YouTuber Josh Cahill published an interesting video about a situation he encountered with Luxair, whereby he believes he was “scammed” out of lounge access, and later threatened by the airline. Cahill is no stranger to controversy — he was also threatened with a ban from Qatar Airways, while Aero Dili posted his passport information online.
In this post:
Josh Cahill’s Luxair lounge access drama
YouTube flight reviewer Josh Cahill flew with Luxair from Berlin to Luxembourg to Paris, with a long layover enroute. He was in business class for the first segment and in economy class for the second segment. He bought lounge access for the second segment, which Luxair sells for most fare types directly through its website as a ticket add-on, at a cost of €35.
Cahill had a roughly eight hour layover in Luxembourg, and when he arrived at Luxair’s lounge, he was informed that the lounge couldn’t be accessed so far before departure, and he’d have to come back closer to departure to use it.
He filmed his interaction with the woman who claims to be the lounge’s manager, and you can see that interaction starting 8min25sec into the video. The conversation gets quite heated — he accuses the airline of scamming people, she says there are no exceptions and refuses to give her name, etc.
Immediately following this interaction, Cahill took to social media to complain. A short while later, the airline sent him a message, stating the following (this is discussed 13min25sec into the video):
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced at the lounge. Our team has been informed, and we are ready to welcome you back.
However, he informed them he wasn’t comfortable using the lounge anymore due to the rude staff, and requested a refund.
But that’s not the end of this story. A couple of days after his flight, Cahill received a “warning letter” from the airline, that if he posts this video and it causes damage to the brand, the airline will go after him, and will ban him from flying in the future, while retracting the previous apology. You can see this discussion starting 17min40sec into the video.
My take on this Luxair lounge access situation
Nowadays we’ve seen quite a few airport lounges introduce time limits for guests, to help with crowding issues. So it seems pretty clear that Luxair has such a policy limiting when guests can use the lounge, but there’s a breakdown in communication.
If an airline has a time limit for lounge access, it should be clearly disclosed. Nowhere on Luxair’s website, and not even on any terms page, does it list a limit to how long you can access the lounge for. So obviously that’s something that Luxair needs to update, so that it’s doing a better job of managing expectations. Cahill wasn’t unreasonable for thinking he’d be able to access the lounge any time the same day.
Now, do I think that Luxair is trying to run a bait and switch scam here, and is trying to deceive people? I don’t think it’s quite that malicious, but rather there’s just a breakdown in communication between departments. In this situation, the lounge supervisor should have made an exception, if she had nothing she could point to supporting this policy.
Is Cahill a bit dramatic? I mean… no comment. But he’s raising a fair point, and it’s good to bring up these kinds of shortcomings in airline systems.
While I think Luxair is wrong full stop, I did want to address a couple of additional points regarding Cahill’s interaction here. First of all, he repeatedly claimed that when he purchased the ticket online, it clearly stated that the lounge access would be valid for the entire transit period:
- I haven’t been able to replicate that in any way; so it’s possible I’m missing something, but I think it just doesn’t state anything about a time limit, rather than specifically saying that lounge access is valid for the entire transit
- While Cahill doesn’t acknowledge this, I wonder if this was actually booked as one ticket, or two one-ways? When I go to Luxair’s website, there’s not an option to book a ticket from Berlin to Paris, let alone with an eight hour connection, so leads me to believe that he was maybe traveling on two separate tickets
The last point I’ll make — and it’s something I’ve noticed repeatedly in his videos — is that I think he could work a little harder on how he communicates with frontline airline staff. You can make your point without being aggressive or accusatory to an individual:
- Even at the very start of the conversation, he already puts up his index finger; body language is important, and this instantly escalates any conversation, and takes it up a notch
- It’s important to separate the airline from the person, and it’s why I never use “you,” but instead use the company’s name, in these kinds of interactions; he accuses the agent personally of selling lounge access and scamming people
- He keeps insisting on getting her name and is angry she won’t give it to him, but she does offer to give him her employee number, which I think is fair enough
None of this is to excuse Luxair here, because the airline is at fault. But c’mon, if you have a big audience, at least be a good role model with how to deal with frontline staff.
Bottom line
YouTuber Josh Cahill’s latest drama is with Luxair. He had an eight hour connection in Luxembourg and purchased lounge access, but upon arrival in the lounge was informed there was a time limit to this. The situation escalated, and ultimately ended with the airline reportedly threatening him.
Luxair isn’t doing itself any favors with this situation, both in terms of how the manager handled the interaction, and how corporate is now communicating with Cahill. I also think Cahill could try a bit harder to communicate in a polite and non-accusatory tone with frontline airline staff.
What do you make of this Luxair lounge situation?
Luxair issued Cahill a full refund with an apology for its way of reacting and threats.
I don't think opinions about Cahill matter in this. Luxair, like Qatar and Aero Dili before, had an opportunity to engage with Cahill in a positive way that would have, at least, not been damaging for their brands. Instead, they validated his broad stroke attacks by becoming belligerent
Top tier restaurants work hard to try to identify restaurant reviewers so that they can curate the reviewer's experience. That airlines seemingly aren't doing anything to...
I don't think opinions about Cahill matter in this. Luxair, like Qatar and Aero Dili before, had an opportunity to engage with Cahill in a positive way that would have, at least, not been damaging for their brands. Instead, they validated his broad stroke attacks by becoming belligerent
Top tier restaurants work hard to try to identify restaurant reviewers so that they can curate the reviewer's experience. That airlines seemingly aren't doing anything to identify well known travel influencers and vloggers is huge missed opportunity. Airlines that, like Luxair and Qatar, when faced with a real world PR challenge created by something like this, double down on their original positions instead of acknowledging an opportunity for improvement, seem to really be missing an opportunity.
Even if Luxair genuinely believe they've done nothing wrong, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that they come out of this looking like idiots. It's clear there's some ambiguity in their lounge access policy. Choosing to double down on that policy, even when faced with a seemingly reasonable request, doesn't look good. Then reversing their own apology and threatening Cahill looks VERY BAD.
Style aside, Josh was 100% right.
Cahill is doing excellent job of informing the public about the reality of travel nowadays.
And who is making more drama? Him by posting a video or Luxair by making the threats?
I say that he is merely doing his job and Luxair should fix the communication gap, apologize and move on!
