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Consolidated "Lounge Access in SYD" Thread [Merged]

Consolidated "Lounge Access in SYD" Thread [Merged]

 
Old Jan 10, 2008, 12:07 am
  #31  
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
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Sheez.... I can't believe I never noticed that before. I've been 1K for too long. Heh. You learn something new every day. Thanks Kiwi Flyer and jamesn00!
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 12:09 am
  #32  
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Yes. RCC members can use lounges operated by the following *A airlines, when departing same day on *A flights.

AC,NZ,NH,OZ,OS,BD,LO,LH,SK,SQ (SATS lounge in SIN),SA,JK,LX,TP,TG and US (only when flying on US).
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 12:13 am
  #33  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
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The closure of the RCC @ SYD is not great loss to me. I'm not worried about UAL pulling out of SYD altogether - as another contributor on this board wrote (quite wittily, I thought), "United has a very lucrative trans-Pacific freight operation, which also carries passengers"!
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 12:19 am
  #34  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Sydney & London
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It's very disappointing that while UA is making huge profits (we must assume based on the fares charged) out of its duopoly on the Australia-USA direct route, it is also putting absolutely nothing back into Australia (with a vengeance).

All local staff have been fired, as many facilities as the bean counters could find have been closed/outsourced and service continues to be erratic at best.

Tell me again why anybody flies UA into / out of Australia

(but with a straight face).
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 12:44 am
  #35  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Originally Posted by pschafer
I really cannot see why anyone would miss the SYD RCC (except for the UA specific support of late changes and UGs) - it is/was dismal. Very poor F&B selection, tatty furniture, and insufficient toilets..
If you won't miss the SYD RCC which one of UA's lounges could you possibly miss then ?

Maybe GRU, HKG, or NRT? Could not think of any other RCC in the system worth a tear.
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 1:56 am
  #36  
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Originally Posted by Budley
It's very disappointing that while UA is making huge profits (we must assume based on the fares charged) out of its duopoly on the Australia-USA direct route, it is also putting absolutely nothing back into Australia (with a vengeance).

All local staff have been fired, as many facilities as the bean counters could find have been closed/outsourced and service continues to be erratic at best.

Tell me again why anybody flies UA into / out of Australia

(but with a straight face).
Agree.

I have not been in that RCC for my last 20 x UA flights.

UA have sacked anyone with a pulse down here, and this is the final straw.

Talking to someone in Manila with Pidgin English I can almost never understand is not my idea of how 1Ks should be treated. Every simple call now takes me 10 mins, and gets messed up most times, wrong info, promises not kept, and much frustration.

The moment NW start down here again they are in BIG trouble that much is for sure. That's if SQ doesn't get approval first under new Gov't. @:-)
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 2:32 am
  #37  
 
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Originally Posted by Lurker
The view, showers, and free wifi from the NZ lounge are clinchers for me.

Lurker
Isn't the free wifi in the SQ lounge? I thought that the glorious NZ club was not blessed with wifi .
Originally Posted by BrisbanePE
..I'm flying out Jan 29 - looks like that will be my SYD RCC RIP visit.

Mine shall be mid-month. Yes, we will all spend more times at the gate as it seems .
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 2:57 am
  #38  
hch
 
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Originally Posted by weero
Isn't the free wifi in the SQ lounge? I thought that the glorious NZ club was not blessed with wifi .
No free wifi, but free internet using good old ethernet cables.
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 2:59 am
  #39  
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
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I love the NZ club and always use it before my UA Flights. The best in on Friday night NZ departures when they have live music in the club. In all of my travels this is the first club where I have ever seen a live performance. It is super relaxing and a great way to start the weekend.
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 3:17 am
  #40  
 
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I think we need a report from Annie as to whats going on (and whats happening to here). WHo's leaving SYD soon?
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 5:25 am
  #41  
 
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Originally Posted by ozstamps
Agree.

I have not been in that RCC for my last 20 x UA flights.

UA have sacked anyone with a pulse down here, and this is the final straw.

Talking to someone in Manila with Pidgin English I can almost never understand is not my idea of how 1Ks should be treated. Every simple call now takes me 10 mins, and gets messed up most times, wrong info, promises not kept, and much frustration.

The moment NW start down here again they are in BIG trouble that much is for sure. That's if SQ doesn't get approval first under new Gov't. @:-)
Originally Posted by Budley
It's very disappointing that while UA is making huge profits (we must assume based on the fares charged) out of its duopoly on the Australia-USA direct route, it is also putting absolutely nothing back into Australia (with a vengeance).

All local staff have been fired, as many facilities as the bean counters could find have been closed/outsourced and service continues to be erratic at best.

Tell me again why anybody flies UA into / out of Australia

(but with a straight face).

Agree with you both! Its no secret I totally loathe the call centres .

I have only been in the RCC SYD once but it was a memorable start to our trip. I didnt have high expectations so I thought it was really good - we were happy . Annie was amazing and I think its truly sad that UA are willing to let her go - she made the place :-:.

It is getting to the point of why bother with UA ex SYD . I cant wait to see more competition on this route - hopefully it will fix the ridiculous fare prices for a start!
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 7:10 am
  #42  
 
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I think VS also use the NZ lounge and I belive they have their own staffer in there at the relavent times, perhaps UA will do the same.

Its not a suprising decision really, personally I like using the NZ lounge when its nice and quiet but its got tons of spaces so it seems a logical thing to do when the RCC is such a hole.

I always thought maybe they might just create a *A Lounge in SYD anyway, by knocking through to the SQ Lounges.
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 7:47 am
  #43  
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Originally Posted by flyinbob
As you go in the door and turn left to go into the lounge, isn't there an F area there on the right as you walk down that corridor?
Yes, there is.

Originally Posted by UNITED959
There is/was a UA IFL in SYD. IMHO, the regular NZ lounge was nicer than the UA IFL.

I don't recall a special F area in the NZ lounge.
There was, but it's been closed.

The entire SQ club can fit into the RCC IFL.
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 7:51 am
  #44  
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
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There goes my retreat at SYD then ! Though I've been in the lounge recently and noticed it a lot busier than in the past (the Virgin flight was due to leave on the last occasion whilst I waited for my SFO flight and forget no boarding calls and ran onto the plane..the shame ) It's going to get busy with the both the UA flights from now..damn..
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Old Jan 10, 2008, 8:02 am
  #45  
 
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I haven't been to the SYD RCC since March of 2006 (my last SYD trip) but from what I had remembered it really wasn't that bad. They let me use the showers as well even though I was not on a full-fare C ticket, which from what I remember were rather nice. Everyone there seemed helpful too, but from what others have posted this was before they sacked all of the UA employees.

I think a more important concern here is the RCC system in general. If SYD is closing, what's next? At LHR for instance, with the move to T1, will there even be a LHR RCC? It's one thing to be able to choose to not go to the RCC, and entirely another when you're forced to use another airline's lounge. As nice as some of the *A lounges are, I think it's irresponsible for UA to shove all of their passengers to those lounges, and moreso, unfair to the *A partners that will now be forced to accomodate these people. If I was a full-fare SQ C passenger and now force to share with all the *G Y-pax from UA, I'd be rather upset.
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