RSA MEL F Lounge Qantas Official Response (Refused Drinks)

[amaroo]

I am becoming to think that it is a Discriminatory thing based on Carrier and that we were discriminated against because we were flying JQ D.

One person's discrimination - is another's business strategy.

 

[Colster]

It would be worthwhile for those AFFers travelling JQ and using the QF F lounge to post their experiences. I have PMed a couple of AFFers I know may fit that criteria to take notes!

Myself and a colleague took a JQi from Mel to Syd and had a great selection of wines to test at the Flounge. Started with two champs with breakfast followed by effectively a flight of reds from Pinot to Shiraz. Feeling merry, we made our way to the gate only to have a two hour delay... Back to an almost empty Flounge and we were asked by the waitstaff which was our favourite Red and then proceeded to take the wine flight of Whites...when we finally disembarked in Sydney, neither of was in any state to drive (and had planned for it)...

 

[opusman]

I shall pop my *F*QF boarding pass down and order a glass of each champagne and see how far I get... maybe not.

I would have thought by now you'd have realised that they will never say no to you. It's only the scummy WPs that get shafted

 

[amaroo]

Kinda glad I've never bothered flying to MEL to experience the Flounge. Have always worked on the theory that SYD was the best.

 

[miggidy]

I was flying JQ MEL-NRT. So I don't think it was that either. Maybe just unlucky? Waiter had a bad day?

 

[ketsuzei]

I used the MEL F lounge in November and December for QF F and in August for EK F. Also used SYD F lounge for JL F in February.

It's lost that loving feeling (bring back that loving feeling...) from my perspective. I sit so I have a nice view of the outside world, and then have to crane my neck to catch some attention. And the MEL lounge hasn't been particularly crowded, so I don't think those bottom-feeding JQd scumbags are entirely to blame. It feels very much like a deliberate deceleration or toning-down of service to me.

It does make me feel more comfortable about eventually losing WP status, though.

 

[Flying mermaid]

I haven't either.
This entire thread has just taken on a conspiracy theory all of its own though.
Whilst my views on F Lounge access flying JQ tag flights are well known (I don't support it at all) I think it would be very wrong of QF to start marginalizing these passengers in the F Lounges. Either access is permitted and they are treated the same or they are not. End of story.

I find it very hard to believe the serving staff know what you are flying. I have been in the Sydney lounge as an F passenger (paid not even award. ) and just about had to beg for another glass of bubbly and was in as a WP J passenger a couple of weeks ago, where the lovely Dubrovka was walking around filling up glasses on a regular basis. Service and frequency of drinks seemed more a function of how busy the lounge was. Maybe there is someone in charge in the Mel lounge who has decided to enforce the guidelines and customer care is presenting a united front. Hopefully behind the scenes a message might go to the frontline to say they are being a bit cough about the rules.....

 

[N860CR]

It's a shame how the F lounges have slipped. I was there last week as a paid F and overall it was a meh experience. Every food dish was average. The mains took an hour (yes, a full hour) from ordering to service (had to cancel to go to the spa appointment). The spa itself was an express "poke in the back".

The Qantas staff at the desk were polite and friendly when seeing the F boarding pass (and happily came to retrieve me at boarding time), however the lounge staff were indifferent (including one who gave me a blank "where's that" stare when I said I was traveling to Dubai!).

No surprises with the response from customer care. The entire department is a joke. RedRoo will fake interest... But it won't get a result

 

[TomVexille]

I find it very hard to believe the serving staff know what you are flying. I have been in the Sydney lounge as an F passenger (paid not even award. ) and just about had to beg for another glass of bubbly and was in as a WP J passenger a couple of weeks ago, where the lovely Dubrovka was walking around filling up glasses on a regular basis. Service and frequency of drinks seemed more a function of how busy the lounge was. Maybe there is someone in charge in the Mel lounge who has decided to enforce the guidelines and customer care is presenting a united front. Hopefully behind the scenes a message might go to the frontline to say they are being a bit cough about the rules.....

They specifically ask to see your boarding pass before serving you so they know which airline to charge.

 

[boomy]

I'm in the F lounge now and just put a direct question to the staff in the restaurant if there is a policy to enforce RSA particularly on pax traveling JQd.
As expected, they completely denied any discrimination against JQd pax. According to their guidelines women are allowed one alcoholic drink per hour while men can have two in the first hour and one every hour after that but they insisted the policy is stop serving alcohol ONLY if a person looks intoxicated.

