Yetak

Here-basically an old QF press release.


https://www.qantas.com/travel/airlin...unge/global/en



Passengers eligible to use the lounge will include:

Qantas Club members;
Qantas Business and First Class passengers
Platinum One, Platinum and Gold members of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program; and
Passengers travelling in tiered cabins on partner airlines with a QF code.
Until the new Qantas lounge opens, eligible passengers will continue to have access to the British Airways and American Airlines lounges at Heathrow.

I can’t post the link as I don’t have enough posts to be permitted that privilege !

serfty

Thanks for that ... hmmm ... early 2017 opening ...

I suspect access for oneworld has simply been omitted from that blurb.

djsflynn

Yes, "early 2017" became March, which then became mid-year, then Sept/Oct and then finally landed on November.

And yes also to the omission of Oneworld from the original press release, we actually communicated that back to QF PR and they of course confirmed usual Oneworld access rules apply.

I'll be interested to see the opening hours, however, as QF10 departs around noon (will be a smidge later when QF10 becomes the Boeing 787 LHR-PER service) and QF2 currently departs 8.45pm – will that mean open from perhaps 8am to early arvo and then pull down the shutters for a coupla hours, or just keep the lounge open from earlier and all the way through until the QF2 crowd begin to arrive (if QF for example strikes a lounge access deal with other airlines, as they've done at HKG for example).

Yetak

Thanks for the clarification. I hope it stays open ( if it’s open by 25th Jan!) all day-I’m on LAS flight at 1550 seems like we might have the place to ourselves!

I don’t think many people like myself ,who don’t travel long haul that frequently, realise you can utilise other one world lounges. I certainly didn’t until I discovered this forum a week or so ago.
Eventually word gets out though I guess.It does seem strange that it’s shared between business and first I imagine a lot of BA galleries patrons will end up in there if it’s any good and will eventually get crowded. Seems a strange way to treat your own f passengers.

Firipu

I hope it's worth the long wait! Though Oneworld Sapphires and Emeralds are already spoiled by a lot of other decent lounge options at T3 already

djsflynn

Quite so, and I even know some people who do travel frequently – enough to be QF Gold or Platinum – yet still don't know they can use the lounges of Oneworld partners such as CX and BA.

They're not my any measure dumb – these are sharp-minded people, professionals – it's just that flying for them is very much an A-to-B affair, it's part of the job and they give FF-related aspects relatively little thought as consequence.

I was chatting to a business journo earlier this month who was flying QF business class LHR-SYD, QF directed him to BA's T3 lounge – he was commenting on how dire it is and how he's looking forward to Qantas opening its own lounge, of course I queried why he didn't use the CX lounges. He had no idea that was possible, because he's not up to speed on Oneworld.

This chap is one of the country's top business journalists, award-winning and all that, but things like airline alliances simply are not on his radar because they don't need to be... and there are a LOT of people like that, I'd suggest they are way in the majority compared to the FT set who'd be the the 0.00001%.

djsflynn

The lounge's footprint and split-level layout didn't allow for an effective F/J separation. And a lot of BA flyers are already going to the CX business class and first class lounges, the CX front-desk staff tell me... it'll be great to see just how the QF and CX business class lounges compare!

sxc

Although these days QF directs passengers to the CX lounge - they have for at least 3 months I believe.

http://www.qantas.com/travel/airline...egory=qcLounge

djsflynn

His flight was earlier in the year so would have been back in the "Go to the BA lounge" days, the CX lounge is such a step up from that!

serfty

In 2010 the BA lounge was not 'so bad'; I used to look forward to it.

Last week I did not even bother with it; waiting while sipping champagne at the AA FL until two CX flights had begun boarding¹ and then heading to the CX lounge.

¹The CX lounge can become rammed 3:30pm-5:30pm before the departure of two HKG flights.

TIMP

was at LHR on Friday - nice set of blockades where the lounge will be, with some pretty pictures on them, but no sign of it opening. Not that it will ever see me, I cant afford J/F unless its an upgrade and thats not gonna happen on the LHR route!

djsflynn

Qantas Club membership will get you through the door, as will a single-use lounge invitation from your credit card or eBay/Gumtree.

TIMP

OH! Had forgotten the Premier CC single use invites! Thanks for the reminder!

Raffles

OK!

I have my press invitation to the launch party, featuring Mr Joyce himself.

I won't give the date as it clearly isn't in the public domain but it is in November.

Firipu

That's fantastic news - can't wait for the pics and the review!