Unequal OW access

[elbarto]

How on earth is this a Qantas issue though?

It's always a Qantas issue.

 

[Princess Fiona]

How on earth is this a Qantas issue though?

It's not, and no-one is suggesting otherwise. The references to Qantas above are regarding the Domestic Business Lounges and access for OWS

 

[TheInsider]

It's not, and no-one is suggesting otherwise. The references to Qantas above are regarding the Domestic Business Lounges and access for OWS

It kind of sounds like it when the OP states:

Admittedly it's a smallish room but is there precedent to start showing MH platinum a to the J lounge in SYD and MEL. What say you Red Roo. Mildly disgruntled

 

[Princess Fiona]

It kind of sounds like it when the OP states:

Apologies, it does but not in the quote in your OP.
FWIW I agree with you that its nothing to do with Qantas if MH have their own little private Plat suite

 

[simonpenny408]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a private room in QF F lounges that were ONLY for QANTAS WP and WP1 then? Just imagine - lounge chairs, classical music and a non stop stream of Bollinger LGA and lobster (and I guess the S+P squid). I'm liking the idea already

 

[Mal]

Do you agree that the services and benefits in the "Business Lounge" are higher than in the Qantas Club, in terms of helpfulness by staff, food/drink and decor, etc? Essentially, a higher tier lounge such as that for Emeralds?

Why do people think I want the current situation (with Qantas) changed? I'm using this as an example ... Nothing more. Qantas (stupidly) chose to call their Domestic Emerald lounge "the Business lounge", and Business (and oneWorld Emeralds) get access.

The OW web site says that a Qantas Sapphire gets:

Access to Business Class and frequent flyer lounges (with one guest), regardless of the class of service flown that day (excludes Qantas Domestic Business Class lounges)

By deduction - Sapphires should get access to it as it is a Business lounge (business class patrons use it) and it is called the Business Lounge. However, in practice this is not the case.

Would you not agree with the basic premise that Sapphires get access to the standard lounge, and Emeralds get access to a Level 2 lounge?

How can I disagree with that. But the way Qantas set up their Emerald lounge domestically was wrong.

 

[vitagen]

Wonder if they would follow in MH footsteps and allow QF gold flying on J ticket to visit F Lounge?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

i'm with Mal on this one!

QF domestic business class passengers have access to the business class lounge. One would normally assume this was COS based. Business class lounges are designated as a oneworld sapphire benefit. The fact that QF has to specifically exclude sapphires from domestic business class lounges acknowledges that anyone reading the rules would ordinarily think they have access to that lounge (ie COS based).

AA lounges are quite different. They have the AAmirals Club and the Flagship Lounge. Flagship lounges are technically international First class lounges. International First class passengers have access as a matter of right (as do a limited number of F pax on specifically designated 3-class transcon flights), and that is also a oneworld emerald benefit.

 

[ajw373]

Nope. I disagree. Read the ow conditions again come back.

If domestic rules were in place, why doesn't ow exclude them as a blanket statement? Why is there a BA lounge at Heathrow that caters to ows who are travelling domestically?

How so? Last time I looked BA domestic from Heathrow int and Dom passengers left from the same area meaning they used the same lounges as int pax. In Australia that would be like domestic pax flying out of the international terminal in which case they get access to the business and first lounges. So the same.

Oh as for the Concord and chairmans lounges one difference is BA and Qantas are providing lounges for other passengers and these are in addition. The Gallaries 1st lounge at T5 should really be called the emerald lounge as thee are no 1st pax as they use the concord room. Maybe all names should be gone and just call them emerald lounges or sapphire that way no petty arguments over names.

 

[dfcatch]

Why do people think I want the current situation (with Qantas) changed? I'm using this as an example ... Nothing more. Qantas (stupidly) chose to call their Domestic Emerald lounge "the Business lounge", and Business (and oneWorld Emeralds) get access.

The OW web site says that a Qantas Sapphire gets:



By deduction - Sapphires should get access to it as it is a Business lounge (business class patrons use it) and it is called the Business Lounge. However, in practice this is not the case.



How can I disagree with that. But the way Qantas set up their Emerald lounge domestically was wrong.

I take your point but I interpret the "Business class and Frequent Flyer lounges" to be a generic term. There are not many OW alliance members that have both a "Frequent Flyer" and a "Business Class" lounge in the same terminal.

I take the intent to be OWS - level 1 lounge, and OWE - level 2 lounge.
QF is an anomaly by providing both lounges (but no 1st class) in domestic terminals.

I think QF should rename Domestic Business to First Class and that would solve the problem

Not to mention F SC would be much appreciated amongst the members of this forum

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I take your point but I interpret the "Business class and Frequent Flyer lounges" to be a generic term. There are not many OW alliance members that have both a "Frequent Flyer" and a "Business Class" lounge in the same terminal.

I take the intent to be OWS - level 1 lounge, and OWE - level 2 lounge.
QF is an anomaly by providing both lounges (but no 1st class) in domestic terminals.