I think Josh Cahill was extremely professional when dealing with the rude Luxair manager. If you want to see drama just look around at any airport and you can see a bunch of Karens ready to go for it. The whole thing is a scam and I too looked into the purchasing of the lounge pass and unlike most airlines the idea of only accessing it 1 hour before departure is completely unreasonable. The fact...
I think Josh Cahill was extremely professional when dealing with the rude Luxair manager. If you want to see drama just look around at any airport and you can see a bunch of Karens ready to go for it. The whole thing is a scam and I too looked into the purchasing of the lounge pass and unlike most airlines the idea of only accessing it 1 hour before departure is completely unreasonable. The fact that no refund has been forthcoming is also a big turn off for me and not wanting to answer why there policy doesn't stipulate a time frame is unprofessional on the part of the airline. I think Josh does a great job at vlogging about these airlines in a professional manner that helps regular travellers avoid the pitfalls and scams of unscrupulous companies.
If I would own an airline, I would ban him in advance, just as a precaution :)
Not saying he was not right here, but he is always making drama. I would not be surprised if a person talks normally to staff they might have found solution. But when you are all arrogant as he is, it is normal she will not care and want to get rid of him
Lounge Dragon.
Nuff said!
It seems that there are some sort of through fares on Luxair from Berlin to Paris, although always on different booking classes for the 2 sectors. Sample fare calculations are BER X/LUX CDG, means LUX is clearly considered a transfer.
As to why the 1st segment was in Business and the 2nd in Eco -> he might well have used what Luxair is calling "Smart Upgrade", the cash upgrade or upgrade bidding for the BER-LUX...
It seems that there are some sort of through fares on Luxair from Berlin to Paris, although always on different booking classes for the 2 sectors. Sample fare calculations are BER X/LUX CDG, means LUX is clearly considered a transfer.
As to why the 1st segment was in Business and the 2nd in Eco -> he might well have used what Luxair is calling "Smart Upgrade", the cash upgrade or upgrade bidding for the BER-LUX sector (actually, I think it is pretty likely even).
With the lounge access in LUX paid for, expecting lounge access for the duration of the transit was a no brainer.
I know quite a few airlines where the lounge access in "standard" circumstances, e.g. for Business pax, is clearly defined in the T&C, where this is regularly limited to 3-4 hours for "originating" pax, but explicitly excluding transfer pax (in particular hat the respective hub airport), where no such limitation is being applied (with long layovers in mind).
Yes, Cahill being Cahill -> Drama, surprise surprise
On the other hand, Luxair did not seem to be capable of handling this in a masterful way at all. It seems that there is no SOP in place for transfer pax, nor did anyone in their HQ think twice as to how to handle this case. They made themselves look even more like bean counters (and not exactly professional) with their "warning" (especially since it seemed that it was very much them who did not have their things in order).
All in all, the 101 of handling an upset customer (granting lounge access on courtesy grounds, especially since it was explicitly paid for by the passenger), would have put an end to it, before the whole story drama even started unfolding.
I use to like Josh but he has become a little tiresome with his endless bad interactions with various airlines. Either he chooses bad airlines or perhaps he expects too much.
I think your out of touch with reality. The high cost of airfares should also command high expectations from the consumer - enough said.
I guessed it was that idiot, arrogant Josh Cahill before I even read the article. He is the only youtuber who is always creating drama with every airline he flies. He needs to learn some ethics.
Noel Phillips is having a few Cahillian moments lately, too. But my first guess was also Cahill.
Josh Cahill tells it as it happens. Through his video he is sticking up for the rights of the consumer. If you pay for a service then that is something you are entitled to receive. Luxair have scored an own goal with their threat. If he doesnt receive a refund he should sue
Josh Cahill is an annoying, arrogant, little peckerhead and he has no credibility...at all...
If it is true, what I learned from the story, the lounge access is limited to 1 hour before departure. Taking in account, that boarding starts 45 minutes before departure, you get 15 minutes lounge access for 35 Euro… Not too far from scamming, in my opinion. But I’ll be happy to be proven wrong!
75% of your whereby could’ve been a where.
Luxair are incorrect but cahill handled this poorly and indeed is a drama queen of note
He also needs to keep in mind that in many countries the front line staff do not have the authority to make such decisions too...
I think he purposely gets involved in conflicts. I agree that it is safe to assume that you can have access for the longer period of time because the website does not say otherwise; however, that is different than the website specifically saying it or giving a time limit. I think both sides are wrong. He is wrong in the way he handled it and in assuming he could have access for the whole time,...
I think he purposely gets involved in conflicts. I agree that it is safe to assume that you can have access for the longer period of time because the website does not say otherwise; however, that is different than the website specifically saying it or giving a time limit. I think both sides are wrong. He is wrong in the way he handled it and in assuming he could have access for the whole time, especially because he paid for the access rather than being all in business class, and the staff handled it poorly. If I was in his position I would have in a polite manner showed that it does not say it and been prepared with proof of this.
The fact that I already knew it was him before reading the whole article. LOL! sometimes he comes off ass messy and self entitled, his thumbnails and video titles are often offesive.
I'm sure it's very irritating to go to the lounge and then we told to come back later when you bought a lounge pass and nowhere is it mentioned that you can only use it for a few hours.
Now I know many lounges have this policy and maybe they should have had a written policy they could have shown him.
All is bashing off Cahill is a little off the point. There...
I'm sure it's very irritating to go to the lounge and then we told to come back later when you bought a lounge pass and nowhere is it mentioned that you can only use it for a few hours.
Now I know many lounges have this policy and maybe they should have had a written policy they could have shown him.
All is bashing off Cahill is a little off the point. There are plenty of reviews that he's actually appreciated. And I do agree with many of his observations.
Well on the subject of lounges why are they such inconvenient timings for instance the Amex centurion is from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. but many of the international flights are between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Cahill was spared. Got violent food poisoning from that lounge, lasted a week and almost ended up in the hospital. Don’t eat from LuxAir’s buffet…
JC probably should have known that lounge time limits are common, but I also agree if it's not written anywhere, it doesn't exist. People here shouldnt assume 7 hours is ridiculous for lounge access. I went to the airport 6 hours early once (because 3 hours for international flight, overestimated the traffic, and the car that picked me up was early). I was also denied access to a lounge, I had never heard of this...
JC probably should have known that lounge time limits are common, but I also agree if it's not written anywhere, it doesn't exist. People here shouldnt assume 7 hours is ridiculous for lounge access. I went to the airport 6 hours early once (because 3 hours for international flight, overestimated the traffic, and the car that picked me up was early). I was also denied access to a lounge, I had never heard of this rule until that point. I just didn't make a big deal out of it.
