Looking for some advice.

I will shortly be starting a DONE4 and will reach OW Emerald (QF Plat) after 9 segments, at which time I will be in NA. My QF Plat card won't reach me while I'm on the trip (which will be completed in 6 weeks), so all I will have is my current OW Sapphire card (QF Gold) with me, but the boarding passes should print out OW Emerald for the remaining 11 flights.

My question is this: Will it be possible for me to access the FL lounge in ORD, the BA F lounges in LHR, the F Wing/Pier in HKG (and even the F JL lounge in NRT...) without actually having the OW Emer/QF Plat card? I know that in theory I'm supposed to be able to do this, but the lounge dragons in FL at ORD, and more particularly at BA LHR T4 sound formidable... The Wing/Pier will hopefully be more reasonable. I don't imagine that I'll have any success at NRT from reading the FT board, but worth a try I suppose.

I can take along a copy of the rules from the QF website (although I don't think this will cut much ice at LHR T4), and ask the lounge attendant to call the OW help desk to check my status if there is a problem, but this seems to be about my best option.

Any thoughts or relevant experience from anyone?

Thanks

Medicus

Common problem ... others will have more experience with this.

One thing I do recommend is that once you attain QF WP, call each relevant carrier and have them 1) Remove your Qantas FF number from their bookings/ticketing and 2) then get them to reinstate it.

If done correctly, this should at least Electronically refresh the relevant PNR's with your shiny new oneworld Emerald Status for viewing by their agents.

(In fact you should do this for any other non Qantas booking you have as well; I believe Qantas will refresh this automatically, but not the other carriers).

When I became CX Diamond, it took about a day or so before the mileage was posted and another day or two before it showed up. I forgot exactly how long it took, but it was not immediate.

It may take some time for your status to propagate to the system, especially for other carriers. What was shown was probably your status at the time of booking or ticketing. You do need to remind them of your change in status.

Had no probs with F lounge in LAX having qualified in the middle of a DONE4 - they just gave me the swipe card when they looked at the ticket
BA lounge in JFK was more of a problem. She said Business lounge to the right - I said just qual'd Emerald, its on the ticket and walked left... Didn't get pulled up.

(Also I didn't need to remove and reapply my QF number - it propogated automatically to both AA and QF)

You were very fortunate with BA. They're concerned (too concerned, IMHO, but they didn't ask me) that someone may have dropped a level between booking (which boarding passes normally reflect) and when they want to use a lounge, so they generally insist on a real, current card with no substitutions allowed. When that happens, logic will not sway them: they care about their job more than they care about any one passenger, especially one who usually flies with another airline. I haven't personally had to deal with that problem but it's been reported here so often, at so many different airports, that you shouldn't be surprised if it happens.

This works: on arrival after the qualifying segment call the airline and ask them to annotate the PNR to reflect the fact you have attained such and such status. On entry to a lounge ask the agent to please read your PNR.

That's it; you don't have to wait for the card, or the miles to be credited, or for your new status to show on your profile. A correctly worded annotation on your PNR is all that it takes,

I've had serious problems getting BA to see my new status online (for the purpose of changing seats) and I fear it will carry over to lounge access. I qualified a couple months ago and it still doesn't reflect in itineraries that were booked before that time. I've called so many times the BA's web help dept knows me and hates when I call because they know they can't do anything. Removing the FF # hasn't helped.

I qualified years ago (when lounge dragons were less fierce) so I don't have any personal experience with this, but almost every time that I go into certain lounges (BA at LHR, FL at ORD, etc.) there is someone at the desk arguing with the lounge dragon. Often along the lines of "I don't have my card, and my BP doesn't show the right status, but I really am Emerald" and they never get in. BA current policy is that they will not call anyone or look at anything in the computer to determine lounge admission eligibility. It is in writing in their procedures book. So you must present the physical card to get in. Sometimes that requirement is waived, but that is a favour and not an entitlement.

Sounds like the complete opposite of QF. With the Qantas Clubs I noticed that presentation of a BP with the requisite status is sufficient. A number of times I was even stopped from fishing out my card as the agents spotted my status in the BP - bless their sharp eyes.

I remember when I first qualified for sapphire but didn't have my card and the status didn;t show up in my booking - all it took was one call to AA to confirm said status and I was promptly allowed entry.

Joint QF/BA lounges have always asked for my card though.

Last week I got into the BA/QF F lounge at SIN without showing my card, so perhaps it depends on the dragons in question.

QF lounges have always been easy going for entry. And the joint BA/QF lounges at BKK, HKG and SIN seem to operate as mostly QF rather than BA (thank goodness).

I noticed a problem with the Qantas computers in that regard last week. When I flew SYD-SFO, my boarding pass said Sapphire, and I have not held that status since the first half of 2002. I presented my AA card with Emerald on it, and they corrected it in the computer, and allowed me access to the F lounge.

When I was in the boarding area for the flight, I overheard another passenger talking about her Sapphire status being incorrectly recorded on her boarding pass as Ruby.

I don't know how widespread these problems are (status displaying incorrectly), but was glad I had my card with me.

My status (AA) changed from Ruby to Sapphire back in February, and even on a booking made last week on BA for a flight this week, my boarding pass still said Ruby.

Same problem on some LAN flights last week too. I become an Emerald at the end of the month, hopefully after my summer travel lull all the OW IT systems will have pulled together to accuratley reflect my status.

Yeah I always have the appropriate card with me just in case. Otherwise the QF lounge agents (the ones I met are just too nice to be called dragons) will always offer to call up your 'home' airline to confirm your actual status.

I too qualified some time ago but what I posted is not a theory, or reading from a book, or listening while in a queue; it works now, as stated, from personal experience as travel companion of several newly qualifiers.