Virgin Australia: "no time limit" for new international lounges
By David Flynn, November 8 2018
UPDATE | Virgin Australia says it will not impose any time limit for passengers visiting its new international lounges at Sydney and Melbourne, over-ruling a statement made overnight by lounge operator No1 Lounges.
As reported earlier today, No1 Lounges spokesman Duncan Cargill said that Virgin's business class passengers and top-tier frequent flyers would be allowed to stay in The House lounges at Sydney and Melbourne for only "four hours before (departure) - in line with Virgin Australia’s policy."
However, Virgin Australia spokeswoman Kieran Debney has since contacted Australian Business Traveller to advise that its passengers wouldn't see a countdown timer ticking away when they call into The House, nor at Brisbane's new My Lounge.
"We recommend guests arrive at the airport 120 minutes before their international flight departure. however guests who arrive early or have a long connection will be welcomed at our lounges" she confirmed.
This is in line with Virgin Australia's lounge access policy, which doesn't specify a limit on the length of a visit and states 'All you’ll need is your same-day boarding pass and Velocity membership card or lounge membership card to access lounges operated by our airline partners or third-party operators.'
PREVIOUS| Virgin Australia's new international lounges at Sydney and Melbourne will impose a four hour time limit on business class passengers and top-tier frequent flyers.
The move will likely cause little inconvenience for the majority of passengers but could catch out transit passengers making connections from regional towns who will be faced with unavoidably long time before their international flight departs.
The House lounges at Sydney and Melbourne – which were both previously Etihad Airways lounges, and now serve as the home of Etihad as well as Virgin Australia – are managed by London-based No1 Lounges, and like many independent lounges imposes a standard three-hour time limit on how long guests can stay before their flight.
According to the terms and conditions listed on the No1 Lounges website, "You can arrive three hours prior to your flight time. You can also buy extra hours in advance or while you're in the lounge – if your flight's delayed and you want to stay longer for example."
However, No1 Lounges spokesman Duncan Cargill told Australian Business Traveller that the time limit for Virgin Australia was "four hours before (departure) - in line with Virgin Australia’s policy."
It's not known if travellers who need a 4+ hour stay due to unavoidably long connection times would have to pay an additional fee.
Also yet to be revealed: if this same time limit will apply at Virgin Australia's new My Lounge, which will also be operated by No1 Lounges and is due to open later this year at Brisbane Airport international terminal.
Travellers on airlines other than Etihad and Virgin Australia will soon be able to visit The House by paying a flat rate, which is rumoured to be around $90 for a three hour period.
"We will announce a walk up rate when we launch this formally, in the near future," Cargill told Australian Business Traveller.
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.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
04 Aug 2017
Total posts 11
So will it be 3 hours or 4 hours? The quote from Duncan Cargill says 4, but the T&Pc's say 3...
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
07 Jan 2014
Total posts 31
"You can also buy extra hours in advance or while you're in the lounge – if your flight's delayed and you want to stay longer for example." .. anyone else think that is just adding insult to injury? If I had something out of my control, like a flight delay, mean I went over, I sure as heck wouldn't be happy to be asked to pay to stay!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 467
Yes, that's appalling. They can't possibly think that it's OK to say: "Sorry, your flight has been delayed for two hours. Please pay if you want to stay in the lounge for that extra time." !!!!!
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2561
The standard access for 'walk-in' passengers is three hours, across all No 1 lounges, but for The House and Virgin Australia passengers it's actually four hours. A reader flying with Virgin Australia reported being told of the three hour limit at The House Melbourne, which is why we sought clarification, and The House has confirmed four hours to us.
05 Mar 2015
Total posts 9
This is a slap in the face to Virgin Australia's most loyal customers. We knew that the Number One takeover would make the lounges worse, but to ask a top-teir frequent flyer or paid business passenger to pay for extra hours in the lounge? They have no shame.
13 Sep 2013
Total posts 116
Slap in the face!? That’s a bit much.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 467
The issue is when a flight has been delayed. Then it's not your choice, it's just what the situation is. But to suggest passengers should be charged extra if their flight is delayed is insulting.
05 Mar 2015
Total posts 9
The fact of the airport lounge is irrelevant. When Virgin says to a passenger that they must pay for more lounge time, they're saying that our custom isn't worth the pittance it would cost them. That's a slap in the face.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Jul 2015
Total posts 219
Can happen. QF1 once hit a problem at Dubai. 7 hour delay. Thank goodness for lounge access with Emirates
09 Mar 2015
Total posts 32
Would anybody really want to spend three or four hours in one of these lounges?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
30 May 2013
Total posts 381
It's more about people with long connections, it's either the Lounge or hanging around in the general terminal space.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
27 Mar 2018
Total posts 1
Or people from other pets than the main capital cities - and I include HBA in that - with awful long connections...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Sep 2011
Total posts 77
What happens when the flight is delayed?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
30 May 2013
Total posts 381
I'd say all it means is that entry isn't permitted until 4 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 467
And if your reach the four hour limit because of the delay, they expect you to pay to stay in there beyond that!!