In the end, even if he's inviting drama for views, that supervisor gave him everything he wanted freely. I don't know how anyone can call her attitude good.
Why do these issues only seem to happen to Josh Cahill?
Because he lives for drama. He's messy.
I have no idea who this Cahill guy is but anyone with good reasoning skills know that this is probably his primary source of income and this is his way of driving traffic. It's what many youtubers do. They are the new commercials. Many are just peddling sponsored products or going the route of a sensational rag or politician. Most are in it for the income. A few are sadly needy.
Buuuuut with that said...
I have no idea who this Cahill guy is but anyone with good reasoning skills know that this is probably his primary source of income and this is his way of driving traffic. It's what many youtubers do. They are the new commercials. Many are just peddling sponsored products or going the route of a sensational rag or politician. Most are in it for the income. A few are sadly needy.
Buuuuut with that said if he's not wrong and quite often airline services are inconsistent so the lounge issue is not surprising. I mean have you ever tried to figure out if your United flight let's you have lounge access? You need a lawyer to explain it. But the burden is on the airline because this sort of thing is basic operations. It's not like they are tasked with writing AI. While there are SO MANY incompetent employees out there it's the company's job to hire competent operations managers to make sure these inconsistencies are fixed.
Aljoscha Wendholt should have just gone to Downtown Lux, a mere 8 min. drive away for a more pleasurable lunch.
Cahill is a professional sht-stirrer. It's how he gets his clicks; and sadly, these deliberately provoked conflict videos appear to be the most meaningful interactions with other humans in his life.
As others have written, when you start finding problems with everyone everywhere, YOU are the problem.
He seems to get embroiled in enough conflicts and controversies that I can’t help but think of the expression “when everyone else is always the problem, you’re the problem.”
I used to be indifferent towards him but I just find him irritating at this point and feel sorry for people who have to deal with his sh*t stirring antics. The internet has given us many great things; incentivising attention whores to stage incidents, stunts, confrontations...
He seems to get embroiled in enough conflicts and controversies that I can’t help but think of the expression “when everyone else is always the problem, you’re the problem.”
I used to be indifferent towards him but I just find him irritating at this point and feel sorry for people who have to deal with his sh*t stirring antics. The internet has given us many great things; incentivising attention whores to stage incidents, stunts, confrontations etc for “content”is not one of them.
When I see reviews, I want an honest one that will tell me the good or bad things but not with all the drama. The problem is we get either one extreme or the other. There are the guys who demand the red carpet treatment, insist on cringy video segments with female crew members, and don't give a review but a public relations piece for the airline.
Then there are the people who go...
When I see reviews, I want an honest one that will tell me the good or bad things but not with all the drama. The problem is we get either one extreme or the other. There are the guys who demand the red carpet treatment, insist on cringy video segments with female crew members, and don't give a review but a public relations piece for the airline.
Then there are the people who go out of their way to find problems. I watched the video today, and in my opinion, as someone who worked in customer service, including in the travel industry, for many years, Cahill went way over the line in this video and was lucky people with guns and badges did not escort him out. He got way over-aggressive with the female employee, who seemed to do her best to try to de-escalate the situation and should have left long before he did.
Just a few weeks ago, he complained about Lufthansa Business Class and not having a lounge where he was flying out of and said it was a scam even though it says right on their website that Lounge access is available.
These days when I read airline bans YouTuber, I know it’s this guy. He says he gives honest reviews, the number of people who hate airlines will only continue to increase and they love when some one is critical about them. This guy know how to rake up views
Cool story:
@Ben
+How do you know, that he bought the ticket on Luxair's webpage?
+a good travelagent can very well mix classes on 1 ticket and itinerary, sometimes not even possible any other way, e.g. Premium Eco LAX-FRA, Eco FRA-ZRH as no Premium Eco is offered on that flight, CDG-DFW in Business, DFW-SFO in First, because no Business Class on most flights within US.
Also on some wholesale fares, it...
Cool story:
@Ben
+How do you know, that he bought the ticket on Luxair's webpage?
+a good travelagent can very well mix classes on 1 ticket and itinerary, sometimes not even possible any other way, e.g. Premium Eco LAX-FRA, Eco FRA-ZRH as no Premium Eco is offered on that flight, CDG-DFW in Business, DFW-SFO in First, because no Business Class on most flights within US.
Also on some wholesale fares, it is necessary to mix flight classes to get the best routing or fare!
Some airline webpages are NOT able to mic classes, a good travel agent would know how to book such itineraries.
+ Lounge passes are sold at travel agencies in Germany too, either as an add on to a ticket purchase or separate from various tour operators or even ticket consolidators.
I guess it's another proof, that AGAINST you always beloved booking direct with the airline is the best way theory, a Pro Travel agent might overrule some airline limits in a BIG way! ;-)
There is a BIG difference in just selling or being a PRO in terms of selling.
It seems like, a lot of people are outraged by guys like Josh Cahill, what i don't get . . . why would they watch or even just look at his published stuff then, if they get angry with him?
Stay away and mind your own business! Simple as that.
Or maybe he could just stop acting like an over privileged twat?
Travel agent?? Sure if you're 80 like my parents who don't know how to turn on their phones.
If he bought lounge access from a travel agent, then it seems like its the travel agent that "scammed" him and he needs to take it up with them instead of yelling at a lounge employee.
Yeah, we don't need Josh Cahill stories anymore. The guy is racist and nothing but trouble
I am brown guy and I think you're racist by saying JC is racist. Show me a proof that he is a racist.
Luxair staff in the lounge is always kind, except if you are an idiot. They have helped me plenty of times with issues beyond their responsibilities.
I echo the other comments. Don‘t give this idiot a platform on your blog.
To everybody that is being critical of Noel Phillips, Josh Cahill, etc., you have an option, just stop watching their videos. If they are not your cup of tea, then move on. It appears that the critical readers within this posting are just looking for their own attention.
Haven't watched them in years
We aren't looking for attention. We're giving Ben feedback that he doesn't need to drive traffic to this asshat anymore.
There is nothing wrong on both ends until luxair threaten to go after a passenger.
It's really not the job a customer to deescalate a situation, this is the job of staff or management. I'm not defending the customer in this situation or their behaviour, however, there are obviously consumer laws that would cover these sorts of situations as well. I don't know what they are in the EU, but speaking as an Australia, this behaviour of LuxAir would be illegal in Australia. You can't sell something with caveats unless...
