Heathrow - Terminal 5
#241
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: NSW
Programs: QF P1 + LTG VA Plat, AA nothing, HH Diamond, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 764
Thanks for the pick-up blackcloud, thadocta and nonce now where is Red Roo and QF ???Really this has been dragging on for so long I think they are just hoping it all blows over, senate enquiries aside.
What's happening in the "commercial in confidence " negotiations ?
What's happening in the "commercial in confidence " negotiations ?
#242
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,642
Welcome to FT, beresfordbear007!Actually, we still don't know (and we may never know) whether the change in policy is because QF has decided not to pay or because BA has decided not to allow access.
#243
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP/LTG | UA P
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Conspiracy theory: if the Poms win the Test match, the T5 issue will be quietly put to bed. If Oz win the cricket, then we won't even be allowed into T5 let alone the lounge.
#244
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: NUE,MUC,INN,FDH
Programs: QF LTG, LH (SEN*** till 02/26), AF, AA, AB-G†
Posts: 2,075
And after the next Soccer match Germany vs. England I will be shot entering T5 - a Kraut holding a FF-Card from the colonies - two evils in one person!
#245
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold(OWE), QF LTG, MR Plat, IHG Spire, Hertz PC
Posts: 8,156
Thanks for the pick-up blackcloud, thadocta and nonce now where is Red Roo and QF ???Really this has been dragging on for so long I think they are just hoping it all blows over, senate enquiries aside.
What's happening in the "commercial in confidence " negotiations ?
What's happening in the "commercial in confidence " negotiations ?
Last edited by Traveloguy; Dec 30, 2011 at 7:25 pm Reason: Smart phone spelling weirdness!
#246
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: On the beach
Programs: QF P1 (OWE) LTG (OWS)
Posts: 822
Personally I would not holdy breath when it comes to getting anything from Red Roo. QF has not mastered social media and of you look at this forum vs other airlines, one can see why QF is becoming more a follower from behind rather than a leader. Compare the BA forum to QF is like night and day (in respect to social media interaction).
I'm QF Plat...nothing BA but have received mulitiply offers of assistance from BA staff members that have helped my family & I immensely^
#248
In Memoriam
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Location: Katoomba (Blue Mountains)
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#249
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Melbourne
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Actually, someone has has the time to do some digging - there's been some quite interesting recent posts on this topic:
Originally Posted by kooky
"for most paid lounge memberships" that may be true. But QF didn't sell it as that. Did you see this link? Flying with Us - Qantas Club - for at least 7-8 years they were sold as being access to 250 lounges(all the archive.org pages between from 2002-2009 lead with "250" lounges as the very first thing you read).
Now get this - here's where QF made the big change to their headline!
Look at the difference between these two snapshots of Qantas Club homepage:
2002 - Feb 15, 2009:
Fly - The Qantas Club
"Feel welcome at over 250 lounges worldwide"
Feb 28, 2009:
Fly - The Qantas Club
"Feel welcome at over 130 lounges worldwide"
(give them a sec to load & refresh)
So from one week to the other in Feb 2009, 120 lounges were dropped from their headline. That's 48% less lounges, man.
Please explain.
Originally Posted by ajw373
So they shouldn't go on their European holiday then. Afterall they would be in the same boat regardless of what airline they fly, because other than Qantas and AA there aren't many paid airline club memberships and certainly other than those two airlines few if any that offer reciprocal lounge rights. In other words for most paid lounge memberships you pay for access to that airlines lounge, not some third party airline, which is what BA is.
So they shouldn't go on their European holiday then. Afterall they would be in the same boat regardless of what airline they fly, because other than Qantas and AA there aren't many paid airline club memberships and certainly other than those two airlines few if any that offer reciprocal lounge rights. In other words for most paid lounge memberships you pay for access to that airlines lounge, not some third party airline, which is what BA is.
Now get this - here's where QF made the big change to their headline!
Look at the difference between these two snapshots of Qantas Club homepage:
2002 - Feb 15, 2009:
Fly - The Qantas Club
"Feel welcome at over 250 lounges worldwide"
Feb 28, 2009:
Fly - The Qantas Club
"Feel welcome at over 130 lounges worldwide"
(give them a sec to load & refresh)
So from one week to the other in Feb 2009, 120 lounges were dropped from their headline. That's 48% less lounges, man.
Please explain.
Originally Posted by ajw373
...
Interestingly not sure if anyone else picked it up, but on the two pages you linked to if you click on Europe says the loumges in London that can be used are:
London - British Airways, Terraces (Terminal 4), and The Galleries Club lounge and The Galleries First lounge (Terminal 5).
First time I have ever seen any mention of galleries. These must have dropped off when Qantas moved to T3.
...
