[Anonymous]

[austline]

I flew from Perth to Adelaide yesterday with my wife. I hold platinum status and wife gold. We have been issued with new QF FF cards and baggage tags with new chip technology. I could not get the machine to work in the end a staff member, who looked harassed, took us to the service desk where we were manually checked in. The friendly check in agent said the new technology is not working and is plagued by problems. Perth was the test ground and Sydney has just cut over. To make things worse they have reduced the number of staff and check counters, passengers are left to wonder around aimlessly not knowing what is happening.
Qantas’s Perth domestic terminal is a dreadful to use. It’s always packed with fly in/out miners, Qantas has a booming trade but does not seem capable of managing the infrastructure or resources needed to run it. A week earlier we had arrived from Adelaide, no aerobridge and a considerable walk, it took us 30 minutes to get out luggage; we were told that there was congestion on the tarmac. Upon receiving your baggage you then have to fight your way through crowds and try and get to the pickup zone.
I have given up trying to connect through Perth to Johannesburg as you have to change terminals. The international is no better and the Qantas lounge is dreadful.
One would think with a booming economy the airlines and state government would be getting on with sorting out and building the proposed new terminals.

[David]

I had quite a different experience on Qantas domestic 2 weeks ago. I flew Brisbane to Sydney in economy and could not find a fault.

To begin with, I finished my meetings in Brisbane several hours early and arrived at the airport expecting to endure 4 hours in the general departures lounge. When checking in (with baggage) the agent asked if I’d like to depart on an earlier flight and promptly put me on a flight departing in just over an hour (this on an ‘unchangeable’ heavily discounted ‘red ticket’). He also suggested (as a one-world Emerald card holder, Gold on British Airways) that I might enjoy using the Qantas business lounge. I’m quite sure that while flying domestic that one is not entitled to use the lounge on an economy ticket, but true to the agent’s word, I was allowed into the lounge when I showed my BA Gold Card.

On the 1.5 hour, mid-afternoon, flight to Sydney (on a packed 767, but I was given an exit row seat) we were offered a nice coffee-house type of muffin and a choice of soft-drinks or drinks from the bar. I don’t know of any carrier which still offers complimentary bar drinks in economy on a domestic flight. Complimentary headphones were also offered for the albeit antiquated overhead projected tv programme.

Lastly, 2 minutes after arriving at the baggage belt, in Sydney my bag arrived.

My visit to the Sydney Qantas First Class lounge (flying BA in Club World) the next day, was a wonderful experience; but that’s fodder for another thread…

[VintageKrug]

BA Gold (and Silver) entitles the holder to access oneworld lounges regardless of the class of the ticket held.

BA Golds can even access BA Terraces/Galleries when not flying oneworld carriers.

QF First International Lounge is top notch.

[JohnPhelanAustralia]

Yes, as a BA Gold/OW Emerald, you are entitled to use the Qantas Business Lounge for all domestic QF flights, irrespective of the class you are travelling in.

(BA Gold is the equivalent of QF Platinum).

You also have the option of using the Qantas Club. For international flights, you can use QF First lounges (or QF international Business lounges); again, irrespective of the class of travel.

Full QF Lounge Access here:

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/qantas-club-lounge-access/global/en

[Author]

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