It's really not the job a customer to deescalate a situation, this is the job of staff or management. I'm not defending the customer in this situation or their behaviour, however, there are obviously consumer laws that would cover these sorts of situations as well. I don't know what they are in the EU, but speaking as an Australia, this behaviour of LuxAir would be illegal in Australia. You can't sell something with caveats unless you disclose these caveats before hand. They also have to be clear and not buried in terms and conditions, if the caveat would negatively impact the customer.
Now, I'm sure there is something like this in the EU as well.
At the end of the day, LuxAir is in the wrong because they sold lounge access to a flight with a lengthy layover period. There would've been a reasonable expectation that the passenger would expect to use that lounge for the layover period. If they don't want passengers to use the lounge for that period, they shouldn't permit long layovers. It's really simple stuff. They shouldn't sell a product that have no intention of honouring. That's what makes this cross over into deceptive behaviour.
The behaviour of the staff is disgusting and frankly, they need re-training in basic customer service. Any manager should be able to deescalate a situation like this very quickly and very easily, no matter how aggressive the passenger is being.
I would have just made an exception. It's really as simple as that. But now, not only have they chosen to escalate the issue themselves by threatening him, they have made fools of themselves and people from across the world are talking about their behaviour. They are ruining their own reputation and for what?
Under normal circumstances, you may have a point.
But in the case of Mr. Cahill: his entire MO is to instigate drama so that he can capture it on film for the sake of his business (ie, his YouTube channel.) Its how he makes money. (Why else would he be traveling from Berlin to Paris... by plane... via Luxembourg... with an 8 HOUR LAYOVER?!) No doubt, he arrived at Lux. Airport that day on a...
Under normal circumstances, you may have a point.
But in the case of Mr. Cahill: his entire MO is to instigate drama so that he can capture it on film for the sake of his business (ie, his YouTube channel.) Its how he makes money. (Why else would he be traveling from Berlin to Paris... by plane... via Luxembourg... with an 8 HOUR LAYOVER?!) No doubt, he arrived at Lux. Airport that day on a specific mission to instigate some drama, and there's no action that you, the airport staff, or anyone else could have taken that would have "de-escalated" it. His goal wasn't to receive reasonable customer service. His goal was to create some juicy drama to drive clicks to his money-generating YouTube channel.
Honestly, I'd be 100% in favor of airlines banning him after a single offense. It would protect their staff, and their actual paying customers, from the risk of having to deal with that arrogant twat. Nothing of value would be lost by the airline if they did so.
I highly doubt he goes around scheming lounges and try to find loopholes so he can go “A HA! Here’s where I can do my viral video!” LuxAir should have posted their policy online and/or at the entrance of the lounge so that it’s clear to everyone. By not posting anything, anyone would be annoyed to say the least if they were in his shoes. If policy was clear, then Cahill would not be able...
I highly doubt he goes around scheming lounges and try to find loopholes so he can go “A HA! Here’s where I can do my viral video!” LuxAir should have posted their policy online and/or at the entrance of the lounge so that it’s clear to everyone. By not posting anything, anyone would be annoyed to say the least if they were in his shoes. If policy was clear, then Cahill would not be able to make his video. So the fault started with LuxAir NOT with Cahill. That’s the bottom line.
JetSetFly, why would you "highly doubt" that, when it's literally his entire money making strategy?
You only say that until something happens to you and then you'll be crying on the internet as well.
You don't have to like either party, but we don't need to glaze up these companies. Consumers are barely protected these days.
It's the job of a decent human being to de-escalate especially wrt first world problems. It's one reason people get so angry about any little thing.
I also think that embedding his videos is completely unnecessary as it only results in more ad money for him :( whoever wants to find his "content" can instead go to Google.
Do companies that try to suppress bad reviews with threats actually think they work? Surely the first thing anyone does is not only publish the bad review but then publish the threats?
Recording staff then posting it is an asshole move tho.
.... maybe true to your point on Recording staff . . . but in some instances, there is simply no other way to have any proof!
..... in this case, as a single traveler and being fooled by 1 party, i guess it is OK to show the "plane truth"!
Just thinking of Milano Airport story from Ben once at the Lounge, i guess if that incident was recorded and it was available...
.... maybe true to your point on Recording staff . . . but in some instances, there is simply no other way to have any proof!
..... in this case, as a single traveler and being fooled by 1 party, i guess it is OK to show the "plane truth"!
Just thinking of Milano Airport story from Ben once at the Lounge, i guess if that incident was recorded and it was available to the public, Ben would NOT have been as angry as he was back then and maybe an employer would have a good excuse to fire an NON-PRO employee, who ruines a good business or reputation even more with lies or unwillingness, compared to someone who tells/shows the truth!
I remember back in the 80's, there was (back then) my personal favorite airline, called America West Airlines, e.g. 747 JFK-LAS, JFK-PHX, PHX-HNL the fun times in flying, .... they had feedback cards on displays on every plane, called "give us the PLANE truth" (COOL! play with words) and those were the best way, to give a fair feedback.
Things like this today is hardly possible, because most employees (especially at EU Lounges or contract lounges) have no idea of what they're actually doing, most know how to check a boarding pass and scan a priority pass membership card, but that's it.
So much to being able to "work" with staff!
If that Lounge lady was a direct airline employee, then it's even worse, that she acted like she did, especially since Luxair is really not that big and the limited service this airline offers, EVERY Employee should know there product, as it seems that Lounge pass was from Luxair, she should really know all the terms, if there is some?
good example, 2 years ago, when LH allowed Business Lounge access for sale trough Loungebuddy. I bought 1 of those passes for MUC, that LH lady at the Lounge (LH trains there employees internally, even those lounge agents as i know 1st hand by now) was not able to grant my prepaid voucher trough Loungbuddy. The QR code would scan, but she did NOT know, what to do and how to tell her computer, what it was good for.
It took over 25 minutes, until 1 other employee came and told that lady to scan that QR code under a category "Coupons" in there system!
That worked, but took away my pressures time before my flight and i had about 10 minutes left in the lounge.
This is what i call NON Pro!
You are a paying customer, then you can expect a certain professionalism!
Only, because Loungebuddy sent me a review request as i was 1 of the first to buy that Lounge access at LH Business Lounges back then, i did give the honest review and got a credit of $35,- as an apology from Loungebuddy, that things did not work as they should have.
Therefore . . . OFTEN, it's not that bad to have recordings of good / bad experience, no matter where!
