Yahoo Finance Qantas lounge customers set to see prices soar
It's the first time in more than half a decade the airline has increased the annual cost of the membership.
Visiting the Qantas lounge before your flight is set to get more expensive this year.
The lounge is a huge perk of being part of the Qantas Club program as members get to soak up the finer things in life for an hour or two. However, that sip of beer or bite of a pastry is going to cost a bit more from next month.
For the first time in seven years, the airline is looking at jacking up the yearly membership by 17 per cent to access its two-dozen domestic lounges. That’s despite recent reports from customers saying the service isn’t up to par.
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Annual fees for new members will go from $699 to $828, which is on top of the $129 joining fee. Existing members will also pay more to renew their subscription, which will go from $540 to $629.
Qantas says the price change is the result of covering “cost increases passed on from a range of suppliers” as well as “a reduction in the membership fees for several years during the pandemic”.
To avoid this fee jump, you can renew or sign up before prices increase on April 18, which will give you a year of breathing room.
Thankfully, these changes won’t impact Qantas Frequent Flyer members since they are allowed complimentary access to the lounge as part of the loyalty program.
Monthly subscription could be on the horizon
Qantas has also been looking at changing the way lounge members pay for their subscription and could soon introduce a pay-as-you-go model that would suit travellers who don’t fly that often.
Members could sign up to a monthly fee that would auto-renew every 28 days if not cancelled prior. However, members of this suggested tier reportedly wouldn’t get the same type of benefits as yearly members, such as being able to bring a guest, receiving last-minute upgrades or having a higher baggage weight allowance.
The idea comes off the back of research by the airline, however, it’s unclear whether Qantas will follow through.
“We’re always looking to improve the customer experience,” a Qantas spokesperson told Executive Traveller. “As part of this, we often conduct surveys with our customers asking for their feedback on a range of ideas and topics, some of which we go on to develop and others we don’t.”
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Qantas Lounge not up to par
A lounge member recently hit out at the airline for an airport lounge meal likened to “dog bones”.
An image of the dish was posted on social media and was reportedly served in the Qantas Business Lounge at Sydney Domestic Airport on Friday, March 15.
"The dish consisted of sinew and gristle with a watery ‘sauce’ and dry rice. Was horrid," the passenger told Yahoo Australia, adding that they felt the airline had been "cost-cutting and focusing on making profit" while airfares were at their most expensive.
"The economy meals are served out of cardboard boxes and the overall customer satisfaction and experience for what you pay for is at an all-time low.
"Some lounges only open one hour before the flight and then close straight after. I have flown with them for a long time and I’ll be finishing my time with them when my status expires and giving Virgin a go.”
Qantas admitted it was “incredibly disappointed” with how the meal was presented and that it “falls well short of our high standards”.
Another traveller was shocked at the state of the chairs in a Qantas Business Lounge and said attention to detail had been lacking.
They said the lounge at Sydney International Airport was “disgusting", especially "compared to other airline lounges".
"I experienced this in November last year and again in January — absolutely disgusting," he explained to Yahoo Australia. "I was so shocked at the state of the furniture ... I took the same flight again in February and specifically went to the lounge again to see if they had changed the furniture — nothing had changed."
The self-described "top-tier frequent flyer", who had experienced other international carriers, said he couldn't believe "how bad the level of Qantas has become while their prices are ridiculous compared to other international airlines".
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed the chairs in question were removed last month.
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