05 Mar 2015
Total posts 416
Nobody wants to spend 3-4 hours in a lounge but some of us don't have any choice based on where we live and how long the connection will be. And out of Sydney for example VA83 to HKG is regularly late. I'm sure the lounge staff won't be walking around with an EFTPOS terminal, checking boarding passes and collecting an extra $20 or whatever because we have exceeded our time limit, but the very fact there is this imposed time limit is just unnecessary and makes the airline look cheap. No need for a time limit at all, nobody would want to stay in the lounge more than 90 minutes if they had a choice, but not everyone has a choice!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Sep 2018
Total posts 153
I agree. How are they able to enforce us to stay 4 hours or less in the lounge if the flight is delayed?
31 Mar 2014
Total posts 397
Surely if you are in the lounge and your Virgin flight is delayed so long that your stay exceeds 4 hours in the lounge, it should be Virgin paying for the lounge time extension and not the inconvenienced passenger.
24 Oct 2018
Total posts 3
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 1207
Apart from some, but not most, transitting passengers, this seems fairly innocuous given check-in rarely opens more than 3 hours before scheduled departure for international flights on all airlines. I flew F with QF a few months ago and was firmly told the day before on the phone that if I arrived more than 3 hours before departure, I was welcome to wait in the check-in suite but would not be checked in.
Qantas
19 Apr 2012
Total posts 1429
The four rule most affects transiting passengers as they are the ones most likely to be affected due to poor connections which is in my experience very common and so a lounge is much better than the terminal area which I had to endure recently. Sunday’s are not good days for reasonable connections.
08 Jul 2017
Total posts 28
There is a report from a week ago from a reliable source who was asked to pay $25 per extra hour because they had arrived at the lounge more than three hours before their flight from Melbourne. At the time this was "confirmed" by lounge management - however due to their eftpos being down, a 'one time' courtesy was given.
26 Mar 2016
Total posts 21
isnt the main point of flying business class/having status, the certainty of knowing that you have the lounge, especially if the flight is delayed? People dont generally turn up several hours before flights just to take advantage of the free booze (well, maybe if you had lounge access you would turn up an hour or 2 earlier than you otherwise would), but is there really an issue of freeloaders just grazing on free food and booze all day?
08 Dec 2011
Total posts 4
The rumour is that VA have bought bracelets which you don as you enter (either on your wrist or ankle) these lounges. At 4 hours you get haptic feed, then 15 minutes later if you still havent paid a siren goes off ....
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 May 2017
Total posts 77
VA truly do not value high yield passengers or top tier frequent flyers. With all the changes that have taken place over the past few months they are not much better than Jetstar.
06 Oct 2018
Total posts 9
Jet Airways' Bombay Lounge has a 4 hour limit imposed, even for Etihad The Residence/First Class passenger connecting at BOM. I found that rule utterly inconvenient.
03 May 2013
Total posts 680
What do you expect from a 'lipstick-on-a-pig' LCC(low cost carrier)? You all act surprised and disappointed?
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
14 Jun 2017
Total posts 49
Will KrisFlyer Gold members flying on VA to LAX or HKG in Y or PE get access to this lounge?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Apr 2012
Total posts 318
Everytime you think VA takes one step in the right direction, they then go and take 2 steps back...
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2561
Please note that this article has since been updated based on comments from Virgin Australia, with the airline nixing the claimed 4hr limit by lounge operator No1 Lounges and saying there will be no time limit for passengers visiting its new international lounges.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Sep 2018
Total posts 153
Glad to see Virgin not being so cheap. Didn't know how they would enforce the rules anyways.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Apr 2012
Total posts 318
Another backflip from VA... seems to be a trend with them lately... at least it seems that they listen to the masses when there is outrage...
QF
24 Jan 2016
Total posts 22
I understand people saying that they couldn't spend more than 2 hours in a lounge but for me, I actually find it advantageous. Sometimes I'll get to the airport really early as I can be so much more productive in a quiet "office like" part of the lounge and get so much more work done - without being distracted by co-workers and phone interruptions. Plus, I don't need to leave "the office" to find a bite to eat. ;-) Personally, time in the lounge is where I get ahead and on top of things work-wise. I love it.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
20 Nov 2017
Total posts 113
Yes, agree. Sometimes I find I'm much more productive just before a flight in the lounge.
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 1010
I see that VA has said no time limit but how would the lounge operator know how long a person has been in the lounge.
05 Mar 2015
Total posts 416
Thanks AusBT for being on top of this and sorting it out!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Sep 2011
Total posts 77
According to Virgin’s web site, check-in opens only two hours before “international short haul” so unless someone is transiting they’re unlikely to exceed the limit for most flight
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Sep 2011
Total posts 77
Currently in The House. I can see why they want to impose a time limit. WiFi is woeful and still can’t find the bedroom (what’s a house without bedrooms?)
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
28 Feb 2017
Total posts 14
Virgin Australia...“yeah, no”.
22 Aug 2019
Total posts 1
Now you can understand exactly why Qantas has the appeal and following that it does with its biz passengers.
Honestly, if you want to make the one single most disastorous change to your lounge T&C it is to set a timelimit like Virgin's No1 Lounges attempted.
Good one lads, keep on coming out with the truly 'innovative ideas' and you shall stay exactly where you are in the pecking order or, you may even achieve a slightly lower rating!!
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
04 Sep 2015
Total posts 25
Just used the House with Virgin, excellent lounge, great food and customer service, used the Strata lounge in AKL on return also very good.I am happy with Virgin !
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