But in any hospitality or service sector work, it is important to KNOW your own product or service!
Clients/Guests do pay (sometimes) a big amount of money, to be treated with respect and knowledge by employees.
Josh Cahill is the most arrogant, entitled, narcissistic, ego-maniacal, disrespectful, over the top drama queen on YouTube. His tabloid style “reviews” are basically a sad attempt at fame. I’ve timed quite a few of his videos and his face is directly in front of the camera on average of 75% of the video running time. His so-called “reviews” are about HIM, not really about the actual airline he is supposed to be critiquing. Josh wants...
Josh Cahill is the most arrogant, entitled, narcissistic, ego-maniacal, disrespectful, over the top drama queen on YouTube. His tabloid style “reviews” are basically a sad attempt at fame. I’ve timed quite a few of his videos and his face is directly in front of the camera on average of 75% of the video running time. His so-called “reviews” are about HIM, not really about the actual airline he is supposed to be critiquing. Josh wants the entire world to love him as much as he loves himself. I hope more airlines ban him because he’s not offering anything of positive value to the world’s airlines, in fact in many cases it’s just the opposite. Plus the fact he is constantly flapping his gums during his flights which I can imagine is beyond irritating other passengers seated nearby.
Found the disgruntled Qatar Airways employee
well said, enough of this drama queen and his like, he's always come off as very nouveau riche and attention seeking. It's s sad that this is news or worthy of attention. Aviation and travelling should be about fun and helpful resouces not this kind of behavior being celebrated or accepted.
Couldn’t agree more
Been on the fence about Cahill for a while and usually gave him benefit of the doubt but this is pushing me onto the other side.
No way in hell he didn't know this would be a conflict. I'd go so far as to suggest he knew when booking this would be an opportunity for drama and took full advantage.
Think about reviewers like Noel Philips and Jeb Brooks and compare Cahill's drama ratio to theirs and you have your answer.
Noel Phillips should realize that he has no visual appeal and really has no business being in front of the camera as much as he does. When you’re in front of the camera a bulk of a video’s running time, I have to ask why when there are others that make absolutely exquisite, professional style videos with near perfection and they are rarely seen some are rarely heard. “The Luxury Travel Expert” has the most...
Noel Phillips should realize that he has no visual appeal and really has no business being in front of the camera as much as he does. When you’re in front of the camera a bulk of a video’s running time, I have to ask why when there are others that make absolutely exquisite, professional style videos with near perfection and they are rarely seen some are rarely heard. “The Luxury Travel Expert” has the most amazing videos with impeccable video quality, relaxing background music and makes use of very informational and thorough subtitles rather than having to listen to a voice. But there are those that do a voice narration like Patrick Shea, but you can tell he’s done an excellent job editing and is not doing his recordings while in flight. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I just wish Noel would realize that the camera is not his best friend and his voice only marginally better. But at least he’s not a drama queen like Josh Cahill and Nonstopdan.
When you say Noel Philips has no visual appeal, what you mean is you don’t fancy him.
At least he’s a decent guy and not an a- hole drama queen. Oh and another narcissist is James Asquith
Hey, lay off of Noel Phillips. He does a nice job, is pleasant and entertaining and seems to be a genuinely nice fellow. Can you do better?
Noel's appeal is he flies airlines in 3rd world countries I will never be flying. I don't need yet another video about Etihad or Emirates first class, or Q Suites, and how great they are.
I will say I did comment on Noel's video about advertising for the scam company "Established Titles" and my comment magically disappeared and the advertisements are still in his old videos. But I am still a fan.
You should realize that not every creator is for you. Some want to make serious videos, some want to make silly fun videos.
Yeah I don't understand why you would possibly book a two-leg itinerary from Berlin to Paris through Luxembourg (whether one ticket or two) with an eight-hour layover in Luxembourg's airport unless to try to make this point.
As if you losers could do any better. Laughable!
Stop giving this idiot publicity
Luxair website doesn’t indicate any time restriction.
Ben is quite right though, that Princess Cahill’s attitude was completely wrong. Finger pointing, raising his voice and filming
Filming staff and then posting in social media is also a breach of the condioof carriage. She can still be identified and just covering her eyes is useless unless she was completely pixelated.
KLM on the other hand makes it clear it’s not possible during peak times....
Luxair website doesn’t indicate any time restriction.
Ben is quite right though, that Princess Cahill’s attitude was completely wrong. Finger pointing, raising his voice and filming
Filming staff and then posting in social media is also a breach of the condioof carriage. She can still be identified and just covering her eyes is useless unless she was completely pixelated.
KLM on the other hand makes it clear it’s not possible during peak times.
Do you know why staff don’t want to provide names ? Because if people like him. Post online then people go about searching online and making threats. Random strangers will search people out on LinkedIn etc and threaten them even though the incident was unrelated to them and a third party. I know as this happens to colleagues.
I watched his video just after it was published and honestly felt he was being quite aggressive. He appeared tired and I understand his position but the fact the lady offered to give her employee number should have ended that. Did she know she was being filmed? If so I can understand her apprehension at possibly having her face broadcast far and wide. I like Cahill’s videos, he’s very likeable, but I think he’s coming across as more and more arrogant and entitled.
That's been Cahill's modus operandi for quite some time. Look at the number of "controversies" he has been in. Either he's the most unlucky reviewer to have ever graced the face of the planet, or the issue is the common denominator in all of it.
He's definitely not the most unlucky reviewer to have ever graced the face of the planet.
That belongs to a fellow German who got kicked out of an island.
For someone who seems to be living in hotels for a living, that German seems to get f**ked by every single property stayed in.
Facts
- Josh Cahill (JC) purchased two separate itenaries ( tickets ), according to OMMAT.
- JC also purchased lounge access for 35 eruos through online.
- First lag (LG9472) is business class and second lag (LG8021) is economy class.
- JC arrived at LUX airport at 10:15 AM (LG9472 : BER-LUX) and next flight (LG8021) departs at 18:25 PM.
- JC went to LUXAIR lounge for 8 hour (...
Facts
- Josh Cahill (JC) purchased two separate itenaries ( tickets ), according to OMMAT.
- JC also purchased lounge access for 35 eruos through online.
- First lag (LG9472) is business class and second lag (LG8021) is economy class.
- JC arrived at LUX airport at 10:15 AM (LG9472 : BER-LUX) and next flight (LG8021) departs at 18:25 PM.
