QP members diverted from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Complete - "Next Year"

[texter]

Re: Qantas removes Lounge Access for QP members on EK flights from Oct 1

I curious to know just how often is entry denied to the LAX OW Lounge?
What status?
What is the compensation?

I just can't see how a F&B Voucher is equivalent to lounge entry.. When travelling through LAX what you really want is a shower before the flight home - would be disappointing if you were turned away at the door...

 

[mannej]

Re: Qantas removes Lounge Access for QP members on EK flights from Oct 1

I curious to know just how often is entry denied to the LAX OW Lounge?
What status?
What is the compensation?

I just can't see how a F&B Voucher is equivalent to lounge entry.. When travelling through LAX what you really want is a shower before the flight home - would be disappointing if you were turned away at the door...

$50 F&B voucher apparently.

 

[harvyk]

No room at the inn, QP members been turned away from OW Lounge at LAX

Qantas Club members are finding themselves turned away from the airline's new Los Angeles Business Lounge during peak periods due to overcrowding.

Although Qantas promotes access to the LAX lounge as one of the perks of Qantas Club membership, for which travellers pay upwards of $400 per year, the airline says it's unable to guarantee cardholders will get past the reception desk at the newly-opened lounge.

Qantas Club members Los Angeles business lounge LAX airport - Flights | hotels | frequent flyer | business class - Australian Business Traveller

Personally I think if QF think a $50 voucher compensates for loss of lounge access then they really don't understand their customers.

I’m one of those people who pay nearly $500 (yes I know I can get it for slightly cheaper from AFF, it's on my todo list, it does not however reduce this message) for the privilege of QP access, and believe me, I don’t do it for the food. I pay the money because it gives a quiet and comfortable place to sit and wait for my flight. It gives me access to clean facilities (have you seen some of the toilets down in the main terminals?) and showers. The way I see it is something to eat and a drink is simply a bonus, because if I was to really sit down and do the sums on QP membership based on getting a couple of G&T’s / beers and getting some (often) substandard buffet food I would be down in that terminal faster than you could blink.

IMHO they shouldn't be turning QP members away full stop. A QP member has actually paid good money for access, it is not a gift for loyalty, it is a purchased product.

 

[TomVexille]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

It does seem like the opening of the new lounge has been botched a little bit. At least until the F section opens.

 

[blackcat20]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

IMHO they shouldn't be turning QP members away full stop. A QP member has actually paid good money for access, it is not a gift for loyalty, it is a purchased product.

But they also can't turn away members who have earned entry via status; technically they've paid for it too....

 

[harvyk]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

But they also can't turn away members who have earned entry via status; technically they've paid for it too....

What about guests? They themselves have no entry rights, it is only because they happen to be traveling with the right person that they are allowed in.
In the current senario AFAIK, guests are been allowed entry simply because they are with a OWS / OWE, and yet QP members who have paid for the right of entry have been turned away.

Furthermore if they where to restrict guesting rights, it would not be the first time they had done it. The PER QP had restricted guesting rights during it's last makeover.

 

[blackcat20]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

What about guests? They themselves have no entry rights, it is only because they happen to be traveling with the right person that they are allowed in.
In the current senario AFAIK, guests are been allowed entry simply because they are with a OWS / OWE, and yet QP members who have paid for the right of entry have been turned away.

Furthermore if they where to restrict guesting rights, it would not be the first time they had done it. The PER QP had restricted guesting rights during it's last makeover.

Its a tough situation with no winners. They need to hurry up and open the rest of the lounge.

 

[BD1959]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

Its a tough situation with no winners. They need to hurry up and open the rest of the lounge.

No, they need to plan in the first place.

Surely they can roughly predict the number of visitors based on pre-renovation numbers. Then they can either:

1. Look to book addtional Lounge Access elsewhere (per the Entry Criteria for this Lounge on the QF website)

2. Restrict guests so as to not inconvenience those that have an actual right of entry.

I realise the situation is slightly complicated by the Lounge being a joint facility with BA and CX, however this is basic capacity planning/management; surely something QF should know about!!

Regards,

BD

 

[blackcat20]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

Am I right that the Qantas Club complimentary guest passes can't be used there either? My understanding is that it's a One World lounge run by QF, so SG/WP etc have access but QP members can be turned away?

 

[Dazz70]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

I was denied access to lounge on 10/07/14 even checking in almost 5 hours before flight departure. I was sent to the American Airlines lounge in T4. Tried again at 11pm and the lounge was still not taking any Qantas Club members. Very disappointed given how much Qantas has been promoting this lounge on the last few months. My flight was also delayed which made it more frustrating!!

 

[opusman]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

Sadly this isn't out of character for QF these days.

Pay for lounge membership, and get refused access to the lounge.
Pay for a flight including chauffeur drive, and chauffeur drive not provided.
What next?

If they were an American company they would have been sued for this sort of behaviour by now.

 

[harvyk]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

But they also can't turn away members who have earned entry via status; technically they've paid for it too....

