There’s levels to this ish’…
If travel is a pyramid, 95% of participants are on the first level. They may or may not have a frequent flyer account, and they may or may not have ever actually used it to earn points. Then there’s the next layer, where you find your entry level frequent flyers, enjoying some solid perks and the occasional upgrade. And then there’s a tiny section near the very top with your super frequent flyers, who get to enjoy fast track security, first class lounges, regular upgrades and all kinds of things that make travel feel brilliant. Virtually impossible to see on that pyramid would be invite only frequent flyers. These are clubs so exclusive, the airline CEO and board members have to vote you in. Qantas Chairmans Club is one of the most exclusive, secretive clubs and lounges on earth, but the airline accidentally “invited” just about everyone…
If there’s any feeling the world can sympathize with, it’s hitting “send” on email and regretting it. Qantas Chairmans Lounge is a ridiculously exclusive club reserved for CEO’s, celebrities, heads of industry and leaders of the world, and its private airport VIP lounges are so private, they are often unmarked. But after Qantas accidentally sent an email survey intended for Chairman’s Club members to 1000’s of Qantas flyers, these safe havens for the rich and famous had to learn about queueing. Qantas sent the email to far lower ranking frequent flyers, who naturally hoped it was their lucky day and tried to cash in. Hey, free champagne, right?
After receiving these shock emails, frequent flyers got perhaps a bit too excited. Many Qantas travelers attempted to gain entry into Chairman’s Lounges by presenting their newly minted survey emails and naturally, were turned away. The club, which is rumored to have less than 1,000 members is said to have received 4,000 email responses by mid morning the day it was sent out, which tipped Qantas staff off to the blunder. While the airline did deny Chairman’s Lounge access to these eager travelers, they did note in a statement “can’t blame them for trying”. Wouldn’t you?
So did Qantas actually do anything for the people who were offered something, but then told “sorry, just kidding “? I’d be pretty unhappy if offered something, only to have the offer rescinded because I actually accepted what was offered to me.