- JC went to LUXAIR lounge for 8 hour ( or 7 hour) staying at lounge and denied.
Not clear things
- It is not clear from the youtube video that JC is denied entirely or LUXAIR staff asked to come back 3 hours prior to LG8021. This is the alpha and omega.
- If LUXAIR staff requested to JC that he could only enter ( access ) the lounge 3 hours before the flight, then I absolutely agree with LUXAIR.
- IF LUXAIR staff told JC that JC could not enter the lounge what-so-ever for the day, then I absolutely agree with JC.
Delta lounge '3-hour access policy'
Customers will be able to access Delta Sky Clubs anytime within 3 hours of their scheduled departure time (and connecting customers can continue to access Clubs in the connecting airport at any time prior to departure).
I don't know whether LUXAIR has the same 3 hour limit rule or not, however, I belive ( or hope) that LUXAIR could have similar lounge policy.
Since, JC purchased two separate tickets ( according to OMMAT), he is another starting passenger at LUX airport. Then LUXAIR staff can request JC to come back 15:25 PM for lounge access.
It is my interpretation, however, JC wanted to enter LUXAIR lounge at 11:00 AM (?), and this is the starting point of bitter conflicts.
From the youtube, there are so many parts deleted, not clear. Maybe this is the magic of EDITING.
I may be right or I may be wrong.
Homies from Boston
Cahill is a c—t. Cannot stand him Filming staff in Europe is a no go . It’s not the US. it’s also true paid access is restricted to a few hours before in many cases. I wrote this before reading everything because as soon as I saw his name. He’s a t- t as well as a c—
Nonsense. But I'm not surprised since you usually post crap all day long.
@Stefan You sound unhinged.
That's typical for Luxair, a few weeks ago their CEO complained about EU261 and too high flight compensatuons.
You can read that in the luxemburgish press.
So has almost every airline boss. Luxair is no different.
I use to watch the videos he has, but finally got tired of them. I guess I can sum it up four words. "I don't like him"
I am SO UPSET with this posting that I have whipped out my smart phone and have started video recording everything that people are writing in the comments!!!
Filming staff, let alone publishing the videos, is not okay when the issue is mere lounge access (i.e. not a safety incident, possible law breaking behaviour etc). That can easily be reported on without a video. Luxair did wrong on the lounge issue and I myself would love the clarification on their policy (e.g. does it also apply for people accessing the lounge based on status?) but that doesn't justify abusive behaviour and I welcome...
Filming staff, let alone publishing the videos, is not okay when the issue is mere lounge access (i.e. not a safety incident, possible law breaking behaviour etc). That can easily be reported on without a video. Luxair did wrong on the lounge issue and I myself would love the clarification on their policy (e.g. does it also apply for people accessing the lounge based on status?) but that doesn't justify abusive behaviour and I welcome every airline that makes sure that such passengers won't be on my next flight.
Rubbish. He did exactly what should be done, hold surly staff accountable for their actions.
@Stefan You seem hell bent on defending him. Is he a friend of yours?
his secret lover or obsessed fan probably. LOL
So you and Pudu are lovers too?
1. Filming people is not "holding them accountable".
2. The staff haven't done anything wrong. It's not a policy made up by the lounge dragon.
For the record, it is absolutely possible to buy a flight from BER to CDG on Luxair with an 8h50m layover in Luxembourg. I randomly searched on Aug 15 on Google flights, and it came right up.
Why anyone would book that itinerary is another story...
Josh Cahill figured out that drama = $$$
i agree . . . . and as 100 !! comments here show, . . . . it works! ;-)
and this is not even HIS own platform!
Clever Guy, or should i say stupid US, who "waste" there time to "sponsor" such guys as Josh Cahill? :-o
When Etihad started cost cutting I had a similar experience at the Heathrow lounge (without any confrontational behaviour though).
As Etihad gold, one perk I loved was access to the LHR lounge when flying Alitalia. A free massage, table service dining and a bit of pasta onboard for a 2 hour hop was one of the best experiences around for intra European short haul.
Etihad started with cost cutting and selling off partner...
When Etihad started cost cutting I had a similar experience at the Heathrow lounge (without any confrontational behaviour though).
As Etihad gold, one perk I loved was access to the LHR lounge when flying Alitalia. A free massage, table service dining and a bit of pasta onboard for a 2 hour hop was one of the best experiences around for intra European short haul.
Etihad started with cost cutting and selling off partner airlines. I was off to Milan and entered the lounge. Was told Etihad no longer offers access on Alitalia flights. Small back and forth and eventually the lounge attendant and I agreed to check the website together. Nothing had been updated. So I was allowed in. No argument no hostility from either sides just a factual discussion. I tried this about a month later again, but the website had been updated, she said she would make an exception but not next time. I agreed and again no hostility.
I just don’t know how long it takes some people to go through life and not understand
“You win more bees with honey”
Generally if you act calm and rational and speak politely people will accommodate your wants.
Oh and I stopped flying Alitalia after this… before it turned into ITA airways.
Being based in London it obviously makes more sense to fly BA short haul and build status, and this was the only reason I used to use Alitalia for Italy.
... maybe a good time to move back to ITA now, as they offer one of the BEST Business Class products to Italy!
Lie flat seats on new A320-neo! ;-)
.... but since EY dropped all there so much needed airline partners (back then, as feeders to AUH) anyway, it's not worth it i guess, to even think of EY anymore?
Another corrupt airline! 1 that i would NOT fly, if there is any alternative out there.
Liked your line:
"You win more bees with honey" :-)
Here's the thing with most YT videos they're based upon "drama" and "outrage" because that's what "reality tv" (which is what these videos really are) is centered around. So any chance to bring drama into his videos he sees as imperative. That's why I would never watch any of this crap. Some Youtuber having a meltdown over crappy food in a lounge or an air crew that isn't all smiles and giggles.
YouTube suggests videos based on what you watch. I never get these in my feed because I never watch them.
Simple solution here in YouTube, "Not Interested in Video" and "Do Not Recommend Channel". Might have to rinse and repeat a few times but this simple process has kept pests like JC out of my feed for months. Like another poster, I used to give him (JC and Noel) the benefit of the doubt and enjoyed that he (they) flew with obscure airlines. However, he lost it for me after that drama with Air Timor. Noel lost it for me when he gradually became more like JC.
Hopefully the YT bloke Cahill gets banned by another airline.
About time that businesses clamp down on those drama queens.
None of them are required taking his business. Full stop.
