QF silver to get business class check in

[opusman]

I feel like this was how it previously was, but maybe I'm getting confused with QP counters of the past. Certainly, when NGCI came in a number of things changed and they've slowly changed back it seems.

Well Y+ is relatively new so prior to that there were no Y+ counters

My memory is that originally QC, PS and SG all had J check-in at one point, before NGCI/Y+ came along.

 

[RooFlyer]

That was similar to my thought, that really, if they got rid of Y+ counters they could add extra staff to Business and make it more streamlined/efficient. I'd be getting rid of Y+ check-in entirely and perhaps re-brand Business check-in as Premium Check-in. I don't ever recall much of a queue with J counters when I've flown <snip>

But that's the point of it, isn't it? J fares are a quantum above Y and Y+ and so the airline should look after those pax by minimising queuing time.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Consider my feathers ruffled!

I pay top dollar to fly business class on domestic and international QF and it's always a disappointment to enter the business lounge and find it chock full of people. Now I have to queue up with them too? Ugh. As a recently-demoted WP, I've done my fair share of Flounging, but when there, I couldn't help thinking that I would be pretty annoyed to have paid $20k or whatever for a first class ticket and have to share the Flounge with the likes of me!

Personally I think that if QF wants to let non-business people into business checkin and lounges, don't call them business checkin lounges! Call them something else! The same goes for the Flounge. It's not an Flounge if they let people like me in!

I can see why QF does it - it's a form of upgrade that costs them very little, but unfortunately it pushes the cost onto other customers in the form of queue times and crowding in the lounge. This means that the QF Int J experience is not consistent: one minute you are in a lounge where you are expected to scoop out your own runny scrambled eggs from a big bowl then find a seat in a zoo of people, then the next minute you are in the aircraft where they are serving you in a hushed environment with white linen tablecloths. I have more personal space on the aircraft than on the ground.

Business class check-in is a benefit of OWR status. Qantas is the only airline in the alliance I know that didn't honour that benefit. As a member of the QF program - and hence also the OW program - you would have known that all OWR passengers were entitled to business check-in anyway... so you have in fact lost nothing.

I don't think F lounges should not be accessible by OWEs... at least not the low tiers like QF platinum. F lounges should be reserved for F passengers and Platinum1 tier (although even that's at a stretch IMO).

At the moment Qantas business class lounges are pretty much the equivalent of an economy class lounge... this is reflected in the costs for catering and beverages (no champagne for example). If airlines want to provide a lounge 'suitable' for top tiers, I don't believe they should do this by allowing passengers into a higher lounge... they should keep business lounges for business passengers, and introduce a new 'lower' lounge category for paid memberships (a bit like the SQ Gold Lounge).

 

[kermatu]

The idea of 3 tiers of lounges, with facilities / services matching the status, is good. But how many airlines and airports can sustain 3 separate lounges, staff, service desks etc? QF could only do it in Sydney at most. In Melbourne the F lounge would have more staff than pax most of the day.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The idea of 3 tiers of lounges, with facilities / services matching the status, is good. But how many airlines and airports can sustain 3 separate lounges, staff, service desks etc? QF could only do it in Sydney at most. In Melbourne the F lounge would have more staff than pax most of the day.

A few airlines do... but usually, as you point out, at home ports. BA does (Concorde room, galleries first, galleries); LH (FCT, Senator, Business); SQ has four lounge levels (star gold, silver kris business and first, and TPR), TG tries with three lounge levels... First, (supposed) business class only Lounge D, and star gold lounges on other concourses.

 

[kermatu]

Home ports make sense. I suppose some of the larger airlines which have big reach in major, non-home ports, could do so too (though space in airports must be at a premium). In this context I'm surprised EK doesn't have different tier lounges in some of its other international ports.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Personally I think that if QF wants to let non-business people into business checkin and lounges, don't call them business checkin lounges! Call them something else! The same goes for the Flounge. It's not an Flounge if they let people like me in!

I can see why QF does it - it's a form of upgrade that costs them very little, but unfortunately it pushes the cost onto other customers in the form of queue times and crowding in the lounge. This means that the QF Int J experience is not consistent: one minute you are in a lounge where you are expected to scoop out your own runny scrambled eggs from a big bowl then find a seat in a zoo of people, then the next minute you are in the aircraft where they are serving you in a hushed environment with white linen tablecloths. I have more personal space on the aircraft than on the ground.

QF PS (OWR) are only regaining the ability to checkin at the J class checkin counters there is no change to lounge access ie PS/OWR don't get it so will not impact the numbers of people in the lounges.

Don't forget that QC members also get a dedicated service desk for international flights. Generally they are bundled with Y+ checkin. I suspect that if there is no QC checkin counter they get J don't they or do they just miss out? Web doesn't say what happens just that most ports have something

It depends what airport you're talking about eg in BNE Intl there is no F checkin due to no international flights operating with an F cabin ex BNE. No dedicated PE, QP or OLCI counters either since BAC introdued their checkin kiosks which are currently only used by QF & HA with more airlines to come online soon.

As there are only about 2 or sometimes 3 counters for J pax it means that CL, P1, WP, SG, PS & J pax will all be queueing in the J lane which will definitely impact the airport experience for premium customers ie longer time waiting in the queue.

