No Qantas Lounge Access when Flying QF Codeshare on IndiGo

[Ade]

However, in the return (i.e. IND to AUS via SIN) there is lounge access as per QFF status. OWE, WP and above can access F lounge, OWS, SG can access J lounge.

Update to this. Did fly back via SIN couple of days back. 6E from MAA landed at approx 1315 SIN time. QF F lounge opens at 1430. so I spent a bit of time walking between T1 (where 6E lands/takes off) to T2 (where QF lounge is). Did some window shopping to kill time.

I had a 7 hour (approx) layover in SIN and I could have done the free transit/day tour. But I missed the closing window by 3 mins and the tour group had just left for the bus. The very helpful person at the transit tour desk tried to contact someone to see if I can somehow join the tour last minute, but no luck. So I walked to the QF F lounge and was able to access it.

The front desk person, took my 6E BPs, printed QF BPs and advised that I start walking towards the gate 40 mins before departure, which in hindsight might have been a tad too late to board (for my liking). I like to as early on board as possible. 40 minute prior departure, I entered an almost full Y cabin.

I had requested CR upgrade to J, which did not come thru. In hindsight, I should have probably put in my request much earlier. I did not think much about upgrading to J. But my time in India was super busy, shuttling between different cities - I was tired and could've used the lie-flat. Ah, well, you live and learn I guess.

To top this off, my original *shadow* did not stick in Y and I had a seatmate ... so ... yea ...

 

[Ade]

A QF Code should be all that matters anywhere there’s a QF operated lounge as per @serfty ’s earlier post.

I did ask that angle and said, hey the ticket is a QF ticket with a QF marketed flight number - but was politely declined entry.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Indigo is such a strange choice for QF to partner with. Imagine if Jet airways (or even Kingfisher) had in fact joined oneworld, I wonder if that would've helped them survive? Still oneworld is sorely lacking a partner into India.

There was this article from Reuters about oneworld looking for Indian partners, with this interesting quote:

Given that many of its members currently serve India, the alliance is also considering ways to leverage their joint presence in the country like with a loyalty deal or a joint lounge initiative, he added.

"We have 10 members that actually serve in India and so it is a super important market, growing like crazy."

 

[Ade]

Indigo is such a strange choice for QF to partner with. Imagine if Jet airways (or even Kingfisher) had in fact joined oneworld, I wonder if that would've helped them survive? Still oneworld is sorely lacking a partner into India.

There was this article from Reuters about oneworld looking for Indian partners, with this interesting quote:

6E is a strange choice - a full service airline partnering with a LCC (and that LCC alone in India). Makes 6E the default choice when flying in/out of India tagging with QF. And the thing is the partnership is not a full partnership either.

The member benefits are very diluted. The lounge (hero of this thread), baggage allowance ex-IND, lounge access ex-MAA, recognition of FF priority/benefits etc - all very diluted and in most cases non-existent.

Now that 6E has launched its own FF program - more weightage is given to those members and QFF members are forgotten (QFF members were never thought of to begin with, let alone forget). I asked on check-in at MAA, if there is any lounge in MAA, the 6E staff did not even know. They simply said "you can go up to TFS and ask if they can let you in ...". I was like "yea, nah, don't worry about it" ...

I think 6E gives good connectivity within India and for QF services via SIN, KUL, CMB, DXB etc. But it is not a full service airline and the LCC mentality is heavy .. I guess QFF in/out of MAA need to put up with 6E until there is a full service airline in India that QF can partner with (which India does not have anyways, except AI, which is *A).

 

[dajop]

Indigo is such a strange choice for QF to partner with.

Beggars can't be choosers, and they're not the only ones who have some form of arrangement with Indigo. Mention is made of American, Delta, KLM, Air France, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Qatar, Turkish, JAL, Malaysia Airlines, Garuda, Aegean, China Southern and others. It's the go to choice for non-star alliance (and even some star alliance) carriers for domestic onwards travel to/from these carriers India gateways.

Not sure why the AFF community gets so obsessed with the distinction between LCCs and full service carriers. Once you're on a short haul service, especially in economy, the distinction is very blurred. Whether it be short haul international in Europe, domestic flights in US under 2-3 hours, it's not as if full service carriers are easily distinguishable from LCCs, and if you're on a codeshare operated by Indigo that includes baggage and a meal, some might argue you get a better deal than transferring onto a full service carrier in Europe or US for a 1-2 hr hop.

I guess there is a difference, that perhaps the QF management probably don't really care about, between doing a 6E->QF connection at BLR vs SIN (eg MAA-BLR-SYD vs MAA-SIN-SYD), where the LCC'ness is more significant on the latter than the former.

Some references, plenty more where these came from:

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/partner-airlines/indigo.jsp

IndiGo, Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic announce partnership to link fast-growing Indian economy with North America and Europe

The airline group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with plans to build an industry-leading partnership between North America, the U.K., Europe, India and beyond.

news.delta.com

https://www.goindigo.in/press-releases/japan-airlines-and-indigo-to-commence-codeshare-partnership.html

 

[moa999]

Agreed.. and as you say it's not like non-Star carriers have much choice.

Similar I guess to non-oneworld carriers in Australia