VH-RMD

but not at all out of character.

pointyend

I wrote to Qantas on Tuesday and said they have acted in a way that is misleading and deceptive and I would like a refund on my Qantas Club membership as a result of this change.

They called me the next day and said that they would refund my membership. I can only take this to mean they acknowledge they have acted misleadingly and deceptively.

I encourage you all do to the same - this is pathetic.

amaroo

Good on you - I think you're spot on. QF deserve the thumbs down on this one

Traveloguy

I think you have it nailed.

This action screams of bean counter involvement rather than any real deterioration of relationship between QF and BA.

amaroo

Just reviewed this post on AFF:-

Re: [Confirmed] No LHR T5 Galleries access for QP before BA/QF flights

A colleague working for a government office contacted the government travel provider for clarification. A rep from the provider contacted QF and this was the response:

Terminal 3
Qantas has a lounge agreement to use the British Airways Lounge in Terminal 3 as this is the terminal where all Qantas Flights depart from.
Access to this lounge is for all eligible Qantas Club members as well as Gold and Platinum Frequent Flyers and Chairmans Lounge Members.
The standard Lounge Access policy conditions apply – ‘must be travelling on QF/BA operated flights’. One guest allowed (except CL members who are allowed 2).
As this is a British Airways Lounge, not a Qantas Lounge, the child policy is different. The child age for this lounge is up to 12yrs. (whereas for Qantas owned Lounges it’s up to 18yrs).

Partner Agreement with BA
A partner Agreement is also in place with British Airways which means Qantas Club members are entitled to use the BA Lounges however the agreement is only for the ‘Terrace Lounges’ and ‘Executive Club Lounges’. The lounges which are in Terminal 5 are not these types of lounges – they are ‘Galleries Lounge’ therefore Qantas Club members are not entitled to these lounges.
To find the location of the British Airways Terrace and Executive Club Lounges, please follow this link http://www.britishairways.com/travel...t/public/en_au
To access a partner lounge, the customer needs to present their Qantas Club membership card or Platinum / Gold Frequent Flyer card plus boarding pass and must be travelling onwards that day on a flight marketed and operated by BA. One guest is also allowed access as long as they are travelling with the member.

Terminal 5
As Qantas does not depart from Terminal 5 there is no agreement for Qantas Club members to use the BA lounges located in this terminal.
The partner agreement is also not applicable based on the above therefore access to the British Airways Lounges located in T5 would only be for oneworld members (Sapphire and Emeralds which is equivalent to Qantas Gold and Platinum Frequent Flyer) and the standard oneworld Lounge Access policy applies – must be travelling on a oneworld marketed and operated airline. One guest allowed also travelling on a oneworld operated and marketed flight.

Complete and utter rubbish, as far as I'm concerned. According to the document with the link provided above, Qantas codeshares on nine BA flights ex-LHR and every one departs from T5. Yet they are not entitled to lounge access.


What a bunch of *ankers......starting to think that the unions might have a case

Silver Fox

Does that mean if a vanilla Qantas flight (ie. not a codeshare) departed then you would get access? If you do, then I can only agree with your statement about self gratification.

Traveloguy

There are a lot more than 9 services which have QF codes on them. In fact go to T5 and a large number of flights have QF codes on them. The only other carrier with as many codes flights as QF is AA. At a guess well over half the services operating into Europe on BA have QF codes on them.

Princess fiona

Now I understand why QF have JR and Sue-Ellen advertising the SYD-DFW route,
"Qantas Club have never had access to T5 lounges" , like Bobby's death it was all just a dream

BD1959

Yep, what a shower QF are!

BD

PWOZUK

Sorry - not easily as I am travelling in the US at present.

I should state that I am currently in the UK a lot of the time (and thus have a vested intertest in QC access to any BA lounge, T5 or otherwise).

I have enjoyed access without quibble since T5 opened, the last being August 2011, and all of course on BA metal.

I was however denied access in Geneva (which is now a "Galleries" lounge), but the explanation had nothing to do with the lounge description , but a claim that it was because my QC membership was a "paid for" card. I thought it was simply a case of confusion between the Bronze coloured QFF card and the Bronze QC card, and then I was told - wait for it - that the only exception was for QC card holders with Life Membership!!

There is a certain irony in that the BA link that Qantas try and point you at for the BA lounge locations shows LGW as having a Galleries Lounge when in fact it is still a Terraces Lounge. I know this as I was there a few days ago en route to the USA. No problem with my QC card for access, although there may have been some extenuating circumstances.

(1) I was on a BA WT+ tkt so not absolutely bottom of the class
(2) I'm also BA Blue and they want to tempt me away from QF
(3) LGW isn't T5
(4) They needed people to improve the Adult/Child ratio and make it look more like it's a business lounge and less like a creche. (It's holiday time in the UK and several of the BA LGW flights are to Florida aka Disney!)

PWOZUK

I should add that I didn't see any QF planes at LGW, so I guess the access is only until BA change the signs on the door from Terraces to Galleries

VH-RMD

it's really because the English don't actually like the Irish...

thadocta

One would have to wonder whether this could be construed as deceptive and misleading, under the Trade Practices Act. Sure, Qantas states that QP allows access to BA Terraces and Executive Club Lounges, but a relatively uninformed traveller buying QP membership may not know the difference, and perhaps there is an onus on QF to inform purchasers as to exactly how limited their BA options are.

Having ditched Qantas to fly Virgin Australia instead, I certainly would NOT be buying QF Club now, if it didn't include BA lounges in BA's home city, as well as most of the rest of the world.

Dave

Globaliser

Particularly as "Terraces and Executive Club lounges" used to include all (or virtually all) of BA's business class lounges.

AIUI, the qualification was really intended to exclude first class lounges and the Concorde Rooms (in the same way that the express reference to Admirals Clubs meant that Flagship Lounges were excluded).

So even a relatively well-informed passenger could be forgiven for thinking that the qualification continues to mean "BA business class lounges", rather than the small and shrinking subset that happen still to be known as "Terraces" or "Executive Club" lounges.

thadocta

And that is where I think Qantas might come afoul of consumer protection laws - they have sold a product with a specific expectation of a service to be provided, and that service is not being provided, it is actually being refused.

(Note, IANAL).

Dave