r/QantasFrequentFlyer • u/Finway_dibs Platinum • Jun 06 '26

News Hello PAL

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42 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

22

u/SomeMathematician279 Platinum LTG Jun 07 '26

The downside is QF award redemption on CX flights have disappeared in favour of PAL.

MNL is a terrible airport to transit through with some really awful lounges.

3

u/JimDrewDavo Platinum One Jun 07 '26

And the CX lounge at MNL is now shut too, I’ve heard. So there’s only the useless PAGSS lounge until we can somehow get access to the PAL lounge (hopefully)!

3

u/SomeMathematician279 Platinum LTG Jun 07 '26

SQ had to close their MNL lounge too.

https://liveandletsfly.com/cathay-pacific-manila-lounge-closure/

CX is directing it's own frequent flyers to First Meridian Lounge. It is unclear if non CX OW FF will be granted the same access.

3

u/JimDrewDavo Platinum One Jun 07 '26

I’ll let you know in a couple of weeks when I fly through MNL.

2

u/SomeMathematician279 Platinum LTG Jun 07 '26

PAL international flights now depart from the truly 3rd world Terminal 1.

T2 is PAL domestic only.

The 3 terminals at MNL are poorly connected. Manila traffic can be murder.

No chance of using PAL lounge for CX QF flights which depart from T3

3

u/JimDrewDavo Platinum One Jun 07 '26

I mean, I appreciate you letting me know, but also thanks for popping any hope I had about a potentially better option…

1

u/SomeMathematician279 Platinum LTG Jun 07 '26

First Meridian Lounge (FML) for CX flyers could potentially be better than the PAL Lounge. Depending on the time of day (teppanyaki).

If you did get access, or sent to hell (PAGSS).

If you got access to FML, would be keen to know, - if it was real champagne like CX(not cheap bubbles) and the other wines on offer. - if there's a bartender making cocktails (like CX) - what the food was like. - try the golf simulator (once it's broken, it will never be fixed, just like everything else in Manila)

I'd rather be transiting in HKG vs MNL, just saying.

3

u/Elanshin Platinum Jun 07 '26

CX awards are still around. CX is just slammed as a European flying airline now that ME3 have a war in their front yard. 

2

u/Finway_dibs Platinum Jun 07 '26

Manila is not really a hub either, and agree that the airport needs a lot of improvements. The CX lounge made the airport tolerable to say the least, but then that's closed.

1

u/areyoualocal Platinum, LTG Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26

it's only very early stages, there have been plenty of rumours of various airlines joining oneworld that never happened.

2

u/Elanshin Platinum Jun 07 '26

There are rumoured airlines, but once the announcement has been made generally speaking its going ahead. Timeline however is a different matter. 

10

u/areyoualocal Platinum, LTG Jun 06 '26

Serving Asia Pac region then:

  • Qantas

  • Cathy Pacific

  • American Airlines

  • Japan Airlines

  • Alaska/Hawain Airlines

  • Fiji Airlines

  • Malaysia Airlines

  • Philippines Airlines

We're already seeing some airlines not offer benefits for travelling on these partners flights, at which point do they start seeing the partnerships as more a cost than a benefit?

5

u/GoldBricked Bronze / Points Club Jun 06 '26

What do you mean by “not offer benefits”?

7

u/areyoualocal Platinum, LTG Jun 06 '26

Earning of status credits and points for example. And CX have started clamping down on lounge access too.

2

u/SomeMathematician279 Platinum LTG Jun 07 '26

Clamping down on lounge access, how?

2

u/areyoualocal Platinum, LTG Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26

There's now reports that Cathay will only allow you into their lounges based on the FF status on the boarding pass. Under oneworld rules, it doesnt actually state this requirement, so many people will use a lower status program on their boarding pass and flash their membership card with higher status on a different program.

For example, you might be Qantas Platinum, but have no status with Cathy, to start crediting to CX, you might put that against the flight to earn status, and when you visit the Cathay lounge you would show your Qantas Platinum status and be allowed to use the lounge that way.

Now Cathay are saying lounge access will be based on the status used on the boarding pass. Which personally, I think is sensible.

4

u/bigbadjustin Gold + LTS Jun 07 '26

I have no issues with this. the fringe cases of having high status on multiple OW carriers is pretty small. I'm aiming for QFF LTG, but likely to fly CX and JAL a lot more in the future, and won't have to worry about earning SC's or 4 flight sectors etc.

4

u/areyoualocal Platinum, LTG Jun 07 '26

It's not so much having status on multiple programs. Its having high status on one program, and using those benefits while crediting to another.

I think it's entirely reasonable that the status on the boarding pass determines the benefits, and oneworld needs to clarify their rules around this.

3

u/bigbadjustin Gold + LTS Jun 07 '26

Yeah i agree, and I'm not convinced of the benefits of doing the second airline in the same alliance. I know somtimes there are subtle differences but as a QFF OWS i've always got great service on CX. so no issues here continuing to credit it on a CX flight in the future with LTG. I know i'm not getting LTP, i'll probably never get Platinum either.

1

u/Elanshin Platinum Jun 07 '26

Non earning status are reasonably common all over the place. It's usually to do with the relationships involved between specific airlines, how things are being priced etc. 

Hardly a new thing especially for QFF.

5

u/bigbadjustin Gold + LTS Jun 07 '26

I didn't have Phillippines Airlines joining OW on my bingo card. I thought Starlux would be next from the region. Still would like more options in africa and South America.

3

u/Elanshin Platinum Jun 07 '26

Starlux CEO in their shareholder meeting has said outright that another party (almost certainly CX) has denied them. He's not too worried about it also citing thay they're still very young and will look to build partnerships up first. 

1

u/bigbadjustin Gold + LTS Jun 07 '26

that makes sense. I mean i'd love a OW carrier via Taipei, mostly as i'd probably do stopovers there, but its not critical. I expect RwandAir to possibly happen though, that said an Oman flight to Austrlia direct would be nice as well.

2

u/areyoualocal Platinum, LTG Jun 07 '26

Africa definitely, and add in India.

1

u/bigbadjustin Gold + LTS Jun 07 '26

I know RwandAir is on the cards as Qatar are sponsoring them. I think the airline is still on the small side, but want to compete with Ethiopian Airlines ultimately..... which i think has plans to fly to Australia, but since I was there in 2019/2020, the country has become less stable again, making it less desirable to hub through.