Cahill's a dik and should be banned everywhere. He's a vlogger but his whining about everything give me the creeps. I stopped reading his leap about a year ago. Wish he'd just go away
Please stop posting about Josh Cahill. What a complete loser.
There was a similar "problem" in 2019: https://frankfurtflyer.de/review-the-lounge-by-luxair-luxemburg/ - and on priority pass it also says the lounge is available four hours prior to departure: https://www.prioritypass.com/de/lounges/luxembourg/luxembourg-findel-intl/lux-the-lounge - interestingly, one can only access LUX airside four hours prior to departure according to Frankfurtflyer so it makes sense in a way to only expect people four hours before a flight
Priority Pass terms mean nothing.
I have been turned away when words contradict the dragon's lounge policy.
Yes, Turkish / Primeclass it's you.
I’m agnostic about his content, but I honestly find him pretty hot.
#YILF
YouTuberILF
Haha.
Hot if you're into the newly "turning" reptile types. Then again, many are waking up to the rodent-human's (that have always been here) but now everyone is starting to notice it. "Hot rodent men" I believe is the term. I'm also noticing that white men are looking very pig pinkish (muuuuuch more than before).
Oh, the things that are coming to the surface this year.
As for Josh, well, no one brings the drama...
Hot if you're into the newly "turning" reptile types. Then again, many are waking up to the rodent-human's (that have always been here) but now everyone is starting to notice it. "Hot rodent men" I believe is the term. I'm also noticing that white men are looking very pig pinkish (muuuuuch more than before).
Oh, the things that are coming to the surface this year.
As for Josh, well, no one brings the drama like he does. I'll watch his video nonetheless since I'm curious.
Thanks for the detailed write up. I dont want to click on his video and give him more views. While he may have some valid points in this instance, I generally find him to one more of those vloggers who will do anything for a bit of publicity.
He clearly had a bad attitude from the beginning of the video. Even getting to the lounge he was being melodramatic (Oh, I have to climb some stairs). Then the lounge supervisor was trying to be so polite and friendly despite him being so aggressive and rude. It was painful to watch and I felt sorry for her clearly trying to do her best and enforce the policies. Arriving in a lounge 8 hours before...
He clearly had a bad attitude from the beginning of the video. Even getting to the lounge he was being melodramatic (Oh, I have to climb some stairs). Then the lounge supervisor was trying to be so polite and friendly despite him being so aggressive and rude. It was painful to watch and I felt sorry for her clearly trying to do her best and enforce the policies. Arriving in a lounge 8 hours before a non connecting flight, what did he expect? Hopefully this is another airline he gets banned from (although maybe not since that would just be another clickbait video for him).
I'll also add, that I find it sad and insulting how Josh in his video bashes all other YouTubers and bloggers (including directly or indirectly OMAAT) in saying that he is pretty much the only independent source who keeps his viewer's interests at heart and fights for them.
He even goes on and says that all other reviews are pretty much sponsored, run or written by the airlines.
People massively sponsor him and watch his...
I'll also add, that I find it sad and insulting how Josh in his video bashes all other YouTubers and bloggers (including directly or indirectly OMAAT) in saying that he is pretty much the only independent source who keeps his viewer's interests at heart and fights for them.
He even goes on and says that all other reviews are pretty much sponsored, run or written by the airlines.
People massively sponsor him and watch his videos, so many must believe this to be true or at minima really enjoy his content.
Is he wrong?
You just described CNN and FOX.
And Sam Chui. And Points Guy.
He's not wrong. And I think he's hinting at Sam Chui.
Agreed. He's likely taking a jab at Sam Chui, not Lucky.
Too many (ignorant) people out there are just willing to believe everything they see online, which is why cults exist and why someone as vile and disgusting as donald trump can get elected to be our President. (We have two candidates they are BOTH way too old for office, but I’d prefer not to vote for OLD & EVIL, so I’m voting for just OLD (President Biden). donald trump will eventually rot in the bowels...
Too many (ignorant) people out there are just willing to believe everything they see online, which is why cults exist and why someone as vile and disgusting as donald trump can get elected to be our President. (We have two candidates they are BOTH way too old for office, but I’d prefer not to vote for OLD & EVIL, so I’m voting for just OLD (President Biden). donald trump will eventually rot in the bowels of hell where belongs along with Putin & the Kim family.
@Jason Y
The problem is it's actually OLD & EVIL vs OLD & WAY TOO OLD.
But there isn't just 2 options.
What people should be doing is building traction for a write in candidate.
Good on the airline (and all others who stood up to him in the past)
Ban the attention seeking vermin.
"Is Cahill a bit dramatic? I mean… no comment."
your readers can figure it out....
He THRIVES on creating drama for his financial benefit. Pity the poor airline employees that have to deal with him
"Is Dunn a bit dramatic? I mean… no comment."
It wouldn’t be Boarding Area if it weren’t either holier than thou or complaining.
"In all honesty, he isn't only dramatic, he goes out and creates the drama time-and-time again by being confrontational and purposely pushing the boundaries of harassing employees. Josh is the boy who cried wolf and his moaning loses all merit because of how repetitive it is."
This. And somehow he still has fans. To each their own, I guess.
And don’t forget his over priced crap that he calls “merchandise”. I question why anyone would buy that garbage.
Just a side comment, which I'm sure I'll be bashed for, but having traveled through much of western Europe I've found people in Luxembourg to be (by far) the rudest and most uncaring in the region....if not anywhere I've been thus far. It was shocking. And the behaviour on display in this incident ties in very nicely with the rudeness that we experienced in the city.
So, when people try to say that places...
Just a side comment, which I'm sure I'll be bashed for, but having traveled through much of western Europe I've found people in Luxembourg to be (by far) the rudest and most uncaring in the region....if not anywhere I've been thus far. It was shocking. And the behaviour on display in this incident ties in very nicely with the rudeness that we experienced in the city.
So, when people try to say that places like the Netherlands or Switzerland or France are unfriendly (disagree in all cases, btw), I think they really mean Luxembourg. Which is a shame because it's a pretty little country.
Funny enough, I found most of the locals I interacted with there to be quite pleasant overall.
Well, good for you. But our family's experience was so beyond the pale bad that there was no other explanation aside from this being the rudest and most arrogant place we'd ever been. Were in Switzerland later that week and it was nothing like this. Nor are any of the other surrounding countries. France is friendly like Brazil compared with the Luxo's.
Had to mention it, because the cocky manner in which the attendant...