Interestingly not sure if anyone else picked it up, but on the two pages you linked to if you click on Europe says the loumges in London that can be used are:
London - British Airways, Terraces (Terminal 4), and The Galleries Club lounge and The Galleries First lounge (Terminal 5).
First time I have ever seen any mention of galleries. These must have dropped off when Qantas moved to T3.
#250
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The sudden reduction from 250 to 130 lounges seems unlikely to have been due to this issue, because surely there can't be as many as many as 120 Galleries lounges worldwide? It seems likely that some other QF counting problem was at work.
#251
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 485
Galleries Vs Terrace/Executive
The crux of this matter seems to lie in the understanding of the type of BA lounge. To use the term "Standard BA lounge" would be a misnomer given the caveat described in the Qantas Club polices for the use of BA lounges.
While Qantas has been clear that only Terrace and Executive Club lounges are available for use by Qantas Club members, what they have failed to do is to provide a context to that caveat. The reality is that BA is in the process of upgrading all of its lounges from the 90s looking Terrace to the more plush Galleries lounges. To date only 3 lounges in the UK are Terrace lounges (LHR is not one of them) with a great number of Terrace lounges in the United States and Europe being refurbished to the new Galleries. What this means to Qantas Club members is an increasing number of BA lounges, which are out of bounds to them and the corresponding drop in value of a Qantas Club membership.
Now unless someone from Qantas is prepared to fix this and work a deal with BA to allow Qantas Club member use of ALL Terrace, Executive and Galleries lounges, I fear there may be an exodus of frequent flyers to Star Alliance (Currently United Club is only USD 475 p.a. plus a one off USD 50 admin fee).
The only reason I fly BA is due to the access to BA lounges. If BA lounges are increasingly unavailable to Qantas Club members, coupled with the weakness of Qantas' international network I shall be forced to switch to SQ, which already has more frequent flights out of Australia and better connections to Asia/Europe/USA with LH/BD/UA out of SIN/LHR/FRA. Increasingly with the prospect of Virgin Australia being part of Star Alliance, the thought of abandoning Qantas and OneWorld seems even more enticing.
While Qantas has been clear that only Terrace and Executive Club lounges are available for use by Qantas Club members, what they have failed to do is to provide a context to that caveat. The reality is that BA is in the process of upgrading all of its lounges from the 90s looking Terrace to the more plush Galleries lounges. To date only 3 lounges in the UK are Terrace lounges (LHR is not one of them) with a great number of Terrace lounges in the United States and Europe being refurbished to the new Galleries. What this means to Qantas Club members is an increasing number of BA lounges, which are out of bounds to them and the corresponding drop in value of a Qantas Club membership.
Now unless someone from Qantas is prepared to fix this and work a deal with BA to allow Qantas Club member use of ALL Terrace, Executive and Galleries lounges, I fear there may be an exodus of frequent flyers to Star Alliance (Currently United Club is only USD 475 p.a. plus a one off USD 50 admin fee).
The only reason I fly BA is due to the access to BA lounges. If BA lounges are increasingly unavailable to Qantas Club members, coupled with the weakness of Qantas' international network I shall be forced to switch to SQ, which already has more frequent flights out of Australia and better connections to Asia/Europe/USA with LH/BD/UA out of SIN/LHR/FRA. Increasingly with the prospect of Virgin Australia being part of Star Alliance, the thought of abandoning Qantas and OneWorld seems even more enticing.
#252
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,435
If another airline better meets ones needs, then makes sense to change but I doubt very much that this would impact OW much
#253
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Wellington
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Posts: 4,669
I doubt this; I suspect that the majority of QC members have membership for use of Qantas lounges and that it is a small minority that purchase it for BA access; those flying BA are hardly a core concern for Qantas I would suspect
If another airline better meets ones needs, then makes sense to change but I doubt very much that this would impact OW much
If another airline better meets ones needs, then makes sense to change but I doubt very much that this would impact OW much
Totally agree with you on this one Dave Noble.
#254
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 485
I doubt this; I suspect that the majority of QC members have membership for use of Qantas lounges and that it is a small minority that purchase it for BA access; those flying BA are hardly a core concern for Qantas I would suspect
If another airline better meets ones needs, then makes sense to change but I doubt very much that this would impact OW much
If another airline better meets ones needs, then makes sense to change but I doubt very much that this would impact OW much
#255
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,435
Hi DaveNoble. I agree with you from the perspective of domestic travel. However if you're flying internationally the United Club option does seem quite attractive. Especially since QF fares ex AU is sold at a considerable premium. Dollars saved flying TH or SQ will more than make up for the cost of United Club at USD 475 a year.
If UA membership is of value to someone, then maybe that will sway them to using Star, but in relation to the comment I replied to, the lack of BA lounge access may be annoying to some, but I cannot see it making any real impact to Qantas or OW