Yes, we are the so called "highest valued" customers.......

And you're treated better by UA, AA, etc.?

I do not travel with UA, AA - but I get better treatment at LH, LX, OS, ....
And if not, that´s then the excuse that a 5* airline, which claims to be the best, can deliver bad service and can cut down benefits without getting blaimed for? Interesting approach.....
But if it is, why we evaluate then something at all? There all the time will be a worse one, who then is used as excuse .... cool

The reality is that airlines can really only be evaluated comparatively, as there is a limited number of choices. If you feel that there's an airline with a better value proposition for passengers in J than QR (and it flies where you need to go), then that's where you should be taking your business. For me (my flying patterns, the things that are important to me, etc.), there is currently no better value proposition than QR, even with its faults. This lounge admission policy mess does alter the calculus a bit, but not enough for me to switch my business.

Yes, right, everybody does have to make his own decisions!
Nevertheless something negative should not be evaluated good, only because others do it negative as well. I am complaining here and direct to QR (with absolutely no recognition, as usual) to animate them to make an improvement, what should be the vision of every company…to improve. At least it is worth to do, for a 5* airline, or am I wrong?

I also don't travel with UA or AA but have had good service with CX and BR and EK slightly less so with BA i agree QR have been almost always great on board but customer service has been below expectations
in past 3 years I've been extremely loyal to QR always spending more on Y tickets than necessary but now I think it's false economy I just booked my next trip to bkk nearly half of the cost of QR

QR has revised its UG policy. This is not limited to points upgrades; it applies to cash upgrades as well. The fact that lounge access and luggage allowance are no longer part of the deal means that the UG has just reduced in value. It costs the same (points or cash) but delivers less. Someone at QR must have looked at people using points or cash for UGs and decided that there is sufficient demand to diminish the offering while maintaining the same price. They have the data; we don't. As it stands now, UGs don't get you the full J experience; you just get the J seat and service, priority boarding and J security lines with no additional luggage, no lounge access.

I have upgraded myself in the past. usually MEL-DOH flights. and in those situations lounge access was important because it would mean that after a day at work (then driving to the airport for an evening flight) I could shower before the long flight. These UGs look less attractive.

I'm surprised to see people questioning their loyalty to QR based on this one thing. Of course, we are all different have place value on different aspects of the flying experience. The value that an airline presents to me is determined by multiple factors. The ability to accumulate points and then use them for UGs is not a top priority, but can appreciate that this is important for others.

The impact of this change is very much exacerbated by the fact QR is primarily a transit airline, and so there is an expectation amongst passengers that they will have access to a lounge during the wait between flights - there is no option for travellers losing out through this change to just turn up at the airport later, which is what makes it particularly weird a Middle Eastern airline is implementing this policy.

On top of that, there is an obvious unfairness to outright redemptions made through other OW airlines getting lounge access when QR’s own cash passengers paying in advance to upgrade don’t. I’m not at all surprised.

I was transiting at DOH this morning, with J ticket upgraded using Qpoint, being told by staff at AM escalator that no more AM access but was advised to check at reception "because of your platinum card" and with some keystrokes by reception staff I was then admitted into AM lounge.

I have however a different understanding while chatting with staff at escalator. The reason for platinum member access with upgraded J ticket is NOT a policy but rather because at that particular time (around midnight) the usual "First class lounge" for platinum members could be overcrowded but the system might not have yet adjusted to allow platinum members accessing AM, which is a temporary measure. In other words, recently upgraded J tickets have indeed no access into AM lounge, not even for platinum members.

Good point about the transit pax!

As far as other OW redemptions, I think the Privilege Club just lost another point VS. other OW FF programs. The one thing that gets me is the points expiration policy - I don't worry about my QF points expiring because a QF credit card practically negates that, but QR earning credit cards are not available in most countries, and some points expire anyway.

Upgraded to J with miles in January and after reading all the QR bashing here and in other threads i was sceptic beeing accepted to hit the escalator up to AM. Well it took her about 1,5 seconds to scan bp and then greet me welcome also reminded me of my bordingtime for my next flight.

Me too, earlier on the 12th Feb. But as shared earlier, this is going to get sadder before it could get better, say, for QRPC Plats.

Unfortunately, FT more and more becomes a "fanboy" area, where you're actually attacked for merely stating facts.