Qantas cuts lounge access for Jetstar passengers

It can only be a matter of time before this is also spread to domestic JQ flights.  Already ports like MEL and SYD have had Qantas Club effectively removed because different terminals are used but I'm sure QF may also making it a strict rule that JQ passengers, regardless of status, are not eligible for lounge access.

What QF decides to do with access for Platinum One passengers is probably moot.  I doubt many P1s fly Jetstar anyway.

Good. Removing most JQ passengers from the international lounges will solve crowding and hopefully Qantas can then spend more on uplifting the f&b better. I am 100% in favour of this. Lounge access can be part of the JQ Business ticket but if you're in economy, nope.

I can align with the frustrations of the lounge overcrowding, but another way of looking at it is most Platinum members have earned their status by flying with Qantas not with JQ. And so it was a reward for their overall group loyalty for the few times they used JQ. 

I get it from a lounge management perspective but the only time I fly Jetstar internationally is because I can't use my millions of FF points to find Qantas Reward flights. QF is forcing FFlyers to use points on Jetstar but then takes away any perks of being a Platinum FF. 20 years continuus Platinum status this year and I am starting to question my loyalty. Oh, that's right, there's no competition.......

As the article says, passengers using a QF codeshare ticket on JQ still get lounge access. When I was a QF-3K Asia hopper I always booked a QF codeshare ticket on Jeststar and used lounges just fine. Price difference was minimal and a meal was included. 

With the demise of Jetstar Asia, however, now I'm an SQ Asia hopper! 

The big question I have (which will hopefully become clear as more information comes to life) is how lounge access works when booking a Jetstar Business Max fare.

Will I be able to use the lounge based on my ff status (eg, with platinum status, can I use the First lounges in Melb-Syd-Singapore) or will I only be able to use the lounges listed on the Jetstar website?

Very specifically, I'm flying Cairns-Tokyo on a Business Max fare later in the year and the Cairns Qantas Club lounge is not listed as an available lounge on the Jetstar website. I didn't think this would be a problem as I booked knowing I would have access based on my ff status. But whether access is possible is currently unclear.

Is the below section of the article correct? Some, if not many of these passengers access the lounges based on their Gold or higher status rather than a complimentary lounge pass. Certainly for the First Class lounges, access was only available to Platinum Status or above or Platinum One Lounge invites anyway and these changes refer to complimentary lounge passes which never gave access to the F lounge 

"This will effectively remove most Jetstar passengers from the international Qantas lounges at Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – and see an end to the Qantas Platinum habit of booking a domestic leg of an international Jetstar flight in order to spend hours at the Sydney and Melbourne first class lounges."

Finally a welcome and well thought out enhancement’ from QF campus’ brains trust in Mascot. Bring back the exclusivity and relative solace of lounges I say. 

Great news, bring it in domestically as well.

I wonder how many FF Plats and Golds are affected in practice. I mostly fly Qantas domestics and avoid budget airlines on internationals. Used to fly Jetstar for hops across South East Asia, but with the demise of 3K, barely any chance of me flying Jetstar anymore.

On a different note, there is now really a vacuum of Oneworld presence for many regional routes within South East asia that originate in Indonesia or Singapore, without having to do a stopover in KUL (using MH). What a shame :-(

This one is not good:

“As of 1 July, Qantas will also crack down on how Complimentary Lounge Invitations can be used – they will “only be transferrable to someone travelling on the same flight as you.”

I usually give those passes to my son and his girlfriend when they go on holidays. I don’t need them, and my wife travels with me and comes into the lounge as my ‘guest’.

At high level am not too fussed with Jetstar changes, like Tony B I usually gift complimentary lounge invitations to partner or parents to use. With gold, I don’t need, nor does my partner on trips taking together.

When reviewing my credit cards next, not that a couple of lounge passes being part of inclusions being the primary selling point, but it will mean is a benefit I will see no value in from July. But I guess is probably more people that may not have Gold or above that still will want the benefit.

I can understand this change and hope it will stop the lounges being so full all the time.  Being based in Singapore, there are times I need to fly Scoot ( as SQ doesn't provide an option) and SQ doesn't allow Scott passengers into lounges.

QF has always been very generous with JQ lounge access, certainly doesn't apply to SQ & Scoot to use that example. But it gets me when you simply can't fly QF because it doesn't fly a route that JQ does. Be nice if the 'P1 exemption' also applied to Platinums, as this is a very practical perk and might well motivate more Golds to push to Platinum.

Management penny pinching at its best.

This is a shocking change. Fine if you’re a WP in Sydney and have half the QF network at your doorstep. For everyone else, plenty of international destinations are on JQ metal — and many of them were QF routes in the first place before they were punted to their own budget alter ego.

Expecting people to slog through the rabbit warren of Sydney Airport and wear an extra 4–6 hours of travel time is a joke. It’s lazy, Sydney-centric, and completely out of touch with how a huge number of customers actually travel.

QF International really is turning into Spirit of Sydney.

Just a dumb question. If I have pay for my lounge access.  Whitch now is to 2033. I can’t enter the lounge while flying on a Jetstar flight? However if I book my flight on the qantas app. And the only flight available is Jetstar. Can I go into the lounge?

I can fully understand the Jetstar policy but the lounge passes appears to be one of most petty cost cutting exercises Qantas has done, I am a platinum member and generally have 2 lounge passes a year which I transfer to my wife so she can join me while I am interstate on business, it seems a small and petty change but has a big impact for our partners who support all the travel we do on Qantas

Let's start a list of lounge access pieces/benefits that used to exist that are now "streamlined for my convenience" (cancelled) over the long life of QFF.  I'll start

2011 cut anytime access and cut access when flying on non-one world
2015 shut QF lounge in BKK (not so horrible and sent me to the Qatar lounge instead)
2018 overcrowding in Singapore and melboune causes restrictions on Club and Gold members.  Often being sent to other lounges (or none)
2020 Heathrow usage of AA arrivals lounge cut
2022/23 usage of passes restricted during peak summary preiods. 
2023/4 - stricter limits on children and guest
2026-Jetstar cut, transfer of passes cut

have I missed any?

The more subtle change is that Qantas is no longer selling paid Jetstar flights on its website for domestic sectors with at least a couple of daily Qantas flights (e.g., no Jetstar options from HBA-MEL or HBA-SYD, but still showing on HBA-BNE). Jetstar flights show as classic rewards on all routes still.

The food in QANTAS lounges is only free to those who do not pay for QClub access.  Those of us who pay are also paying for our own food.  

Personally I rather expel from lounges all status pax and grant access only based on class traveled including Jetstar "business" (or call it Jetstar PE that it more close to the truth). And status pax should use their status to upgrade ticket and then go to lounge.