That's a big yes and no, technically all they have paid for is some flights (ok a lot of flights, but still the service paid for is nothing more than transport).

I'm not advocating that SG's / WP's and P1's (plus equiv OWS / OWE's) are kicked out in place of the QP members since whilst they have not paid for access in quite the same way, they have earned the right to be there.
My example simply stated that a QP member has paid for a product, and in this case that product was not been supplied as advertised.

Personally I think QF have seriously dropped the ball on the LAX lounge. Given the consistent enhancements of the QP membership you can understand if we are feeling just a little rejected by QF. The transpac route is pretty much one of QF's biggest, there are many airlines nipping at the heals of QF, realistically the last thing they should be doing is giving people reasons to go and try the competition.

 

[blackcat20]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

That's a big yes and no, technically all they have paid for is some flights (ok a lot of flights, but still the service paid for is nothing more than transport).

I'm not advocating that SG's / WP's and P1's (plus equiv OWS / OWE's) are kicked out in place of the QP members since whilst they have not paid for access in quite the same way, they have earned the right to be there.
My example simply stated that a QP member has paid for a product, and in this case that product was not been supplied as advertised.

Personally I think QF have seriously dropped the ball on the LAX lounge. Given the consistent enhancements of the QP membership you can understand if we are feeling just a little rejected by QF. The transpac route is pretty much one of QF's biggest, there are many airlines nipping at the heals of QF, realistically the last thing they should be doing is giving people reasons to go and try the competition.

I'm not disagreeing with you.

 

[Anna]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

I am confused. Is it a QP at LAX, or is it a Oneworld lounge?

If it is a Oneworld lounge, and it is overfull, then it makes sense to me that people with no OW status have to be excluded.

If it is a QP then I think QF ought to put its own members and pax ahead of others.

 

[Princess Fiona]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

I am confused. Is it a QP at LAX, or is it a Oneworld lounge?

If it is a Oneworld lounge, and it is overfull, then it makes sense to me that people with no OW status have to be excluded.

If it is a QP then I think QF ought to put its own members and pax ahead of others.

It's a joint lounge with CX and BA

 

[TheBOSman]

Re: No room at the inn, QP members been turned away from OW Lounge at LAX

I am confused. Is it a QP at LAX, or is it a Oneworld lounge?

If it is a Oneworld lounge, and it is overfull, then it makes sense to me that people with no OW status have to be excluded.

If it is a QP then I think QF ought to put its own members and pax ahead of others.

It is a Oneworld Lounge, managed by QF. The *A lounge is managed by NZ, and the Skyteam lounge is managed by KE. The lounges are by alliance, however. QF itself does not have any sort of QF branded lounge at LAX.

Lounge access - oneworld, put in LAX. Compare what it says to, e.g., DRW, where it clearly says the lounges at DRW are QPs.

 

[serfty]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

I was denied access to lounge on 10/07/14 even checking in almost 5 hours before flight departure. I was sent to the American Airlines lounge in T4. Tried again at 11pm and the lounge was still not taking any Qantas Club members. Very disappointed given how much Qantas has been promoting this lounge on the last few months. My flight was also delayed which made it more frustrating!!

Welcome to AFF Dazz70.

Shame it was such an event to bring you here. Anyway, stick around - there's a lot of useful travel information here.

Other than that, I am curious. I presume you checked on at TBIT - how did you get to T4 for the AC lounge?

 

[Dazz70]

re: QP Members Barred from LAX TBIT Lounge until upgrade Completed - Sometime "Next Year"

Thanks Serfty

I checked in at TBIT them walked to T4 which is less than 5 minutes. I returned to TBIT via the shuttle bus to avoid clearing security etc again

 

[blackcat20]

Re: No room at the inn, QP members been turned away from OW Lounge at LAX

It is a Oneworld Lounge, managed by QF. The *A lounge is managed by NZ, and the Skyteam lounge is managed by KE. The lounges are by alliance, however. QF itself does not have any sort of QF branded lounge at LAX.

Lounge access - oneworld, put in LAX. Compare what it says to, e.g., DRW, where it clearly says the lounges at DRW are QPs.

I think that's the key, as I tried to explain above. Gold and Silver get in as they have Oneworld status, QP members do not and so are the first to go when the lounge is full. Not saying I agree with it, but that's the rationale I imagine.

 

[medhead]

Qantas proactively barring QP from LAX TBIT Lounge - no space for them

But they also can't turn away members who have earned entry via status; technically they've paid for it too....

The thing is status provides complimentary Qantas club membership. Fundamentally statused people are entering Qantas Lounges as Qantas club members. Being a parter lounge makes that a bit different. But still Qantas have marketed the lounge as a Qantas lounge via their announcements.

I also thing the extra marginal value for someone flying to Gold with be equal to the cash cost of purchased Qantas club membership. (In cost terms 10x ADL-BNE earns 600 SC and costs somewhere between $7600 and $9000, I'm not sure there is a spare $500 of margin in that number)

I am not suggesting they should deny access to statused people. I just don't see how it's correct to deny paid Qantas club only.