Overcrowding in Qantas’ Singapore lounge has been a major issue in recent months, ever since the airline decided to ditch Dubai in favour of Singapore as its hub for flights to London.
The lounge simply wasn’t designed to accommodate that many people, and the problem has been made worse by Qantas adding capacity on the Sydney-Singapore route in July and August.
To combat the issue, Qantas has been turning away some Qantas Club members and even gold-level frequent flyers during peak periods, redirecting them instead to the inferior SATS Premier Lounge.
Now, AusBT reports that Qantas is implementing a policy that all Qantas Club members will be denied entry to the lounge during July and August, instead getting access to the SATS lounge plus 5,000 Qantas Points as compensation.
Passengers with complimentary Qantas lounge invites can also use the SATS lounge, but they won’t get the 5,000 points.
While this reduces the likelihood that gold-level customers will be turned away during peak periods, Qantas says it retains the discretion to do so if conditions warrant it.
If you’re a gold or platinum member, or a business or first class passenger, and you’re turned away from the Qantas lounge or you simply want more peace and quiet, you should know that you’re entitled to use one of the other oneworld lounges (the British Airways lounge would be my pick) as well as the Emirates lounge. Unfortunately Qantas Club members and lounge pass holders travelling in economy or premium economy don’t have access to any of these lounges.
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