Oneworld: no Diamond tier plans, no issue with first-only lounges
By David Flynn, September 12 2017
The Oneworld airline alliance is content with its current three alliance-wide tiers and has no plans to introduce a top Diamond level to incorporate the loftiest 'above Emerald' status of several member airlines.
"We're not looking at adding a formal additional tier," Oneworld CEO Rob Gurney tells Australian Business Traveller.
"I think airlines have become a lot more effective at segmenting their customer base (and) differentiating across a high group of super premium customers. What we are looking at is doing a much more effective job explaining to the customers that are currently into those tiers the benefits that they get, and communicating that more effectively."
One of those key benefits for Emerald status-holders is access to the flagship lounges of Oneworld's 14 members – except for when airlines decide their best lounges should be reserved for their own first class passengers, as is the case with British Airways' Concorde Room and Qatar Airways' Al Safwa lounge at Doha.
In the case of Qatar Airways, for example, Oneworld Emerald card-holders travelling in economy are shunted into a pseudo-'first class' lounge, with a similar 'business class' lounge for Sapphire-grade members (such as Qantas Golds).
"I think we've got to respect that our member airlines at times are going to want to provide exceptional premium services for their own customer franchise," Gurney espouses, "particularly if they feel they're relevant and important to their own brand and market position."
"I don't see it as necessarily inconsistency... when you look at the proposition for our Emeralds and Sapphires it's a very extensive (and) high quality network of lounges. Overall, our main goal is to ensure that we've got an outstanding lounge coverage across our network."
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Aug 2016
Total posts 54
The Qatar set up is a slap in the face to One World travellers who were sold the alliance on the idea of reciprocal rights and fluidity.
30 Aug 2013
Total posts 438
One world don't have any teeth though - they need QR a lot more than QR need Oneworld. Star alliance would sign QR in a heartbeat.
23 Feb 2015
Total posts 260
They need them now ... one point to point exists they become far less relevant.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Jun 2011
Total posts 88
But how premium is a premium lounge when it's jam packed?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer - Chairmans Lounge
01 Sep 2011
Total posts 416
Bingo.. You have it exactly right. Qatar is a pain in the you know where...
British Airways - Executive Club
28 Mar 2014
Total posts 70
QR lounges are still among the best in ow. Not in MEL SYD HKG but in most other hubs
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer - Chairmans Lounge
01 Sep 2011
Total posts 416
I disagree completely.
CX
05 Jun 2012
Total posts 127
QR have a lounge in HKG??? Bloody hell, that's a well-kept secret. Even the QR and oneworld sites don't mention it, and in all my hundreds of trips through HKG I have never seen it.
British Airways - Executive Club
28 Mar 2014
Total posts 70
You are correct Ian: poorly phrased. I was just listing the airports I would chose to use the QF lounge as first option (as this is Aust BT). Generally I prefer the QR lounges when flying ow. Indeed I did use the QR LHR lounge when flying MH a few months ago :-)
CX
05 Jun 2012
Total posts 127
Sorry, mate, but I wouldn't use the QF lounge as first option in HKG, not with the choice of CX lounges instead. Even leaving aside the sublime Pier F, the Bridge (J) beats the QF lounge into a cocked hat.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Sep 2012
Total posts 236
I feel we're becoming high and mighty about lounge access. QR does provide a decent lounge to oneworld emeralds, despite this not being identical to the lounge First Class passengers exclusively enjoy. If you were a First Class passenger you'd probably appreciate that set up.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
05 Oct 2015
Total posts 43
i could not agree more, i fly first all the time and it is intensely irritating to have economy passengers and their children running amok in the first lounge, no matter what the airline.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Sep 2012
Total posts 236
Thanks triumph8. I don't have a problem with well behaved kids in lounges though and so long as I can find a seat, I'm happy. My point is about the sense of entitlement many of us FFs have (inc me sometimes). If QR wasn't supplying a lounge that would be one thing, but for people to continuously complain about this 2+ years after the event gets boring. There are other options for QF/OW FFs to get to Europe (via Dubai, HKG, KUL etc) that don't involve QR. If you don't like what's offered, don't use it. If QR or BA or SQ want to offer First Class exclusive lounges, good on them! QF can get away with it because SYD/MEL aren't large international transit hubs.
