Originally Posted by
warreng
I'm not a QC member but there seems to have been a systems change at AA which affects lounge access for QF members. In the past I would produce an AA boarding pass (with my FF number, "Emerald", and "Priority" printed on it) to access Admirals Clubs and Flagship Lounges. A few weeks ago I did that at the ORD Flagship Lounge and initially got turned away. In this instance, rather than just looking at my boarding pass and completing the status box manually, the clerk (who was new) told me I didn't have lounge access. After producing my physical QF frequent flyer card, she apologised and showed me the entry form on her screen. It turns out AA's system doesn't pre-fill OW status for QF passengers when you scan an AA boarding pass. The clerk at the front desk has to manually enter it before you'll get a green light. I noticed "Qantas Club" is listed as one of the entry criteria for QF frequent flyers. So, at least as of December 2023, it seems a QC membership will still get you access to the Admirals Club.
Weird that it did not automatically work for you. Non-AA/AS OWS/OWE access is probably the second-most straightforward access method after a direct AA AC membership. OTOH manually entering my QF number is always what lounge agents have to do for me to admit me based on QF Club, since I don't otherwise credit my AA flights to QF and so my QF number would not show up on my boarding passes.
I suppose if the benefit is indeed enhanced such that QF Club members can only access while flying or connecting to/from a QF flight then QF Club might remain in the credentials list but perhaps with an asterisk added (as opposed to regular QF OWS/OWE). Hoping the full access benefit stays though!