Qantas tightens lounge access rules for Emirates passengers

I agree, can't trust Qantas management these days. Although some believe that this change is fair, ultimately the QC is there for those who do travel often but just not often enough to gain enough status credits. 

At the end of the day QC members are paying far in excess for what they get back, so to restrict access any further will just be about cost cutting. 

Agreed - I would think this was driven by EK not by QF.

Given EK don't have paid membership to lounges, being a Qanhtas Club member was a backdoor to paid EK lounge membership.

This is BA all over again!

i agree...makes sense to me.. the thing is, some people confuse QANTAS CLUB (membership) with QANTAS F/F(tier benefits)...Q CLUB  members seem to think they have all the rights/benefits of a high tier F/F

the differences are easily viewable via QANTAS.COM

QC membership was roughly the same as silver membership...so what's the big deal?

I visited the lounge maybe 4 times a year...and paid $485 for the membership. My cost/visit was most likely higher than what they spent on me as a "guest". And no, I didnt get treated like royalty there for the record.

It's sickening how far up themselves the "high flyers" seem to be.

I choose to fly EK or EY because in their infinite "wisdom", QF was smart enough to give EK code-shares on all their routes more or less, while only taking back a fraction. There are no QF codes for the EK6## flights from DXB into the sub-continent.

Not that I would change my flying preferences, but now QF won't get the $485 they were getting from me as "free money" either.

Well said, cue the whingers!

The issue is that in the old days, Qantas Club membership got you a whole lot more than it does now -- I don't know the exact rules but I seem to remember it was pretty much any oneworld lounge while flying pretty much any oneworld airline.

These benefits have been slowly eroding over the years, while the price of membership has only been going up. Isn't that enough to be an "issue" for people? (Especially those who paid through the nose for life memberships some years ago?)

Or:

Let's make Qantas Club holders book with Qantas to use overseas Lounges....

That makes perfect sense. 

While I don't disagree with this when flights have both a QF and EK code availability, it does cause problems for QC members flying out of Perth, as well as those flying to EK destinations where QF currently do not codeshare. 

I am in this boat.  As a QC member, I was planning to book through Qantas to fly to MLA, however no QF codeshare exists between DXB and MLA, just the EK flight.  THis will now lock me out the Dubai lounge, and as a VA Plat, makes the option of flying EY to MLA via FCO too appealing, especially given I will get access to EY's F lounge.

And before the QF/EK tie up, which lounge would you have used when heading to MLA?  Which airline site would you have booked On? 

Would you have still gotten lounge access as a Club member when transiting to another airline?

Pre the QF/EK tie up, I would have had access to the lounge in Singapore during transit.  That's not the point however.  What I was  getting at is that QF became the airline of choice for me to MLA given that EK fly directly to MLA from DXB, and I would have had lounge access during transit.  With this benefit now gone, I have to seriously weigh up the option of an extra leg from FCO to MLA (which is very short) to get lounge access at AUH, or have no lounge access at DXB.  I'm now very much leaning towards the former.

 As I mentioned, I get the logic of only allowing QC members access when on a QF codeshare, it's just a shame that many customers just do not have that option when QF doesn't codeshare with EK. 

The situations aren't the same though - you have paid Qantas Club membership not QF status. If you have VA paid membership I dare say you wouldn't have any EY lounge access either.

Can't disagree with that at all Madge.  I was purely looking at it from my current situation and not the situation in general.

As a WP,  you don't lose anything.  This change relates to Qantas Club members only, who have no status other than bought and paid for membership.

even as a PLATINUM F/F you dont get it!!! hmmmmmm

'switch' by all means ADAM.. if you dont even understand the difference between PLATINUM F/F and QANTAS CLUB..lol 

Not sure I follow your point. QF WP get Lounge Access at any Emirates Lounge when flying EK.  

Sorry, the point is that they are just chopping and chopping... I don't care what they do to the "paid" memberships, and agree with the above/below that it possibly should have been that way already. 

I'm just saying it doesn't look good when they are cutting into these programs all the time, but never reaally seem to be adding much for anyone.

As a platinum I say chop all the silver and gold members too! Platinum or nothing! :p

So no new lounges in HKG, SIN or LAX then.

Maybe you shoudl self-exclude from these substantially upgraded lounges, given you think all Qantas is doing is taking away priveliges.

Hmmm, personally i hope QF don't listen to clowns who like taking benefits away from others who have paid for them, but that's just me... 

Anyway as usual this will suck for Perth residents...  But hopefully they just turn to other airlines...

There are QF flight codes ex PER showing on the QF Website on EK metal?  How does that specifically suck for Perth residents who are Qantas Club? 

If booking on the QF Web page, on a QF flight code, which is on EK metal, the Qantas Club card would still grant access in DXB? 

On a quick review there are no QF codes on QFF Award tickets on EK metal. QP members flying out post 1st Oct on Y Awards on EK will have no lounge access at either DXB or LHR.

Should also have added PER above as there are no QF codes out if there either

With all due respect to QP members on Awards with no status, really, why should they?  

Sure the argument will go that a QP ex SYD to LHR on an Award on QF1/2 or 9/10 will get lounge access, but I wonder what the QP and Award and Perth combination really brings up on the Qantas system? I'd wager not very much,  so the instance of upsetting a QP heading to Europe on Award points would be fairly minimal in the scheme of things.

The most stupid F.UP statement you have made on this site.As a plat 1 i dont care but if it was not for QF CLUB signups you and i would have nothing.Shame on you.  

No, exactly. Why should a QP gain access to EK lounges when on an EK ticket? 

To me, that has never made much sense. 

How so?

QCs would be relatively infreuent in lounge acess, and I doubt QF would be paying more than $50+ per lounge visitor to a partner. At $485/year, it would be $48/visit even for 10 visits.

Or they could be losig money...QF will somehow find a way to lose money if someone wrote them a blank cheque.

The 2 plus children rules are only applicable to Qantas operated lounges... rules are different for all the qantas lounges that Qantas don't operate - there are many of them overseas, not just Dubai.

I take 50 - 60 QA flights a year all flexi fares, when I go on a family holiday I also get hit by these stupid rules. It's just really bad business to treat frequent flyers like that, you can tell Joyce is a bean counter not a marketter.

And why is that? As a (relatively) infrequent traveller, I pay QF more than what I get back on the lounges.

At $485/year, and maybe 4-5 lounge visits a year, my cost/visit is probably well above what they would be spending on me as a "guest" there.

It's borderline revolting how self-entitled some "frequent" flyers seem to  be...yes you fly a bazillion miles a year and get lounge access, that doesn't mean people who have paid good money to be there deserve to be shown the door.

Some people on this forum really need to get off their high horses.

You booked under the standard Terms and Conditions of the flight. I am sure it didn't give you the written terms anywhere that gave you express authority to use the lounges? Sorry to say, but unless you cancel the booking and choose to go another route, on another carrier, you have little recourse I would expect. 

Given there are plenty of through flights to NBO on QF code share flights, you could alway rebook on the QF code instead.

You're right abt the t&c. I usually preferred QF but the timing with the particular EK flight (not available under QF?) has the shortest wait time. Also, flight centre agent assured me, otherwise I would have booked QF, albeit more expensive.

will check cancellation fee or alternately check if I could purchase lounge day fee. Hm....

See, there is your problem.... "Flight Centre".....  Book direct, online. Always better dealing with the airlines direct. IMHO.