Qantas Club disappoints

[waltervp]

I used to take pride in flying Qantas and would happily pay a little more to fly Qantas, I've watched Qantas go down the drains for the past decade, but now I cant even justify renewing my Qantas Club membership! In earlier days I got its complimentary due to status, and I wouldn't be disappointed if some places refused me, or some of the privileges didn't apply to sectors (causing excess luggage fees etc). But these days now that I am paying for it I get furious when I am let down time after time after time.

For health reasons I need a clean place to do nebuliser treatments and inject medicine, this often requires huffing and puffing and coughing and takes 30-60 minutes and cannot be done in small public toilet cubicles. I also have serious dietary needs due to diabetes and poor digestion. Qantas Club membership used to give me access to clean bathrooms and good food, fresh air (my lungs are at 35% of what they ought to be and I have trouble breathing stale air or crowded areas), excess luggage which i need for medicine and therapeutic equipment etc.

I booked a flight from Cairns to Devonport this year when I was not allowed in the qantas lounge in Cairns because I was told, i was flying on an international Jetstar segment. Then on the flight i did not get a meal either as it was a Jetstar codeshare. In Melbourne my luggage was not checked through to Devonport as it landed in the International area - not giving me time to eat proper food either. This almost resulted in a diabetic hypo emergency for me and loads of discomfort and panic. Qantas never responded to my emails about this.

This year I also flew Malaysia Airlines and Emirates on several occasions and was not allowed in their lounges (except in Dubai where Emirates has the best lounge in the world ). The reason I didn't fly Qantas is because they don't fly everywhere I need to go. Also, when booking from the Qantas website and you end up on a Jetstar code share it doesnt offer to pre-purchase meals, and all you can get on those flights is a pathetic sandwich or a pie. OK, I am learning about these things, but i tell you, no reason to either book through the qantas website or to fly with them anymore. And as for the One World Alliance, I don't see how anything makes it an alliance anymore, except for code-sharing which is a benefit to the airlines and not the passengers. The One World Conspiracy perhaps.

And what is the benefit of being a frequent flier, when even when I was Silver a few years ago and flying with 6 other family members from London to Bangkok all of my family got (mostly Bronze) upgraded to business class but not me! This caused lots of bad feelings. After lots of complaining months later i received a $300 voucher. Wow, big deal. Showed me there is no reason to be loyal! By upgrading 6 out of 7 in a group Qantas pisses people off, instead of making 6 individual travelers very happy or 3 couples perhaps, they disappointed 7! Hello Qantas? I told them at the lounge there but nothing they could do. I've heard that before, and know there is lots they can do, and so I was very frustrated.

Now after many many years I am not going to renew my membership and not have any reason whatsoever to fly Qantas. I think this is very sad and I feel upset that my national flag carrier has gone South so badly. I often fly for Cystic Fibrosis fundraisers and have been an ambassador for CF Australia, with posters of me around capital cities, TV adds starring me, I always flew Qantas and promoted Qantas, despite never receiving any concessions or support from them for any flights (not expected of course, but just saying). I was proud to fly Qantas and would've been so proud to one day even receive some support from them for my fundraisers and helping raise inspiration for other people with CF. Next year I am flying to Perth for a fundraiser, and I would be embarrassed not to be flying Qantas, and I probably still will, but I can no longer justify the Qantas Club membership as I barely fly enough to make it worthwhile and lately it has just added stress to my travel by being rejected from Lounges (usually with half a dozen other Qantas passengers in the same situation).

Anyways, enough of my gripe! I hope Qatas gets their act together again soon.

 

[russ]

$300 for not getting an upgrade? You are doing well!

 

[ChrisFlyer]

You make a few good points re: codeshares and so forth, but on lounge access, Qantas Club is just a paid lounge membership which happens to come with a few extra perks on Qantas such as priority check-in and an extra baggage allowance, with the access benefits known before you pay for the membership.

It's not the same as Qantas Gold or Platinum (Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status), which gives you lounge access across the alliance... granted there's an exception for AA of course, where you do get lounge access.

I'd suggest something like Priority Pass if you're heading overseas a fair bit. In Australia, there are only lounges in Cairns and Melbourne (so you at least be sorted in Cairns if you take that same Jetstar flight again), but you'll find it very useful abroad including in Dubai and Kuala Lumpur.

 

[opusman]

It seems wrong that you weren't granted lounge access before a Jetstar flight.

 

[mannej]

Apart from the access issues flying JQ, what does this rant have to do with the Qantas Club? Not an awful lot I'd imagine.
The other issues are not QP related.

With the 6 upgraded, were they on the same booking or a separate one?

