Why Would You Pay $50 for Airline Lounge Access?

LTimOfEastBNE on 20/04/2018 - 14:24
Last edited 21/04/2018 - 10:44 by 1 other user

There are heaps of Qantas Club and Virgin Lounge passes trading hands in the OzB Classifies all the time, and they seem to start at $50 for long expiry and come down from there. No one seems willing to part with a pass for less than $30, even if it is about to expire (seems crazy to knock back an offer then have the pass simply expire) I've been a regular user of both QC and VL over a number of years, but I don't see there is $50 of value in there, unless perhaps you have a very long wait for your flight.

Yes, I can knock back quite a few drinks in an hour (and have) and you could say it is good value for that, but the food options in both lounges are pretty poor (with no options to buy anything more than the buffet on offer) and personally I'd rather spend $50 on food and drinks inside the airport, with the fare offered these days improving considerably compared to a few years back…

So, if you a someone who buys lounge access, why do you? And what makes you feel it is worth $50?

ToM

• 

  theoracle30 on 20/04/2018 - 14:32

  +2

  Sometimes I will buy them as birthday gifts for friends who are travelling. I agree, they're not the best value at $40 (which is the max I'll usually pay), however they tend to make a very 'unique' gift to the occasional traveler who has never been to a lounge before. They are usually quite surprised and excited to get one. They tend to appreciate the experience more than a frequent business traveler.

  I usually ensure they are departing from an airport which has a decent lounge before I buy a pass.

  I would buy a QF pass for myself if I had a flight departing from a nice Qantas International lounge - thinking London, Singapore, Hong Kong or Brisbane International currently.

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  dealymcdealerson on 20/04/2018 - 14:35

  Can somebody tell me what one gets access to in a Qantas Lounge?

  • 

    chumlee on 20/04/2018 - 14:43

    +13

    You get to sit with a large number of people waiting for a plane flight

  • 

    singlemalt72 on 20/04/2018 - 14:47

    +2

    Lounge access includes buffet meals, free drinks, desk access with printers available, more room to relax than the departure hall (except for rush times when it is packed), shower, newspapers/magazines and a few other things I can't think of atm.

    • 

      dealymcdealerson on 20/04/2018 - 14:48

      Thank you singlemalt72!

      Free Alcoholic drinks?

      • 

        singlemalt72 on 20/04/2018 - 14:49

        +4

        Yep …. as many as you wish and can still bluff your drunk arse onto the plane :)

      • 

        dealymcdealerson on 20/04/2018 - 14:57

        +1

        I can definitely drink my $50 worth! haha

    • 

      chumlee on 20/04/2018 - 14:52

      +5

      Buffet meals?

      You can make toast, cereal, ham sandwich etc with food people are breathing and coughing over.

      Seriously unless your employer pays for lounge access you are better off just going to a cafe at the airport.

      • 

        singlemalt72 on 20/04/2018 - 14:57

        Simple buffet:
        Coldcuts
        salads
        Breads
        Pasta bake

        Changes through the day

        nothing amazing, but filling nonetheless

        OP can go here for more info
        http://loungeindex.com/Oceania/Australia/index.htm

      • 

        TimOfEastBNE on 20/04/2018 - 15:42

        chances are if they don't pay for your lounge access you can expense the cost of getting a meal outside the lounge anyway

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  capslock on 20/04/2018 - 14:50

  +1

  A group of 3 may only have access for 2 so they might buy a lounge pass so they can all go in.

  • 

    TimOfEastBNE on 20/04/2018 - 15:06

    if any of the 2 have access because they are gold or platinum they can bring the 3rd in as a guest anyway…

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  AdosHouse on 20/04/2018 - 15:07

  +4

  I've never bought a lounge pass off someone, but I have purchased lounge entry on my 2 trips to Europe. Because let me tell you, when I get off a 14 hour flight, and in 3-4 hours I have another 8 hour leg, I am having a goddamn shower. It's the most important thing for me, and I don't use the free public showers, I like a nice slow private shower to get me feeling worlds better.

  Also the food, drinks, big comfy chairs, and quieter areas are a bonus.

  • 

    try2bhelpful on 20/04/2018 - 16:56

    +1 on the shower. We managed to luck onto the cheap Virgin round the world business class flights last year. We flew from Hong Kong to London and had a little bit of a wait before we got on a train from London to Paris. Being able to use the lounge for second breakfast, a shower and somewhere quiet to wait until we had to go on the train to Paris was wonderful.

    The lounge is also good if you have an early morning flight as you can have breakfast and a shower before you get on a plane to fly somewhere; instead of having to do this before you leave home.

    Also some lounges have their own security access so you can bypass the enormous queues being checked at standard security.

    Earlier this year we had a 6 hour delay for a 10 hour flight to Hawaii. It would've been lovely to have spent that time in a lounge instead of the standard wait areas.

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  GG57 on 20/04/2018 - 15:28

  +1

  We have let our Qantas Club membership lapse, for a number of reasons:
  - Not travelling as much for work as we did previously. When we did, they were useful for a quick snack / drink before the flight, at no cost.
  - Not travelling internationally as frequently now.
  Even flights booked as Qantas, some flights (if not operated by Qantas) do not qualify for lounge access (e.g. Heathrow).
  If you are on a QF flight, the transit lounges in HK and Sing did make it worth it.
  - For our international flights now, we usually find better (i.e. more direct, cheaper) flights with other carriers.

  Flew to NZ last week, and had a large meal and a drink for less than $50 at one of the many cafes within the departure terminal.

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  aarn on 20/04/2018 - 16:20

  +7

  I flew JStar BKK (via MEL) to CNS about two years ago. Got Jstarred in MEL ie my connecting flight was cancelled (<70% occupancy, so Qantas [daddy of JStar] cancelled the flight). Offered a seat to Cairns on a later flight or (profanity)-goaway-getlost. Turned a 2hr layover into an 8 hour vigil. With the 20 bucks in my pocket, was able to buy a $6 sandwich and $10 beer, in the plebian transit lounge. If I had had a $50 voucher, could have dined/drank well in the Qlounge. Might even have bumped into Alan Joyce, told him to keep up the good work on gay marriage but stop the absolute bs. 'JStar cares for its customers'. Enough, am still ropable…

  • 

    capslock on 20/04/2018 - 16:42

    +1

    Wow long detour.

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  idonotknowwhy on 20/04/2018 - 16:29

  I like to nap across the sofas when it's not too busy.
  A shot of whisky and a 90 minute nap is worth $50 to me.

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  Ozbargainlyf on 20/04/2018 - 17:49

  +1

  Worth it if there's an international business lounge, eg Hong Kong. Not worth it at food courts that are the domestic Qantas lounges

  • 

    jayel on 03/05/2018 - 09:52

    Yes this is the main point, a international business lounge and domestic qantas clubs are worlds apart, so depends how you use them. Still requires you to fly qantas though, so I wouldn't be buying them speculatively.

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  myusername on 21/04/2018 - 08:40

  hell yeah think about the shower facilities, the alcohol and the food you get with it.

  just had that option for flying back home $59 for Qantas lounge access

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  NotAnAudiophile on 01/05/2018 - 10:26

  +2

  To me a pass for $30 or $35 is good value when a bloody meal at HJ at the airport costs $12.

  • 

    dane45 on 01/05/2018 - 11:15

    These are my thoughts exactly. If the airport has a lounge avaliable through dragonpass and I have a decent amount of time, I definitely see it as worth my money for a shower, dinner and a couple of drinks.