Qantas invites 4,000 customers to exclusive Chairman’s Lounge – only to reveal the generous offer was an embarrassing email blunder
- Qantas’ Chairman’s Lounge can only be accessed with an invite from the CEO
- But the airline has accidentally opened its doors to thousands in an email gaffe
- Low-ranking frequent flyers even tried to use the email as a ticket into the lounge
- Qantas then had to apologise for getting people’s hopes up in a follow-up email
Qantas’ exclusive invite-only Chairman’s Lounge is normally reserved for the airline’s most important clients.
But the secretive departure lounge inadvertently opened its doors to thousands of low-ranking bronze frequent flyers after an embarrassing email blunder.
Thousands received an email from Qantas on Friday intended for Chairman’s Lounge members asking for feedback about the program.
Qantas’ exclusive invite-only Chairman’s Lounge (pictured) is normally considered the reserve of the airline’s most important clients
But the secretive departure lounge (pictured) inadvertently opened its doors to thousands of low-ranking bronze frequent flyers after an embarrassing email blunder
The email told its recipients the lounge was ‘always working to deliver the highest level of service to our most valued members’ and asked for ten minutes of their time to give feedback.
Social media users were unsure whether the email was simply a wind-up, but others were over the moon about being allowed access to the lucrative lounge.
The airline quickly discovered its blunder and was forced to send a follow-up email apologising for ‘getting hopes up about becoming a Chairman’s Lounge member’.
Qantas said they received 4,000 responses to the survey by 8pm on Friday, which was the most responses to a Chairman’s Lounge survey they had ever received.
The exclusive club, which counts Tony Abbott and Nobel prize-winning astronomer Brian P. Schmidt among its members, features fine dining, seat upgrades, and complementary upgrades on flights.
A spokeswoman for the airline said a few optimistic passengers even arrived at the lounges in Brisbane and Sydney requesting access.
Social media users were unsure whether the email was simply a wind-up, but others were over the moon about being allowed access to the lucrative lounge
She said: ‘The email has certainly got a few people’s hopes up that they were the newest members of the Chairman’s Lounge.’
‘We even had a few people show up to our lounges this morning with the email hoping to get in. You can’t blame them for trying.’
Qantas said they were in the process of notifying customers that the wrong distribution list was used.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has previously described Chairman’s Lounge membership as highly sought after and ‘a great asset for Qantas to use for commercial endeavours’.
The airline quickly discovered its blunder and was forced to send a follow-up email apologising for ‘getting hopes up about becoming a Chairman’s Lounge member’ (stock image)