Accessing QF clubs with Admirals club membership

[IADCAflyer]

Not sure if this should be posted here in the QF forum or in AA....but.....

Am taking the family on a big anniversary trip for the wife - 10 days in New Zealand and 5 days in Australia. I am a US Airways Gold member which makes me OneWorld Sapphire. The wife has no status nor do the kids who are 11 and 9 in age.

We're flying DCA-LAX-SYD-AKL on the outbound and am returning AKL-BNE and then BNE-LAX-DCA.

I also have an Admirals Club membership. We're travelling in Coach on this trip and have already got seat assignments 32AB and 33AB on the A380 to SYD.

I know that I will have access to the Admirals Club at LAX. Can I access the QF International lounge with my Admirals Club membership and how many guests can I bring in (remembering that two passengers are minor)?

Can I access the QF lounge in T1 at SYD with my Admirals Club membership and how many guests can I bring in (remembering again that two passengers are minors)?

Finally, assuming I cannot bring more than one guest into the T1 club at SYD, is it possible to go to the T3 lounge? In doing so, do I have to go through Customs/Immigration and is it possible to do this on a 3.5 hour connection?

Tnx in advance

 

[straitman]

I am not sure but suspect that your Admiral Club membership will be of no use.

Your OW Sapphire will let you in though. Off the top of my head (I'm not in a position to look at the moment) you can guest 1 adult and the kids (minors) should be fine.

 

[nonpop]

OneWorld Sapphire ... you'd be fine in the QF international business lounge. You can guest your +1 and then your kids will be fine.
If you do get grief, then pop out your Admirals club card as QF & AA have reciprocal rights.
Don't stress you'll be all good either way as you more than enough air-cover for access as you are flying QF and using QF lounges.

I would not be attempting to go to the domestic lounge as the international is better IMHO plus you'd be wasting a lot of time.

Enjoy the trip. Australia and New Zealand should be a lot of fun.

Edit: Ok agree the Admirals club may not be official at T1, but personal experience when we've had a group of our US people out has shown they've all had success where they had no status but only the Admirals club card and flying QF.

 

[mannej]

Admirals membership does permit access to the QP's in Australia (they do not list SYD T1 and I assume the other intl J-Lounges either).
I am not sure if this is an oversight, but there are threads on here relating to the AA 30 day memberships that may be able to help.
FWIW, QF are generally quite generous when it comes to permitting family members under the age of 18. I am aware they do have a written policy on this, but not sure if this is for OW elites or QF elites/QP members only.

 

[IADCAflyer]

Thanks for the info so far. While I am very much looking forward to Australia and New Zealand, I am very much not looking forward to getting there - other than this is my first hop on the A380. When I do international business trips, its almost always in Business, but I simply could not justify spending close to US$40,000 to fly there and back. I could get a new car for that price.

I am hoping that the QF agent's advice of 32AB and 33AB is sound....

 

[mannej]

I think the upper deck is the way to go if you can. I didn't have any issues with 32AB apart from the overhead storage, but there are others who don't find it that great.
I would suggest early boarding due to the storage, but the side bins do help.

It doesn't compare with Business, but I don't know of any economy product that does.

 

[gizzard]

This thread may be of use:
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....advantage/aas-admirals-club-30-day-37926.html

 

[timster]

And this one:
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....am/admirals-club-30-day-membership-32556.html

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

I second the thought about NOT going to T3 at SYD airport.
If not being Aust Citizens, you would all need transit visas, just to go to T3 for those few hours, and rush back for the flight from SYD to AKL?
Sitting in the J QPi for the few hrs is not so bad. They have a play area, "bathrooms on site", computers to use, etc.
4.5 hrs to rush to SYD dom and rush back to SYD int even with the QF inter terminal bus can take up precious time. Esp at busy times, when the bus is packed!

 

[dajop]

There is no need to look at any of the threads about Admirals Club access to lounges, that's just leading you down the proverbial garden path. Your OW Sapphire status is all you need to get in, and as others have indicated QF will allow children into the lounges they operate, as per policy:

Qantas Lounges welcome you when travelling together with your family. In addition to your normal guest allowance you may also bring up to two children, between ages 4 and 17, into lounges operated by Qantas. Children aged 3 years or under are not counted as guests for the purpose of determining the number of guests of the member. If you are travelling with more than two children, the Qantas lounge manager will try to accommodate them, subject to reviewing the space available in the lounge.