Bad experience with REX Business

[Humbaobao]

I wanted to share my experience on REX business on my flight from SYD-MEL.
On 4/03/2021, I have booked my return SYD-MEL flight ZL121 scheduled to depart at 1430hrs. I arrived at the Sydney REX lounge at 1350hrs and the service staff manning at the reception denied my access. She has asked me to go to the boarding gate as the boarding will commence soon. Boarding time on my ticket show 1410hrs, which means I have at least 15 minutes in the lounge and 5 minutes to proceed to the gate. I asked her a couple of times about this and she still refuses to let me access the lounge. No choice but have to proceed and wait patiently at the boarding gate area. Boarding was eventually delayed which mean I could have time to rest in the lounge.
Before my travel, I have also called their office to that I have a dietary requirement which I cannot have dairy products. The meal offered on the flight was cheese platter or ricotta tart. Without any other choices, I was offered bread and butter. How can they get this wrong when I was the only business class passenger on that flight.
The above two incidents make me feel like I'm paying a business class fare but getting an economy product.

 

[AIRwin]

Have you submitted a complaint?

Feedback/Request Form

 

[Humbaobao]

Have you submitted a complaint?

Feedback/Request Form

Yes, the very next day and no reply from them.

 

[Daver6]

Sounds like they've hired some ex-QF lounge dragons.

 

[AIRwin]

In such a situation, would a Rex business class traveller be able to tailgate someone into the lounge or wait for the door to be opened by someone exiting?

 

[jakeseven7]

Sounds like some fired VA1 lounge dragons have made their way over to Rexy with the aircraft they stole from VA1!

But seriously, appalling service from Rex.

 

[Mattg]

Yes, the very next day and no reply from them.

I was on the inbound flight from MEL that day (ZL102 on 4/3/21). The flight ran late and by 13:50 I think they only would have just finished (or were still) disembarking passengers from the previous flight. There's no reason why you should have been denied entry to the lounge IMHO.

FWIW, there were also some catering issues in business class on my flight (not as serious as yours). The crew (who would have been the same crew that operated your flight) encouraged me to write to Rex to give them feedback. "They're very receptive to feedback," the cabin manager told me. As you haven't received a response after a week, I'm doubtful.

Lucky you didn't try complaining to Rex on Facebook - they would have promptly deleted your comment!

 

[Melburnian1]

In such a situation, would a Rex business class traveller be able to tailgate someone into the lounge or wait for the door to be opened by someone exiting?

The Rex lounges are far smaller than its two competitors, and fewer passengers use a Rex lounge, so a 'tailgater' would stand out like the proverbial I'd suggest.

 

[Humbaobao]

The Rex lounges are far smaller than its two competitors, and fewer passengers use a Rex lounge, so a 'tailgater' would stand out like the proverbial I'd suggest.

I agreed with you that the REX lounges are far smaller than its two competitors, but still I should have entitled to access them when I've paid for a business class ticket.

 

[drron]

I hope you got priority boarding.

 

[cove]

Be nice as we are shareholders......We have had them since the company listed on the ASX. They have done better than Virgin which crashed and burned. The new Virgin is not listed.

 

[Daver6]

FWIW, there were also some catering issues in business class on my flight (not as serious as yours). The crew (who would have been the same crew that operated your flight) encouraged me to write to Rex to give them feedback. "They're very receptive to feedback," the cabin manager told me. As you haven't received a response after a week, I'm doubtful.

Also an easy thing for the cabin manager to say to you get off his case and make it someone else's problem.

 

[PineappleSkip]

"They're very receptive to feedback," the cabin manager told me.

Is this receptive as in receive and delete? They are starting to sound like the Fawlty Towers of airlines.

Cheers skip

 

[dajop]

Gone are the days of publicly shaming a company on Facebook. Far better to use Facebook Messenger to contact them privately.

 

[twiningb]

Gone are the days of publicly shaming a company on Facebook....

That's what Twitter is for!

 

[TheInsider]

Didn't know that Rex offered meal dietary requests.

 

[jb747]

I agreed with you that the REX lounges are far smaller than its two competitors, but still I should have entitled to access them when I've paid for a business class ticket.

I thought that the Rex lounges were purely by membership, and not ticket class. Goodness, if any riff raff who are travelling business can access it, then it wouldn’t be worth the membership.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I thought that the Rex lounges were purely by membership, and not ticket class. Goodness, if any riff raff who are travelling business can access it, then it wouldn’t be worth the membership.

$299 MEL-SYD and vv. Hot meal. Drinks. Priority baggage. Lounge access. Fully refundable for free if swapping for travel credit, or $33 charge to have the fare refunded in cash. Right up until midnight before the day of departure.

On paper... the competition should be left for dust. But it seems the allure of salt and pepper squid in the QF first class lounge wins every time

 

[AIRwin]

I thought that the Rex lounges were purely by membership, and not ticket class. Goodness, if any riff raff who are travelling business can access it, then it wouldn’t be worth the membership.

In addition to membership and ticket class, there is also casual access and Priority Pass:

Lounge Benefit

 

[jb747]

In addition to membership and ticket class, there is also casual access and Priority Pass:

Yes, I recall when they started letting Priority Pass in. Suddenly much more crowded, to the point of not being able to get in, with people who were not even flying Rex. I hated them!