LHR/MEL/Europe FF

They are departure lounges, in the sterile departures area. They are not arrivals lounges.

kaka

percysmith

kaka

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

kaka

percysmith

Dr. HFH

"Telling them to get you some water"? Try May I have some water, please? instead and perhaps you'll get less attitude.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

No rule against it by CX. But it seems HKIA may be against it, at least in principle.

But even if there's no rule, the airline doesn't have to drop everything and provide an escort to take you back when a passenger demands it. The lounges aren't arrivals lounges. If someone wants to use it for that purpose it's understandable they have to wait until a member of staff is suitably free.

I don't know... but things like fire regulations might require a certian number of staff at the front desk to assist with an evacuation of the lounge if required. Why should subsequent people have to wait in a line to have their boarding passes scanned, or seats changed because because the front desk is down to just one person?

Two sides to the argument.

TBH I have never experienced 'lazy staff' at any CX lounge.

QRC3288

My understanding is, there is definitely a rule that you cannot enter without "intent to fly". HKIA executives have told me this. However, I think practically the problem is everyone knows you can't police it. How the heck do you have security enforce that? Boarding pass is enough, most likely, for any passenger to win any argument let alone legal fight about intent to fly. And nobody ever gets in trouble for this, maybe not one person ever. So it would be pretty silly for CX to report people for this. They lose a customer forever, get bad PR, and probably nothing happens to the guy on top of it since how can it be proved anyway. They still have pressure from immigration and security to curtail abuses, though. That's why the fellow who started this discussion is off base...because he essentially said "I'm entitled to abuse this rule, and why aren't you moving fast enough?" They cant obviously just agree to that. So he gets delayed.

There are ways to approach it, and not to approach it, if you're breaking this technical rule. Sadly, an "emergency" is a surefire way to do it. Of course enough abusing it, and this ruins it for those of us who eventually do have an emergency and have to leave. But definitely the way not to approach it is to harangue CX lounge attendants about wanting your arrival shower before you go into town and munch on dim sum for half the day, and criticizing CX for not having an arrival lounge, and saying that's the only reason you came airside.

At some point, folks on here forget not every perceived loophole is actually a loophole. It is just very poorly enforced and/or not yet tested.

percysmith

There is a way for CX to crack down on this, and allow for emergencies.

Make any passenger wishing to exit airport cancel their onward check-in, force them to pick up any bags they make have checked thorugh and then force them to rebook.
Actually I wonder why HKIA hasn't done this.

P.S. in light of LH case, reprice their ticket too as if curtailed journey!

kaka

Partly agree partly disagree: I do not think CX would put all the staff with accredited fire-related training all at 1 station given the number of staff they have in the lounge(s); and there are many other issues due to 1 person that would eventually cause a queue. But these are all not staff who escort pax back to arrivals level so all they really do is to get someone from another department to do it. Along with the other thread where someone was patient at the check-in counters vs someone who was nagging the check-in dragons
Also, it's stupid as a business case if CX doesn't sort this out because they decide to close the arrivals lounge for premium transit customers. their resolution was to give GO(?)/DM members gym passage at the hotels - clearly not enough. Telling your customers who forked out 4-5+ grand to use the free facility HKIA provide is clearly ridiculous (Comparable case is when hotels have checkout times but they also allow guests to use lounge/gym/pool to burn the reasonable time - as long as there is no clear legal issues banning it, CX ought to try their best to bridge the gap.

You never did? but i did. or if not technically lazy, not trying to help a passenger when CX was clearly the problem (usually related to flight delays). Oh. and the other time the flight crew screamed out "I've just served you" when i was asking for water.

moondog

I agree that CX could have done a better job of making interim arrangements for shower facilities during the refurb of the Arrival. BUT, there isn't a single person on this forum who can't afford to pay for a shower. The MOST important point here is that going landside from departures throws a wrench in the system (i.e. the industrial engineers didn't include cheapskates in their calculus). Yes, it's important to be able to exit in emergency situations. Anyone who intentionally tries to play this game deserves a 90+ minute wait.

percysmith

There is the issue of supply too. There's only a handful (<10) showers in Plaza Premium Arrivals.

moondog

Following is my proposed solution to this problem:

1. Transit passengers who go to departures should be permitted to leave departures 180 minutes later

2. Emergency situations should be fast tracked, without need for immediate documentation

Please let me know your thoughts; I'm planning on meeting with the airport people within the next 3 weeks.