Domestic lounge when you aren't travelling
 

Im dropping my dad at Sydney domestic for a flight to Melbourne. He has no status.

Im OW Emerald with AA. I'm not travelling.

Can we use the lounge either because it's in the entry rules or by asking nicely?

Sadly, not possible.
Shame because other way around would be fine. On several occasions I've taken my wife and kids with me into the J & QC lounge when only I'm travelling for a drink and to watch the planes.

if you want you can just buy a refundable ticket.

While the answer is no for your EXP status, QFF WP status would allow this -- a benefit of QF status vs the "equivalent" AA status. Hence why I have both :)

Not true. Anytime access for Platinum members has been removed

A Platinum member has to be travelling that day in order to use a lounge

I would strongly advise against it. Airlines have been prosecuting people who did this and did win in court.

Correct. About 10 years ago? IIRC, it actually took us some writing to QF Management to get at least lounge use on arrival back as part of the benefits.

Highly doubt they would waste their time for a one-off, how would they even know? And what exactly would they be persecuting for? Is there some law against getting refunds on refundable tickets?

Seems like the burden of proof would be on the airline to prove the person had no intention of using their refundable ticket. Then again there is nothing in the terms of conditions saying you have to fly using a refundable ticket, hence it being "refundable."

Americans do it all the time here in the States to bypass TSA checkpoints to access lounges and no airline has ever wasted their time going to court about it. Just my two cents and a suggestion i guess.

Whether there it is likely to be prosecuted doesn't make using the services when having no intention of paying for it any better does it?

Suggesting what would seem to be nigh on fraudulent seems to be rather poor

IMO this is quite possible. As a QF WP entering the lounge I've only ever had to flash the card, never an actual BP (not in the last few years anyway), even when guesting. Admittedly I've never tried this as an AA EXP however if I were in your situation I'd give it a go. If you are questioned and get denied, big deal. If you don't try you'll never know. :)

i was thinking this may be the case. QF don't seem that strict on lounge access. I didn't realise you can't wear flip-flops in the Perth domestic biz lounge, so I fronted up in a pair of shorts and thongs (ok they were leather designer thongs, but they were still thongs). Fortunately the lounge dragon was quick to spot my :cough: :cough: foot injury which was preventing me from wearing enclosed shoes that day, so in the lounge I went.

However for this upcoming SYD-MEL trip, I've decided to go ultra cheap and I've bought my dad a ticket on Jetstar ;)

Even if you could get in, it would seem better to just drop off closeish to departure time and not worry about a lounge which is going to be in a different terminal to which he is departing from

All the joy of the SYD T3 QF lounge quickly evaporates when you leave the lounge and trek over to T2 and go through security (again) and mingle with the VA, TT and JQ riff-raff. Allow minimum of 20 min after leaving the T3 lounge to joining the T2 queue for your JQ flight. And remember that scrum for overhead space - no priority boarding ..

[mod hat] Fully agree. And after having established this we can also say that such suggestions have no room here. [/mod hat]

You're absolutely correct.

However in practice it seems flashing the card has been enough with no actual proof of travel. However there's always the chance, that an agent may want to scan the card and then when they find there's no current day flight associated with it then things could get tricky.

I've always used when flying, or after arrival from a flight, and I've never actually seen an agent scan a card, but it is absolutely their right to do so to validate same day travel.

Of course this only relates to QF Platinum/Platinum One. Another OWE could not do this.

IME various QF Dom J Lounges go through phases of actually scanning cards/ BP. The OP might or might not get lucky. I just wouldn't risk the embarrassment. If I'm at the airport, not flying and need to use the lounge to go to the bathroom or print something off I just show my card and ask politely. I have never been refused access in these circumstances.