Currently at Birmingham airport for the first leg of our trip to Auckland. Business class flights using full avios redemption (not upgrade with avios).

Everything I've read suggests that Qatar use the Clubrooms lounge at Birmingham and that we should have access. However, check in staff had a printed out list and our names weren't on it. We were told no lounge access, but that we'll get it in Doha.

Fortunately I've got one world sapphire through Royal Jordanian status, so were able to get in the lounge that way (and check in staff wrote the lounge pass out when I showed them my membership card).

Am I incorrect in my thinking about lounge access? Has something changed? Or were check in staff (and the printed off list) wrong?

Not a great start to the trip at 5am!

Unless things have changed, looks like it should have not been the case.

May need to call Qatar CS to see what's going on.

I wouldn't bother calling them for sanity reasons, but a well worded concise email should help. Ideally the best way to deal with it would have been to speak to the duty BHX QR employed manager for an explanation/clarification, but I guess that ship has sailed.

Yeah, it seems like there's something wrong with Qatar staff not understanding that full Avios redeemed flights are eligible for lounge access. Not the first rodeo for them. I would push for a BHX QR manager next time it happens.

;w; sad that its happened to you.

The check in lady spoke to the flight controller desk which was next to us. He in turn phoned 'a manager' who apparently confirmed we didn't get lounge access. By this time it was pointless arguing, and fortunately status got us lounge access

I did try live chat on the app whilst in the lounge, but that was a total waste of time.

Will definitely follow up when I get home.

Maybe it's different at BHX, but the outstations I've used need an invite card that's provided at check in. This is certainly the case at MAN for the 1903 lounge.

I'd be very interested to hear the specific reasoning behind their denial. It's not like they don't most likely have numerous daily J redemption passengers on their flights. The only thing that i can think of is that they mistook your ticket for some sort of promotional upgrade.

They were using the invitation cards. The problem was that our name wasn't on the printed list they had, and they point blank refused to acknowledge that we should have access.

I then showed them my Royal Jordanian gold sparrowhawk status, which is one world sapphire equivalent, and they then wrote out a lounge invitation for us.

The flight controller who was on the phone to a manager didn't seem to understand the difference between a full avios redemption (which is what we'd done) and an upgrade with avios even though I explained it a couple of times.

According to QR website on "Worldwide Lounges", QR has no contract lounge in BHX, one of the few outports that don't include any contract lounge for business class / status economy class passengers.
Technically avios redemption tickets should include lounge access. However, when QR doesn't have any agreements with the contract lounge in certain outports, lounge access is not the case. Sometimes meal voucher will be given upon check-in, or check-in staff will refer you to other lounges that are operated by any airlines in OneWorld.
I remembered there is one before covid, but QR "scrapped" that when BHX flights got cancelled from April 2020. Contract lounges has not been reinstated when BHX flight is operated again.

No offence, but what on earth are you talking about?

OP literally said they visited the lounge on account of their frequent flyer status, so apparently in this case they were wrongly denied access on account of their J ticket.

Secondly, the lounge search on the QR website has long been regarded as out of date.

According to this article here, QR flyers on eligible fare classes as well as per FF status, should be able to use the Clubrooms lounge at BHX.

In terms of airport lounges, passengers in Business Class (excluding Business Light tickets but including Avios redemptions) can use the Clubrooms lounge. This is, by far, the best lounge in the airport and was where we spent much of our time on Thursday.

Passengers in Economy or on Business Light tickets who hold oneworld Emerald or Sapphire status – which includes British Airways Executive Club Gold and Silver members – can also access the Clubrooms lounge if flying on Qatar Airways.

Another datapoint for this - I was told at check in that my (full Avios redemption) ticket did not confer access to the Clubrooms lounge (I knew otherwise, but didn't challenge). The staff member seemed skeptical and it seemed as if the system was telling her that, but she suggested we go anyway.

We went and were beeped in without issue (computer didn't say no) via our printed boarding passes.

it seems there is confusion about these tickets but no policy change. A quick search of the forum shows people this year similarly being denied access in EDI and CPH.

Edited to correct my statement about the check in staff member

Someone needs to email this thread to the QR UK manager...

I did suggest this to Rob at Head for Points but he said, understandably at the time I guess, that it wasn't worth bothering them for a single datapoint. It doesn't take much investigation, though, to realise it appears to be a wider issue than that.

We were similarly denied lounge access at OSL by the computer that scans the tickets. We had read other accounts of OSL lounge being overcrowded and often spuriously denying access to Avios Award Business Class tickets. On arrival At DOH I discussed this with the Al Mourjan customer support staff to advise what should have occurred. The supervisor took this on board and excused herself for a few minutes to discuss with their Manager who returned to us and confirmed that Avios Award tickets have the same status as cash tickets, and we should have been welcomed at OSL and every other lounge.

Not quite sure where that leaves us if/when this happens next. But I will definitely request at the baggage check in stage that we be provided with some written form of invitation where the lounges aren't owned by QR.