Amex with lounge access

[Jama]

I noticed that Amex are offering lounge entry passes with Gold and Platinum cards. Why on earth would VA give them this option when the lounges are already bursting with status members ?

 

[ftm]

They offer it to attract people to choose VA over QF. If someone has an Amex with complimentary lounge access for VA and have the choice between similarly priced QF or VA fares, then it might encourage them to go VA.

QF lounges have been packed to over flowing for a long time, so JB is just doing the same thing at VA!

 

[oz_mark]

ISTR, it was introduced shortly after they stopped accepting the Priority Pass card at The Lounge. Presumably it was regarded as some sort of replacement for that...

 

[dandandan]

It's 2 single entry passes, so it's hardly going to make a huge impact.

I noticed that Amex are offering lounge entry passes with Gold and Platinum cards. Why on earth would VA give them this option when the lounges are already bursting with status members ?

 

[Demonoid]

I noticed that Amex are offering lounge entry passes with Gold and Platinum cards. Why on earth would VA give them this option when the lounges are already bursting with status members ?

As far as I know, it is only for the Amex Platinum charge card. This is the $900 flagship of the Amex range (not including the centurion (black) card of course). I would assume most Amex platinum charge card holders would have Gold or higher status with either Virgin or Qantas (I have with Virgin), so perhaps, as ftm says, it is to try and convince some high spending Qantas customers to come over. I do not find the lounges too overcrowded I must say - usually only when there is a bad weather event or something else that forces many airlines to cancel/delay flights.

 

[JetSetting88]

I got it on the Amex Platinum w/ 50k bonus pts (349$ annual). Pretty pointless as i'm already platinum though.

 

[k3nnis]

I think the virgin plat Amex comes with the 2 single entry passes while the plat charge has unlimited entries. Also I have the plat charge but don't hold status for both QF and VA.

 

[samas]

I got it on the Amex Platinum w/ 50k bonus pts (349$ annual). Pretty pointless as i'm already platinum though.

Well one time you might like to guest your 3 people as a plat and an additional 2 with the passes

 

[Jack_OC]

As far as I know, it is only for the Amex Platinum charge card. This is the $900 flagship of the Amex range (not including the centurion (black) card of course). I would assume most Amex platinum charge card holders would have Gold or higher status with either Virgin or Qantas (I have with Virgin)

Why would you assume that? Not everyone who has a high income does lots of air travel, and even some who do a lot of air travel won't have Gold status with either QFF or VA. eg someone who flies MEL-SYD rtn 30 times a year in Y with QF wouldn't get to gold. And someone who does that every week but splits between different airlines might still not get to Gold. And then there are people who do lots of international travel but all with different airlines or all on *A or whatever.

 

[LuisT]

Why would you assume that? Not everyone who has a high income does lots of air travel, and even some who do a lot of air travel won't have Gold status with either QFF or VA. eg someone who flies MEL-SYD rtn 30 times a year in Y with QF wouldn't get to gold. And someone who does that every week but splits between different airlines might still not get to Gold. And then there are people who do lots of international travel but all with different airlines or all on *A or whatever.

The plat charge also comes with Marco Polo status, enabling lounge entry with Qantas.

 

[Jack_OC]

The plat charge also comes with Marco Polo status, enabling lounge entry with Qantas.

Good point. So the guest passes for the VA lounge are at best going to tempt someone to give VA a try on the grounds that they would not miss out on lounge access either way.

Anyway, I was really just saying that it's easy to assume from reading this forum that most people with a decent job have elite FF status, but I don't think that's the reality. I know a lot of well paid people who definitely would not have status with any FF programme. In fact, one of the perceived benefits of moving up the ladder in my field is that you don't have to travel as much, so there would be no correlation between qualifying for an Amex Plat Charge and the likelihood of having QF or VA elite status.

Getting back on topic, I agree with the comment that these passes would have a negligible impact on how crowded the VA lounges get, and in my experience that's not (yet) a huge problem with VA anyway.

 

[samas]

I'm assuming these Amex lounge passes do not come with priority check-in, boarding etc.. there would be no way to verify it at boarding.

At Perth last week boarding a flight to Sydney the lady in front of me was quizzed about using the Priority Boarding at the gate by the VA staffer and was going to tell her to wait with the general pax. She said she was entitled to it as an Amex customer to which the VA staffer told her to make sure she adds her VFF number to her next booking rather than create an upset at the gate.

 

[Jama]

She said she was entitled to it as an Amex customer...

That's a new one.

 

[Mal]

That's a new one.

She doesn't know who she is. Lmao.