LHR Concorde Room after QF First?

[qf unfort]

Hi All, I've searched this board but can't find the answer and i've also posted the Q on another forum (with no response), but hoping you guys will be the fountian of knowledge as usual...

If I arrive in LHR on QF first (QF ticket and metal) then connect to BA (domestic) can I use the Concorde room in T5? Happy with the Galleries First of course, but posts elsewhere suggests this may be allowed under the JSA rules? Is this just wishful thinking?

When i arrived in LHR a year after T5 opened, I was told "no" and have never bothered asking again since, but have the rules changed?
Thanks.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I believe Concorde was for BA F only?

 

[dot]

Sprucegoose is correct - Concorde room is for BA F pax only and since you BA flight wont have F, you wont be allowed in.

 

[Traveller F]

Rules here, rules there...My wife and I offen fly on a Qantas flight (not code share) in F to LHR T3 and transfer to a BA flight in T5 and always use the Concorde room in my own personel experience without a problem (last visit in December). You just show your inbound first class boarding pass Perhaps the goal posts have moved once again, I will find out in in June!

Kind regards, Traveller F

 

[dot]

Rules here, rules there...My wife and I often fly on a Qantas flight (not code share) in F to LHR T3 and transfer to a BA flight in T5 and always use the Concorde room in my own personal experience without a problem (last visit in December). You just show your inbound first class boarding pass Perhaps the goal posts have moved once again, I will find out in in June!

Kind regards, Traveller F

Is that with a Y only onward flight out of T5? (I know BA sell J seats on domestic flights, but the flights are all Y) There is no F on those BA domestic flights.

 

[Traveller F]

Dot

It was always with a BA J ticket to a European destination.

Kind regards, Traveller F

 

[JohnM]

This has always been a little problematic. BA lounge dragons are not the most accommodating creatures.

I have forced the issue after coming into LHR in F on QF metal and onwards in BA J using the below printed from oneworld - Lounge Access.

(Note my highlighting of 'any'. There is no mention of the Concorde lounge as something 'separate' from any other lounge.)

Make sure you take a printout of this page and be prepared to stick to your guns .

I didn't try it last year after coming in J as the flight had been delayed and we were pushing to get a shower before connecting (but I was prepared with the printout).

Any legal eagles out there who can interpret the lingo in the statement? I took it literally and argued. The dragon gave up.

Mind you, the food in the Concorde lounge dining room is nowhere near the standard of the QF F lounges in SYD & MEL but if you want to play games/prove a point, then go for it . You'll also need to know your Champagnes as there is no self-service .

Lounge Access by Tier Status

Emerald: When travelling on any of the oneworld member airlines, any customer who has earned Emerald tier status, is welcome (with one guest travelling on a flight operated and marketed by a oneworld airline) at any oneworld airlines' pre-flight lounges, including First Class, Business Class and frequent flyer lounges regardless of the class they are travelling in.
Sapphire: When travelling on any oneworld member airline, any customer with Sapphire tier status is welcome (with one guest travelling on a flight operated and marketed by a oneworld airline) at any oneworld airlines' pre-flight Business Class and frequent flyer lounges regardless of class of travel.

 

[Mal]

Officially the rule has been (and I don't believe it has changed ... but welcome any correction) that you cannot access the Concorde Room in T5 unless:
- You are departing in BA F from T5.
- You arrived into LHR on BA F, and have a BA onwards flight.
- You are a BA Prem member (ie their version of Qantas CL)
- You have a Concorde Room access card. (can be earnt through SC earn, can be given based on historical Concorde usage!)
- You are a Qantas CL (but not 100% on the rules around this).

Exceptions can occur at any time - the lounge agents are often very confused about access rights (and due to staff rotation, they don't all have the same levels of knowledge).

 

[arrow]

My understanding (and I have asked some questions on this very issue previously on AFF) is that under JSA BA and QF attempt to make you indifferent to traveling on the other on the Kangaroo route (Aust to UK).

When the Concorde Room was in T4 and both QF and BA flights to Aust departed from there, as a QF F customer you could use the CCR. However now that it has moved from T4 to T5 and now no QF flights depart from that terminal its not as clear.

Technically if you are flying from Aust the JSA should kick-in and you should be granted access to the CCR on the basis that if you had flown in on BA (inbound) you would have been given access.

In terms of JohnM's comment, I think the CCR is specifcally carved out of the OW agreement.

 

[anat0l]

The official standing is that the Concorde Room is not a First Lounge as such. It is not an official oneworld lounge either, so it never comes under any oneworld agreement, and BA are therefore free to decide who can go in or not. As it turns out, if you fly BA F in or out of LHR then you are entitled to use the CCR.

I flew into LHR on QF F and was leaving in BA CE, and I didn't get access. Admittedly you'd think all the dragons would know for sure whether I could go in or not, but the GF dragon wasn't sure so we went together to ask the CCR dragon who reaffirmed the answer was 'no'. YMMV but in one case it also seems one simply decided to wear out the dragon (and the dragon refused to flex muscle).

So in summary, the CCR is not an official oneworld F lounge.

 

[arrow]

Which comes back to the the fundamental question, that while the CCR is not a Oneworld lounge - does it come under the JSA between QF and BA - hence allow QF F to use it?

 

[docjames]

What happens if you ticket through QF, on a QF codeshare, on BA metal, in F?

 

[anat0l]

What happens if you ticket through QF, on a QF codeshare, on BA metal, in F?

I will admit that's a curve ball which is not completely clear.

The last time I heard, if you have a QF codeshare on BA metal, you have access. The converse, i.e. BA codeshare on QF metal, gives no access.

In saying that, I don't know what the current rules are and BA by no means make this clear at all on their website. Only good way to find out is to contact BA.

 

[docjames]

I will admit that's a curve ball which is not completely clear.

The last time I heard, if you have a QF codeshare on BA metal, you have access. The converse, i.e. BA codeshare on QF metal, gives no access.

In saying that, I don't know what the current rules are and BA by no means make this clear at all on their website. Only good way to find out is to contact BA.

Interesting - I can see BA loyalists having "in depth discussions" with the lounge dragons re: access when flying F on a BA ticket, on a NA codeshare but on QF metal.

 

[JohnM]

I think that the bottom line is that the CCR is not that much better than the F lounge to warrant trying to get in if entitlement is doubtful.

I probably won't bother pushing it again.

But that's easy to say now that I've twice satisfied my curiosity :mrgreen:.

 

[NM]

Interesting - I can see BA loyalists having "in depth discussions" with the lounge dragons re: access when flying F on a BA ticket, on a NA codeshare but on QF metal.

the QF metal does not depart from T5, so cannot get to the Concorde Room with a QF metal departure anyway (noting of course the original discussion is about arriving QF F and departing T5 BA in J).

 

[dfcatch]

My experience has been when departing T5 on BA in CW or CE then NO access.

Departing T5 BA F - no problem. Although I did move into Galleries First after my meal

I didn't bother trying to push the point regarding inbound flight.

Agree that OW Emerald status entitles you to access their "First Class Lounge" which is Galleries First.

CCR is something separate.