I think QF should rename Domestic Business to First Class and that would solve the problem

Not to mention F SC would be much appreciated amongst the members of this forum

Qantas could have called the domestic business lounges 'premier' lounges and solved the problem. but they didn't. They chose to call them 'business' lounges and prima facie business class and ows should have access to those. If the distinction (1st and 2nd tier for OWE/OWS respectively) was so readily understood there would be no need for QF to publish an exception to the general 'rule'.

OWR should also have access to business class check-in. But QF has chosen to take this away in some ports.

 

[Mal]

How so?.

My point was that BA have a j lounge at Heathrow (two actually in t5) that cater to domestic passengers. Yes they are shared with international travellers but the point is they exist.

 

[anat0l]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a private room in QF F lounges that were ONLY for QANTAS WP and WP1 then? Just imagine - lounge chairs, classical music and a non stop stream of Bollinger LGA and lobster (and I guess the S+P squid). I'm liking the idea already

I'd say that space would probably only be for WP1 then. Too many WPs to make feasible only a room for such people. (And I'm not a WP1).

I always thought that the Plat Suite may be excluded from oneworld Emerald access by virtue of a CCR type exception, i.e. it will be designated not as a oneworld lounge. If it is part of the First Class lounge, then frankly I don't see that MH have prima facie done anything wrong. They are restricting part of the lounge for their own elites and F pax. The fact that you can enter the First Class lounge already means MH have satisfied that part of the alliance access requirement. Not too much different to QF giving priority to spa appointments to their own F pax and WP1s, whilst everyone must be on first-come-first-served basis only.

Finally, I fail to see what Red Roo is supposed to do in this situation when it's clearly MH's prerogative.


Oh, and P.S., if you want classical music, try an iPod.


As for the rest of the oneworld lounge access rules, no doubt there are exceptions. The LOTFAPians (naturally they do it all the time) lead the charge on such exceptions in the first place. For anyone from LOTFAP to call out the rest of the world on lounge access exceptions would be pot and kettle. I agree that QF could probably do better in naming their lounges in order to avoid confusion, but so be it. Same thing with BA and the CCR (let alone their arrivals lounges).

Let it be carefully known that:

• AA elites don't have access to any Admirals Clubs or Flagship Lounges unless they are travelling on an international ticket.
• Passengers on AA domestic First without any oneworld status (notwithstanding the first point) cannot access Admirals Clubs or Flagship Lounges (only exception is trans-continental or other longhaul domestic flights). That's right - if you purchase a domestic First Class ticket with AA, you ordinarily cannot access any Admirals Clubs.

It's not an ideal situation all around, but given that most people will have access to a lounge in most situations, it's probably not anything worth raising Hell and pitchforks over.

And it could be slightly worse. In Skyteam, cross-alliance elites cannot access lounges if they are on purely domestic itineraries. That means that if you are a DL Medallion elite flying from Paris to Nice, unless you are in a premium cabin you have no lounge access.

 

[dfcatch]

Didn't QF restore Ruby/Silver access to premium checkin?

I think the OW rules make more sense in clarity when you read the Sapphire and Emerald rules/benefits next to each other. Then the "tiered access" makes more sense and removes ambiguity IMHO.

I have no problem with BA having the CCR or QF having the CL. And if MH is still providing 1st lounge access, then I don't see the problem.

I think QF needs to address the lack of PB for Sapphire - even BA get this right.

At least if you're worried about compliance with OW benefits

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Didn't QF restore Ruby/Silver access to premium checkin?

I think the OW rules make more sense in clarity when you read the Sapphire and Emerald rules/benefits next to each other. Then the "tiered access" makes more sense and removes ambiguity IMHO.

I have no problem with BA having the CCR or QF having the CL. And if MH is still providing 1st lounge access, then I don't see the problem.

I think QF needs to address the lack of PB for Sapphire - even BA get this right.

At least if you're worried about compliance with OW benefits

nope. Silver benefits per the QF website states: ' You can check in at Q Card Reader, Qantas Club counters or Premium Economy counters'.

 

[medhead]

nope. Silver benefits per the QF website states: ' You can check in at Q Card Reader, Qantas Club counters or Premium Economy counters'.

The comparison table on the website has a tick next to "domestic priority check in" and "international priority check-in" for silver.

www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/program/statusprivileges

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The comparison table on the website has a tick next to "domestic priority check in" and "international priority check-in" for silver.

www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/program/statusprivileges

indeed it is domestic priority checkin - but it is not business class! OW rules state business class check-in. I'm guessing there is maybe not much difference?

 

[medhead]

indeed it is domestic priority checkin - but it is not business class! OW rules state business class check-in. I'm guessing there is maybe not much difference?

Domestically, which fits the context of domestic lounge access,it's the same thing.

 

[dfcatch]

indeed it is domestic priority checkin - but it is not business class! OW rules state business class check-in. I'm guessing there is maybe not much difference?

That's right - you're correct. For international they have QP/Premium in 1 line, J in another and F separate.

Of course in ports without a PE checkin, you can use the J checkin. Same as QC rules IIRC.

 

[vitagen]

When I went for my QF intl flight from Per recently, EMD, SAPH, RUBY and J were all allowed to use the J checkin. Lol