Velocity Status Benefits on Partner Airlines

[jase05]

You will be able to access the Arrivals lounge after immigration owing to your QR J Reward Ticket. However, you won’t be able to access any of the airside lounges in the transit area.

And I think I saw it somewhere that there is a 2hr limit on arrival lounges

 

[Warks]

And I think I saw it somewhere that there is a 2hr limit on arrival lounges

I didn't see that but I wouldn't be surprised. I was trying to work out a way to just hang out until morning but if this is the case I think I'll just grab a ride to a nearby hotel. Premier Inn is only ten mins away and is $61 a night and I can even have a "smoking room" (blecch!).
Thanks to all.
How quick is immigration at Doha? Automated? Just trying to work out how long to get out and back in.

 

[jase05]

I didn't see that but I wouldn't be surprised. I was trying to work out a way to just hang out until morning but if this is the case I think I'll just grab a ride to a nearby hotel. Premier Inn is only ten mins away and is $61 a night and I can even have a "smoking room" (blecch!).
Thanks to all.
How quick is immigration at Doha? Automated? Just trying to work out how long to get out and back in.

Immigration is usually fast and painless entering Qatar but have never used the regular immigration area to exit the country so no idea about queues or time to check in and go through

 

[simmomelb]

I didn't see that but I wouldn't be surprised. I was trying to work out a way to just hang out until morning but if this is the case I think I'll just grab a ride to a nearby hotel. Premier Inn is only ten mins away and is $61 a night and I can even have a "smoking room" (blecch!).
Thanks to all.
How quick is immigration at Doha? Automated? Just trying to work out how long to get out and back in.

I've only done that once, but very efficient from my single experience. Yeah, hotel outside for that price will be well worth it for a nap/sleep before your Finnair flight.
Multiple alarms!

 

[Warks]

I've only done that once, but very efficient from my single experience. Yeah, hotel outside for that price will be well worth it for a nap/sleep before your Finnair flight.
Multiple alarms!

Thanks! We had a late flight out of SIN last year (midnight I think) and it kept being delayed to the point where they pushed it to the next day at 0800 and put us up in a hotel. I thought it would be right there in the airport but no, SIA put us in taxis to a hotel (which they probably owned) about 20 minutes away. We ended up getting about three hours of lying in bed (not sure I went to sleep) before having to force down breakfast and get on a bus at 0600. Mad. Would have preferred to just stay in the lounge.

 

[ChrisFlyer]

And I think I saw it somewhere that there is a 2hr limit on arrival lounges

The unofficial limit appears to be six hours. I flew into DOH last month on a QR J award ticket and went to the arrivals lounge for a shower. They advised they'd be closing the lounge for maintenance in a few hours and that they would gladly reaccommodate me at the Al Maha arrivals lounge once the lounge closed "so that I could have my full six hours". So, spent a few hours in QR arrivals, shuffled over to Al Maha, and after a short stay there, it was time to head into the city.

 

[jrfsp]

Interesting data point, probably hit and miss (unofficial) but was just granted entry to the AC maple leaf lounge in YVR flying UA with VA status. I don’t think it’s strictly meant to work….

 

[henrus]

Interesting data point, probably hit and miss (unofficial) but was just granted entry to the AC maple leaf lounge in YVR flying UA with VA status. I don’t think it’s strictly meant to work….

Did you expect a no or had a back up plan like *G?

 

[jrfsp]

Did you expect a no or had a back up plan like *G?

I was expecting a no. I know you can access maple leaf lounge flying AC and UA club flying UA but this strictly was neither.

I did ask the check in agent and they didn’t know so said to go and try…and even at the lounge the staff member was confused about the access but they let me in…

 

[bernardblack]

Interesting data point, probably hit and miss (unofficial) but was just granted entry to the AC maple leaf lounge in YVR flying UA with VA status. I don’t think it’s strictly meant to work….

What routing? And was there a UA codeshare available on the flight? It probably isn't meant to work but their systems might be configured to treat VA status edge cases on AC/UA boundaries as ~Star Gold.

 

[antycbr]

What routing? And was there a UA codeshare available on the flight? It probably isn't meant to work but their systems might be configured to treat VA status edge cases on AC/UA boundaries as ~Star Gold.

If only, you know, there was a way to clear up all of these edge cases in one go… *

 

[Tooner]

If only, you know, there was a way to clear up all of these edge cases in one go… *

Entering an AC Lounge using VA is always a discussion. Vancouver are normally pretty good (though the single boarding pass from SYD to YYZ stumps the reader every time), while YYZ Domestic is always a no, no, no, yes discussion requiring VA card and research.

 

[jeppetto367]

What routing? And was there a UA codeshare available on the flight? It probably isn't meant to work but their systems might be configured to treat VA status edge cases on AC/UA boundaries as ~Star Gold.

In November I tried to enter the AC lounge in SFO flying UA SFO-MEL on a UA ticket as VA Platinum and the computer wouldn't let me in (I wasn't expecting it to but thought I'd try my luck).

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Funny anecdote today: domestic UA sector as VA Gold booked last-minute with points (successfully managed to force the small city airport code into the URL on VA's website to search and book without calling in, so that was a win).

No preferred seating benefits, as expected. Online reservation did indicate my first checked bag was free. Boarding pass didn't show obvious signs of status but did assign me to Group 1 boarding.

The weight limit for the bag was 50lbs/23kg, though 23kg is technically 50.7 pounds. Cue...

...my bag showed 50.5lbs on the scale (the annual haul of US treats back to the household...). Agent didn't even flinch in asking me to take something out of it to get down to 50.0, "as it definitely wouldn't be worth the $100 fee to leave it the way it is."

I decided it was easier to remove a small item than get into the weeds of both their online policies and the metric system at a small outstation. I managed 50.0 on the first attempt; I wonder what she would have said if it was 50.1. I don't fly often with checked luggage let alone any at capacity, but I've definitely never been asked to remove anything going so slightly over especially with status (she did tag it with the priority label).

 

[sudoer]

(successfully managed to force the small city airport code into the URL on VA's website to search and book without calling in, so that was a win).

Good tip, I occasionally fly to obscure airports in Japan and often run into this issue - will try the url hack next time

 

[bcworld]

No preferred seating benefits, as expected. Online reservation did indicate my first checked bag was free. Boarding pass didn't show obvious signs of status but did assign me to Group 1 boarding.

Given how often VA Gold & Plat get made to pay for the first bag on standalone domestic UA itineraries...I'd take it as a win even with the half lb repack!