This leaves QP, PE & OLCI pax to use the kiosks with all the other passengers ie they all need to tag their bags and get their boarding passes from the kiosks first then line up to drop their bags off at one of the checkin counters until such time BAC install the auto bag drop conveyor belts.

BAC only give QF one row for checkin ie 9 checkin counters for all the international flights eg on a Saturday morning there are 3 x 738 flights to AKL, ZQN & NOU, 2 x 333 flights to SIN & HKG & 1 x 744 flight to LAX plus effective 01 Aug the 333 flight to NRT which will be a total of 7 flights.

Compare that to the majority of other carriers like EK, EY, SQ, CX, KE, JQ, TG, MH & BR that get a whole row for a single flight.

 

[PaulST]

Sounds good to me. Makes a status run to get Gold a lot less attractive, though.

I've flown PE on all of my most recent QFi flights and the check-in/bag drop line has been pretty empty. Probably makes sense to cut PE and add another to J (and silvers).

 

[russ]

As a member of the QF program - and hence also the OW program - you would have known that all OWR passengers were entitled to business check-in anyway... so you have in fact lost nothing.

Please don't tell me what I "would have known." I've seen little coloured dots on the signs but they mean nothing to me.

BAC only give QF one row for checkin ie 9 checkin counters for all the international flights ... Compare that to the majority of other carriers like EK, EY, SQ, CX, KE, JQ, TG, MH & BR that get a whole row for a single flight.

Isn't that just a function of how much rent each airline is prepared to pay?

 

[miggidy]

I can see how this could be frustrating to SG or J pax.

But wouldn't the percentage of J pax who are WP be quite high. From what I have seen it is for international. So WPs use F counter, with the F pax. The remaining use J counter, except for non status Y and Y+ who will use the designated counters.

I'd love to see the average stats on an a380 flight of class vs status

 

[BAM1748]

Back to the future, just putting something back they are obliged to do as OW.

Many years back when I was working my way up the tiers the check in with silver at the business counter was appreciated. No problem from me QF doing a back flip.

Matt

 

[michaele]

*waiting for the "WP is the new SG" brigade to arrive*

 

[Mr_Orange]

*waiting for the "WP is the new SG" brigade to arrive*

TBH, as a WP, I would just pick the shortest queue since I am entitled to use any of them. With so many pax obsessed with availing themselves of every last benefit they believe they are entitled to, the J desks may have longer queues than the Y desks once all the PS pax move to using the J desks, ha ha!!!

 

[JohnK]

Silver members had business class check-in ~10 years ago. Nothing new.

 

[Danger]

I haven't followed the development closely but as far as I can tell oneworld Ruby is being afforded priority check-in at Business counters. Several have said it was like this years ago.

I'm all for streamlining T&Cs and doing away with the infinite number of & $ * # @ ^ at the bottom of emails with caveats. However, I think it's a terrible move by oneworld to extend the benefit to Rubys. Several oneworld airlines don't even have First cabins meaning they have one stream for the top three tiers, in addition to Business passengers.

Silver members had business class check-in ~10 years ago. Nothing new.

I wonder how many Silver members there were back then both as a percentage of total FFs and what that number is today.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I haven't followed the development closely but as far as I can tell oneworld Ruby is being afforded priority check-in at Business counters. Several have said it was like this years ago.

I'm all for streamlining T&Cs and doing away with the infinite number of & $ * # @ ^ at the bottom of emails with caveats. However, I think it's a terrible move by oneworld to extend the benefit to Rubys. Several oneworld airlines don't even have First cabins meaning they have one stream for the top three tiers, in addition to Business passengers.



I wonder how many Silver members there were back then both as a percentage of total FFs and what that number is today.

this is not a new move by oneworld.

OWR has always had the benefit of business class checkin, since like... forever! Only Qantas decided to remove the benefit and allow checkin at premium economy or Qantas club.

 

[Danger]

this is not a new move by oneworld.

OWR has always had the benefit of business class checkin, since like... forever! Only Qantas decided to remove the benefit and allow checkin at premium economy or Qantas club.

Okay. Well, most of my comment still stands, I think. I'm all for removing the litany of exceptions and in that regard QF coming into line with what apparently was always oneworld policy is a good thing. But I think it's a bad move by oneworld - whenever they made it.

 

[JohnK]

I wonder how many Silver members there were back then both as a percentage of total FFs and what that number is today.

At a guess not as many as today.

I do remember my first few trips for work with Qantas and BA back in 2003 before Silver status and the economy queues were huge. One time in BKK at old airport waiting to check-in for BA flight there must have been ~100 people in the queue in front of me. Flight delayed 2-3 hours and staff walking around handing out vouchers for food.

I have since witnessed some queues in economy since and vowed never to return. Lifetime Gold helps but then no status on Star Alliance.

 

[opusman]

Lifetime Gold helps but then no status on Star Alliance.

Speaking of LTG, your signature has been at 100.11% for ages now. Time for an update?

 

[JohnK]

Speaking of LTG, your signature has been at 100.11% for ages now. Time for an update?

It is now 116.25% with a few SCs missing.