this incorrectly, I have gone back and reread the OP just to make sure, but as I see it a QC member arriving into LHR from a QF or BA flight now has access to the Galleries lounge so long as connecting to another BA European flight, correct? So what is the issue?

Arriving from Australia and connecting to ANY BA flight? I do not see what the issue is?

If the issue is that you want access to BA lounges when not arriving on a BA or QF flight then I think that is a bit unreasonable. Do you think that you should be allowed to arrive into LHR on a Emirates flight and then connect onto a BA flight intra Europe and then be allowed Galleries access?

Waiting for a certain individual to jump in here to argue against this point at any time, he usually does.

I do yes. That is what I paid good money for, and haven't been notified by QF that the benefits have changed.

 

[FrankC]

If the issue is that you want access to BA lounges when not arriving on a BA or QF flight then I think that is a bit unreasonable. Do you think that you should be allowed to arrive into LHR on a Emirates flight and then connect onto a BA flight intra Europe and then be allowed Galleries access?

Does that mean I also should not expect access if I want to do a stop over in London before travelling to other European cities (arriving on QF and leaving on BA)

 

[Danger]

Hold on a second turbo, maybe I am reading this incorrectly, I have gone back and reread the OP just to make sure, but as I see it a QC member arriving into LHR from a QF or BA flight now has access to the Galleries lounge so long as connecting to another BA European flight, correct? So what is the issue?

Arriving from Australia and connecting to ANY BA flight? I do not see what the issue is?

If the issue is that you want access to BA lounges when not arriving on a BA or QF flight then I think that is a bit unreasonable. Do you think that you should be allowed to arrive into LHR on a Emirates flight and then connect onto a BA flight intra Europe and then be allowed Galleries access?

Waiting for a certain individual to jump in here to argue against this point at any time, he usually does.

MEL_Traveller and scwappy outline it perfectly.

absolutely, yes. that is when we want access. what if you are stopping over in London for a week before continuing your journey? then according to the rules there might not be any lounge access.

we have always had the ability to access lounges, regardless of how we arrived in the uk.

let's just suppose for one minute that they hadn't renamed the lounges. you would be perfectly happy if the lounge access was 'enhanced' to only allow it on connecting flights?

there is a financial advantage to BA in allowing access. a) BA gets the revenue from any ticket b) they get the revenue from lounge access.

under the new rules if you begin your return flight to Australia from Munich, Amsterdam or Milan... no access to the galleries club before departure.

I do yes. That is what I paid good money for, and haven't been notified by QF that the benefits have changed.

There are two additional points I'd like to make, First, your Emirates example. If the original deal was access to BA, AA and EK lounges (as it was for AA and BA when purchasing Qantas Club memersbip) then, yes, I'd want access to EK lounges too. This is about there allegedly being no change to Qantas Club lounge access entitlements, evidenced by Red Roo's use of the word "reinstated" rather than something like 'will now include'. Second, Red Roo's statement in the previous thread said Galleries lounges. Period. Not Galleries lounge LHR T5.

 

[pagingjoan]

<....under the new rules if you begin your return flight to Australia from Munich, Amsterdam or Milan... no access to the galleries club before departure.

Do you mean, if you begin in Munich, Amsterdam or Milan and transit LHR?
If that's the case, access would seem to be permitted.
According to the BA website:

Eligibility as follows:

• QF Club members plus 1 guest travelling together on any BA or QF operated flight LHR to: BKK, HKG, MEL, SIN or SYD

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Do you mean, if you begin in Munich, Amsterdam or Milan and transit LHR?
If that's the case, access would seem to be permitted.
According to the BA website:

Eligibility as follows:

• QF Club members plus 1 guest travelling together on any BA or QF operated flight LHR to: BKK, HKG, MEL, SIN or SYD

the BA site only allows access at heathrow galleries lounges. so while you are in transit to Asia that's fine. but you will not get access at Amsterdam, Munich or Milan airport while waiting to fly to London. those galleries lounges are not covered.

if you are flying Munich to London to new York... no access at Munich or London!! (or even new york on your way back).