 

[waltervp]

It's not the same as Qantas Gold or Platinum (Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status), which gives you lounge access across the alliance... granted there's an exception for AA of course, where you do get lounge access

Ah, see, that is new to me. I do not fly that often and did not realise there was a difference between a paying QC m'ship and privilege access. Still,... If loyalty doesn't give me a priority on upgrades even with qantas why be loyal, and if QC m'ship gives me the reduced privileges across the alliance even with Jetstar flights, I can no longer justify the steep price for my 3-4 flights per year. Plus disappointments always hurt me

 

[mannej]

Ah, see, that is new to me. I do not fly that often and did not realise there was a difference between a paying QC m'ship and privilege access. Still,... If loyalty doesn't give me a priority on upgrades even with qantas why be loyal, and if QC m'ship gives me the reduced privileges across the alliance even with Jetstar flights, I can no longer justify the steep price for my 3-4 flights per year. Plus disappointments always hurt me

If you think Qantas Club gives you priority to upgrades, you are mistaken. You still have a number of status levels ahead of you on the pecking order.

As others have stated, QP gets you lounge access on most QF and JQ flights (most, not all), extra luggage on QF and some other benefits. It is not the same as status benefits, that is important to note.

QF status gives benefits across the OW alliance (and with EK), QP is limited to mostly QF. That's the reality, as the information is freely available.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

perhaps the OP should have been a bit more careful when booking if he/she wanted to fly Qantas and not on a JQ codeshare.

 

[MelUser]

Its hard to comment here as I don't want to come across as not sypathetic or rude but I can make one observation and that is that you get what you pay for.

The cairns thing might be that there is no Qantas Club in the international section of the airport.

As when QF international left Darwin - the lounge was ripped out of the international terminal. Perhaps this has happened in CNS international.

 

[Steelo]

The CNS international lounge doesn't give access to JQ unless you have purchased a bundle - it appears its not actually by QF.

 

[markis10]

The CNS international lounge doesn't give access to JQ unless you have purchased a bundle - it appears its not actually by QF.

Not quite true, you will get access as a WP flying on JQ to the Reef lounge.

 

[Austman]

The CNS Reef Lounge access rules are confusing at best! But it is not a Qantas Club and not a Qantas operated lounge. Last time I was there it did display a Jetstar and a QantasLink sign.

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....s-international-lounge-reef-lounge-27583.html

 

[ermen]

What is strange is that 6 NB's got upgraded before the OP (who I gather was PS)...
Surely common sense would have applied - or maybe J really was full...

 

[samh004]

I thought The Reef lounge was a CX lounge, and CX doesn't give access to QP members anyway, so it's no surprise that access wasn't granted. As with anything, it pays to do your research.

With regard to the clean areas for using a nebuliser, I wonder why a disabled bathroom wouldn't be acceptable as there's a lot of space in them? More so than the regular stalls.

What is strange is that 6 NB's got upgraded before the OP (who I gather was PS)...
Surely common sense would have applied - or maybe J really was full...

They may have taken into account the fare paid too... there's always some discussion over what matters more, fare paid or status.

 

[Austman]

I thought The Reef lounge was a CX lounge

It's a 3rd party lounge.

And as with other 3rd party lounges, access rules can be "complex".

 

[timster]

QP flyers are usually flying less often than status pax. As the OP and recent letters to the travel sections of the newspapers indicate, misunderstandings of what QP now actually offers are common. It has become a very complicated and changing product for people who by definition will not be using it regularly. Many are probably paying way more than the real "privileges" are now worth to them. They cannot assume that lounges they got into 6 months ago will not turn them away next month. While most of the information is available, an occasional flyer needs to research before booking every single trip to check just what they would and wouldn't have access to, depending on special conditions now attached to QF metal/EK metal/JQ/particular airports.

 

[Hvr]

And with regards to the OP even if baggage is checked through it still has to be collected when transiting from an international arrival (even if a totally domestic journey) and going to a domestic departure.

 

[Austman]

As the OP and recent letters to the travel sections of the newspapers indicate, misunderstandings of what QP now actually offers are common.

True, but just to note that with the CNS international Reef Room, the access situation has existed for a very long time.

 

[mannej]

What is strange is that 6 NB's got upgraded before the OP (who I gather was PS)...
Surely common sense would have applied - or maybe J really was full...

What we don't know is if the 6 were on the same booking or not or if they were opups or points upgrades.
Personally if it were me I'd be happy for the upgraded pax, if it were me upgraded and not the wife I'd let her swap with me no problems.

I think it's a rant for the sake of a rant that part there.

 

[Pleb Status]

I thought all QF codeshares on JQ flights had been removed a long time ago (except on RTW itins). Plenty of flights leave CNS which are QF flights. Just pick one of those.

The Reef Lounge is not a QP. Third party lounges have different rules.

It would be nice if QF would not upgrade ANYONE in a party if they all cannot be upgraded (points or OpUp). I have seen/heard it may times where someone from a couple/group has not been upgraded and then the whining goes on for the rest of the flight to anybody that will listen. As the OP suggested, everybody in the group will (or least will pretend) to be happier.

When JQ actually has to start paying for QP visits it will be interesting to see happens. At the moment, if I (as a P1) was to fly domestically on JQ, they are not billed a cent for my lounge visit as I flash my card and actual flight details are rarely checked at the QP entrance. JQ, being a separate airline as QF like to remind us when something goes wrong, needs to pay market rate for all services provided to them by the parent company.