29 Jan 2012
Total posts 184
I totally agree. It has nothing to do with snobbery, it is about service levels paid for and maintained. Nothing wrong with high tier frequent flyers being offered J Class lounges. Prior to the FF situation introduced in the 80's the only passengers in lounges were those who flew J and P/F. Simple! Now with lounge memberships and elite tiers the system has become messy. Why should a F/P passenger who has paid $12-18K per trip have their experience combined with Y passengers paying $1500 for the same experience. The balance has been lost! I feel this comment may irritate elite status Y passengers but may also be agreed upon by F/P passengers. Look forward to your comments.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Sep 2012
Total posts 236
Agree wholeheatedly. Those emeralds travelling in Y demanding access to the QR First Class lounges always have the option of buying a premium ticket. The oneworld emerald perks are great. But they also create an expectation that inevitably leads to disappointment and frustration. Without repeating myself, if you don't like QR's policy, don't fly them.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Aug 2016
Total posts 54
when an emerald enters an F lounge its being paid for, the BA gallery lounges cost some one world members $200 per entry. they're entitled to go as they've made enough value for some to be worth it and they are almost always in J any way. its about rewarding them to fly J within an alliance knowing they'll get a bit more because they fly more. they can fly J with any airline and get the same perks as sapphire
CX
05 Jun 2012
Total posts 127
Some considerable number of years ago I was told by a friend who is a VERY senior staffer of Cathay (title starts with "Chief" and ends with "Officer", with just one word inbetween) that QF charged them US$250 for every CX pax going into the F lounge in SYD. I rather suspect that number is larger now...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 Aug 2016
Total posts 10
Oneworld really needs a Korean airline. Only 2-3 Business class seats on a Qantas codeshare with Asiana from Sydney - and they are almost always booked out weeks in advance. Often one has to go Cathay via HK or Japan Airlines via Narita but the Narita/Inchon flights are also sparse.
12 Dec 2012
Total posts 1031
Good luck getting KE or OZ to leave Skyteam and Star.
If the issue is AU-Korea flights and not having to connect through TYO or HKG, one of the original route ideas QF put forward for 787s was ICN. Maybe once QF has enough 787s, they'll start a SYD-ICN flight.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 Aug 2016
Total posts 10
That seems too much to wish for!!
Jetstar Airways - Qantas Frequent Flyer
13 Jul 2016
Total posts 10
I flew last week out of JFK, on American and was denied access to AA's first class restaurant as a QF Platinum member, told it was AA first class only.
18 Sep 2015
Total posts 10
Triumph8 I agree.The "keeping it exclusive" for the lounges should extend to in-flight as well.I had the privilege of once working for the now defunct Varig Airlines, and they NEVER upgraded anyone to business or first, no matter how many open seats they had.As staff, we were instructed that paying for a premium fare included the extended privelege of not having a neighbor on occasion.Not to be an industry dinosaur, but I keep meeting airline staff, buddy passriders, and a parade of mileage junkies in the first class cabins, and -frankly- wished they went to the seats they paid for! The no children rule in business and first at Malaysian has bought my patronage for life, especially as on all others on Middle East carriers having to put up with the unpleasantness of nanny and offspring constantly coming up to the premium cabins and the crew doing nothing about it.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Sep 2012
Total posts 236
ConcordeRay, I also agree. I have in the past flown on a 'staff buddy pass' in J and F on BA and was very discreet about it, always getting last digs on meal choice, no amenity kits, no new bottles of whine opened etc. But where staff travelling in J and F carry on like they've just won lotto with their endless selfies and umpteenth glasses of prosecco, it gets boring and annoying for those paying commercial fares. Lounges are similar. As others have already pointed out, as a passenger paying $1500 for a fare in Y compared to $8,000 in J and $12,000 in F, some hub airlines like Qatar, BA and others feel they want to protect their premium product for those paying premium prices. Alliance loyalty perhaps isn't as important to QR as it is to other airlines. Or maybe it's just that airlines like QF know that if they pulled access to the F lounges in Oz for emeralds and made their Platinums and P1s visit the Business Lounges, they'd lose a whole bunch of business. Plus, that F Lounge in Sydney is a money spinner for them every time a oneworld emerald in Y walks in the door.
04 Dec 2013
Total posts 156
I wouldn't mind this if the QR "first" lounge was even remotely comparable to the standard of a regional Qantas Club lounge. But it is genuinely poor. Far below the standard of the Galleries First, which is where BA puts similar high status, non first class passengers. I'd had to see how bad the "business" lounge is.
CX
05 Jun 2012
Total posts 127
I think we all need to remember that OW is the only alliance that gives access to "first class" lounges. And while I do accept that a very small number of lounges (e.g. QR at Doha and London, and Concorde Rooms/Bars) are off-limits (which I do have a conceptual problem with, by the way) we are much more fortunate than the poor saps who align themselves with *A or ST and get stuck in J lounges or even, in the case of *A, with special "Gold" lounges that aren't even as good as the J lounges (can't speak for ST as I haven't tried theirs save for the AF J lounge in CDG).
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Oneworld: no Diamond tier plans, no issue with first-only lounges