Qantas restricts guest access to Melbourne Qantas Club lounge
By David Flynn, October 3 2017
Qantas is tightening the rules on bringing guests into its Qantas Club at Melbourne Airport's domestic terminal 1 as renovations on the lounge begin.
As first reported by Australian Business Traveller in mid-August, and subsequently confirmed by Qantas, the airline plans an extensive make-over for both the Qantas Club and Business Lounge.
But once the work itself begins in mid-November, the staged construction will see a much smaller Qantas Club through to the second half of 2018.
As a result, Gold-grade frequent flyers and Qantas Club members will be unable to bring a guest into the Qantas Club during the busy peak hours from 5am to 9am and from 3pm to 7pm.
Outside those hours, guest access will remain available – as will the use of complimentary lounge invitations – although Qantas notes this will still be "subject to lounge availability."
Happily for Qantas Platinum card-holders there's currently no restriction on bringing guests into the Business Lounge.
Read more: All-new Qantas Business Lounge, Qantas Club for Melbourne
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
07 Mar 2017
Total posts 20
Well that's a pain!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Sep 2012
Total posts 241
Just curious... what about Qantas Club members? Are their guest entitlements the same?
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2554
Nope, no guesting for anybody during peak hours.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Nov 2016
Total posts 14
Except platinum and above
17 Jun 2016
Total posts 8
I hope they apply this to children in the lounge full stop.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
07 Mar 2017
Total posts 20
Children are frequent flyers too! My kids hold gold and can access the lounge in their own right.
04 Oct 2017
Total posts 2
Great! But they must be with an adult at all times. ( liquor license )
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 470
There's no problem with well-behaved children. Better that than the moron I saw in the lounge over the weekend having a skype conversation in the middle of the lounge, when there were several more private areas available.
06 Jun 2017
Total posts 27
Qantas use to have a declared no mobile zone. Staff couldn’t monitor tossers who came into the zone to use their phone because it was “quieter” .
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Jan 2017
Total posts 3
Sorry - way to generalised a statement. My child entered Qantas Club from when a baby (he is now a young adult). He was never a disturbance to other guests. What perhaps could be better controlled is when parents are not adequately supervising their children.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
14 Mar 2017
Total posts 155
You must be great fun at parties...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
14 Oct 2016
Total posts 64
Can you clarify if the Peak Times' apply Monday - Friday, or over the 7 day week?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Nov 2011
Total posts 363
I think you can safely assume Monday to Friday. Don't recall 600am on a Sunday being peak period....
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2554
The info from Qantas didn't specify weekdays only, but we're checking back with them on this... one would like to think weekends might be an exception.
27 Mar 2018
Total posts 2
Has there been an update on this? The qantas website still only claimes "peak" times and doesn't verify if this is 7 days a week or only Monday-Friday.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
14 Oct 2016
Total posts 64
That may be the case, but having spent an hour in the 90% full Business lounge at 1800pm on a Sunday night. I still think it's worth asking the question.
23 May 2014
Total posts 123
Sounds like it's going to be a zoo during the renovations - it already gets pretty crowded over the peak. Might need to find a decent spot in the terminal somewhere as a backup...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Apr 2016
Total posts 6
How does this apply to Emirates and Oneworld frequent flyers and their guest allocations?
13 Sep 2016
Total posts 178
I'd expect that the same rules will apply because there's no way Qantas would be tougher on paying Qantas Club members than frequent flyers with some other airline. It'll basically be "no guests for anybody" in those prescribed hours.
05 May 2016
Total posts 634
QF presumably will cite capacity constraints to deny guests for OWS and the Emirates equivalent during those times.
04 Oct 2017
Total posts 2
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Aug 2014
Total posts 74
Well Qantas that that mean members get a discount????
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Mar 2013
Total posts 135
I think you already know the answer to that one...
04 May 2016
Total posts 34
QP discount ? Of course not. They're 'enhancing' the QP .... by making it smaller for a half a year or more. You should feel lucky they're letting paid members in at all. ;) There was no discount or refund when other QP 'privileges' (not 'rights') evaporated.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
13 Mar 2015
Total posts 5
I know that when I travel with a friend or partner. The Qantas Club is one of the reasons of purchasing Qantas Club Membership. So am to leave my partner in the coffee shop while I soak it up in the club on my own, I’m tipping that both of us will be in the coffee shop drinking overpriced coffee. Let’s face it, it’s not a cheap membership.!! I can smell an class action brewing !!!!!!
05 May 2016
Total posts 634
You can time your flying if you are flexible to avoid peak times. It's not ideal, but it can be done. However if there are major flight delays one would expect the no guests could extend for longer hours at those times.
29 Jun 2016
Total posts 6
Another reason why I rarely fly Qantas these days. Over crowded lounges and arrogance is not what I expect when I pay many thousands of dollars to fly Business Class. Thankfully, so far, Virgin has been superb. SYD & LAX lounges using Etihad are vastly different & superior to my experience in the Qantas Lounges. The service in flight, even more.
05 May 2016
Total posts 634
QF could have shut the lounge completely and done the refurb faster. They're trying to strike the right balance though it won't please everyone.
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2554
Agreed, and well said. Yes, limiting guesting during peak hours is an inconvenience, but it's the smallest possible inconvenience while these two lounges are transformed into what I'm confident will be the best domestic lounges in Australia. Plenty of people complaining but nobody seems to have a better, more practical solution, and if such exists I'm sure Qantas would have rolled that out.
27 Apr 2017
Total posts 38
'the best domestic lounges in Australia' lol. The new Melbourne Qantas Club will have no natural light -- it will be a dim dungeon like the Qantas International Business Lounge and Brisbane Qantas Club. The Canberra and Sydney Qantas Clubs are far superior with their abundant natural light, even though the Sydney one is overdue for a refurbishment.
05 May 2016
Total posts 634
The Adelaide QANTAS Club has abundant natural light as well (though there's no separate Business Lounge there).
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
07 Oct 2013
Total posts 5
after reading all the above comments which are valid, haven't heard of any better solution than the one they have gone with ?
does anyone have a better solution ?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Oct 2017
Total posts 2
I tend to agree the decision is fair and reasonable. Come on, its only temporary.... as frequent traveler we can live with it for sure...and expect a better lounge after the renovation!
27 Apr 2017
Total posts 38
'its only temporary': It's from mid-November through to the second half of 2018. That could well be 12+ months. Certainly not a short period of inconvenience.
05 May 2016
Total posts 634
Well if they closed the lounge completely they could do the refurb faster but the inconvenience would be a lot greater.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
29 Mar 2015
Total posts 94
some people just seem to like complaining. If Qantas didn't do the upgrades I'll bet those same people would be complaining about the "tired" lounge. they have given advance notice, its for a limited time each work day, it affects guest of members and not members themselves. In all honesty what did you expect Qantas to do? I look forward to the refreshed Lounges.
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