 

[TomVexille]

I'm in the F lounge now and just put a direct question to the staff in the restaurant if there is a policy to enforce RSA particularly on pax traveling JQd.
As expected, they completely denied any discrimination against JQd pax. According to their guidelines women are allowed one alcoholic drink per hour while men can have two in the first hour and one every hour after that but they insisted the policy is stop serving alcohol ONLY if a person looks intoxicated.

So essentially they have confirmed the guidelines.

 

[maninblack]

RSA MEL F Lounge Qantas Official Response ( Refused Drinks)

It's a shame how the F lounges have slipped. I was there last week as a paid F and overall it was a meh experience. Every food dish was average. The mains took an hour (yes, a full hour) from ordering to service (had to cancel to go to the spa appointment). The spa itself was an express "poke in the back".

The Qantas staff at the desk were polite and friendly ...

You are not wrong. I think Accor are taking QF for a ride. Service atrocious at MEL recently, breakfast took forever then the wrong items came so a further wait and what finally arrived was pretty ordinary. Mrs maninblack asked me the other day why on earth have we been flying QF First recently? "Because I'm an idiot" I replied. "Oh yeah I forgot" she retorted.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Mrs maninblack asked me the other day why on earth have we been flying QF First recently? "Because I'm an idiot" I replied. "Oh yeah I forgot" she retorted.

That's very good m.i.b - I like that!
..............................................................

 

[medhead]

I'm in the F lounge now and just put a direct question to the staff in the restaurant if there is a policy to enforce RSA particularly on pax traveling JQd.
As expected, they completely denied any discrimination against JQd pax. According to their guidelines women are allowed one alcoholic drink per hour while men can have two in the first hour and one every hour after that but they insisted the policy is stop serving alcohol ONLY if a person looks intoxicated.

the problem here is that the answer to that direct question is yes, of course. They are legally required to enforce RSA. The real question is whether they enforce the guideline for being able to drive as RSA. It appears that they have confirmed that they incorrectly misapply that guideline as RSA. Whoever came up with that is a completely and utter numpty. Even the comment about looking intoxicated is incorrect, the requirement is about the person appearing to be effected and reasonably believing it is due to consumption of alcohol. Not just to look intoxicated.

 

[boomy]

So essentially they have confirmed the guidelines.

Correct, but denied targeting JQd pax.
We need more reports to tell if indeed there is a discrimination here, meanwhile it's just another theory.

 

[TomVexille]

Correct, but denied targeting JQd pax.
We need more reports to tell if indeed there is a discrimination here, meanwhile it's just another theory.

Absolutely. And they would have been stupid to confirm that discrimination against JQ was policy if it actually is. All we know is that they have started cutting back on drinks service, and that the overall level of service seems to be dropping.

 

[opusman]

The last time I was in the MEL F lounge the pitiful amounts of wine they poured into each glass means that your 2 drinks in the first hour would only be one normal sized drink anyway. It was like a 90mL tasting pour. I definitely suspect that cost reduction is the driving force here.

 

[Anna]

For me, completely apart from the "legal limit" carp from QF, 3 drinks in 90 minutes would be a lot. I am surprised at the number of people on this thread who seem to think that amount plus more is normal :shock:

I have been in QF F with a pax in an absolutely disgraceful state of intoxication - there was a complete absence of RSA from QF in that instance. He was so p1ssed by the end of the flight that he couldn't even disembark the aircraft unaided. 2 hours out from landing he could hardly stand up yet the FAs kept on serving him drinks, including going to raid the J cabin stocks after he drank the F cabin dry of his choices. Consistently inconsistent again.

 

[opusman]

For me, completely apart from the "legal limit" carp from QF, 3 drinks in 90 minutes would be a lot. I am surprised at the number of people on this thread who seem to think that amount plus more is normal :shock:

You've never shared a bottle of wine over dinner with someone and then had a port or sticky to follow? That's the sort of quantities we're talking about.

 

[Anna]

You've never shared a bottle of wine over dinner with someone and then had a port or sticky to follow? That's the sort of quantities we're talking about.

Dinner followed by port or stickies would take a lot longer than 90 minutes. At least it would at the sort of restaurants I go to.