Well, good for you. But our family's experience was so beyond the pale bad that there was no other explanation aside from this being the rudest and most arrogant place we'd ever been. Were in Switzerland later that week and it was nothing like this. Nor are any of the other surrounding countries. France is friendly like Brazil compared with the Luxo's.
Had to mention it, because the cocky manner in which the attendant addresses Cahill was just like the waiter we dealt with at our restaurant in town. And most of the people around him. Maybe they hate Americans, but Josh there is German.
Nope, I disagree with you completely. The German speaking part of Switzerland wins hands down. So many (not all) of them are such arrogant snobs. Now, the French and Italian speaking parts of Switzerland are very different and quite warm and friendly. I wouldn’t rank Luxembourg very high either, but I also have not have any negative interactions in the three times I’ve been there. (Except for one encounter with a restaurant manager who was...
Nope, I disagree with you completely. The German speaking part of Switzerland wins hands down. So many (not all) of them are such arrogant snobs. Now, the French and Italian speaking parts of Switzerland are very different and quite warm and friendly. I wouldn’t rank Luxembourg very high either, but I also have not have any negative interactions in the three times I’ve been there. (Except for one encounter with a restaurant manager who was reluctant to take a salad off the bill when my grandmother found a rather large dead horsefly underneath most of the lettuce on the plate. The manager tried to say that it probably fell from a hanging plant which is amusing because that fly was completely saturated in the oil & vinegar, fully marinated. But this isn’t unique to Luxembourg as I’ve had substandard customer service experiences at various places across the continent.
Spent a few days around Bern and did not have one unpleasant encounter. For the most part, people were either nice or indifferent. Friendlier than the Netherlands and frankly, I was surprised because I expected to experience what you describe. But Lux? Screw that place, the ppl were awful. They're wealth and the hell with you.
And for all the griping about Cahill here, what he encountered reminds me of our time there a couple weeks ago.
"people were either nice or indifferent"
That's how I found most of the people in Luxembourg to be.
It’s just another drama to keep his Youtube channel alive
Typical - Josh Cahill fancies himself as some sort of provacateur and has built his brand on his juvenile antics. More airlines should ban him and just shut him down. Blocking his videos from showing up in my youtube feed was the best thing I ever did.
Personally what he's done here is buy two one way tickets.
He keeps saying "i bought lounge for the transit" but he is not actually in transit with this airline. He has an arriving one way ticket and a departing one way ticket. He keeps saying "transit" but he's not in transit on these tickets, that's where he is wrong to start with.
I get that when he bought his new one way ticket from...
Personally what he's done here is buy two one way tickets.
He keeps saying "i bought lounge for the transit" but he is not actually in transit with this airline. He has an arriving one way ticket and a departing one way ticket. He keeps saying "transit" but he's not in transit on these tickets, that's where he is wrong to start with.
I get that when he bought his new one way ticket from LUX to Paris he bought the lounge access on that, and that probably did not state he can turn up 8 hours before to use the lounge, but most people who fly a lot (like he does) knows that its 2-4 hours max for these type of lounges.
He just loves that click bait.
Luxair.com doesn't sell BER-CDG, but some OTAs seem to combine two one-way fares. It's very possible he bought a single ticket through an OTA.
To be honest, time limits in Europe are still fairly rare. He does have a point, especially if it isn't written anywhere (other than Priority Pass). Similarly, they might have possibly allowed him in with a better attitude.
Sure, but in his video he claims that he purchased everything through the Luxair website, when in reality he didn’t. This is the very likely conclusion, he wasn’t allowed because of the two one ways.
Depending on when this video was filming, BER-LUX lands at 10.40PM and the connecting flight is not until the next day 8 Hours later)
I can't tell if he did that or his flight was same day
The plane arrives in Luxembourg at 10.15 AM, not PM.
He booked two separate tickets because the first segment was in Business and the second one was in Economy. Not that it matters, though.
For lounge access purposes, it's irrelevant whether he's in transit or not. He purchases access and should thereby have access to the lounge whenever he shows up unless there is a published policy to the contrary.
Doesn't he have a Priority Pass? Why purchase lounge access this way?
Setting aside his conduct entirely, I do always get a little annoyed when employees, especially those in service positions, refuse to give customers their names - even if ID number is given for accountability (which while it was here, I find it all too often isn't), it depersonalizes the interaction in a way that I don't think is appropriate for what is fundamentally a service position.
Pretty sure data protection laws in Europe allow her to not give out her name.
And to be honest, seeing his attitude and him filming her... why would anyone give out their name to a rude and entitled customer who says "she scammed" him?
Whilst I'm not excusing her (because there's lots that can be improved also), she tries a few times to tell him that she personally didn't sell the lounge access but he...
Pretty sure data protection laws in Europe allow her to not give out her name.
And to be honest, seeing his attitude and him filming her... why would anyone give out their name to a rude and entitled customer who says "she scammed" him?
Whilst I'm not excusing her (because there's lots that can be improved also), she tries a few times to tell him that she personally didn't sell the lounge access but he just continues being argumentative and rude.
I'm pretty sure this would have ended differently with some smiles, politness and less finger pointing.
Somehow people in the service industry seems to never get it.
Don't expect any privacy in a public facing role.
Expect to take all the heat from someone else's mistakes.
This job isn't for everyone.
It’s an important principle. I am booked to fly AF via CDG from the US to Cape Town in December. Business class. My initial booking was with an efficient 2-hour connection. AF recently revised its flight schedule and cancelled the connecting flight, offering to rebook me on a later connecting flight with a much longer 10-hr layover at CDG. I responded in writing OK, but on condition I could treat one of their lounges as...
It’s an important principle. I am booked to fly AF via CDG from the US to Cape Town in December. Business class. My initial booking was with an efficient 2-hour connection. AF recently revised its flight schedule and cancelled the connecting flight, offering to rebook me on a later connecting flight with a much longer 10-hr layover at CDG. I responded in writing OK, but on condition I could treat one of their lounges as my home for the entirety of the layover. They said oh yes, no problem, in writing. I am absolutely sure that when I go straight to the lounge and they look at my boarding pass for the onward connecting flight 10 hours hence they will try to deny me access, and I will be forced to show my written evidence of entitlement. That is the way those lounge guardians are hardwired. There is nothing explicitly clear in ticket conditions of carriage on the point. Lounge access remains an annoyingly arbitrary and discretionary thing. Especially now with banks and credit card companies taking over the lounge business, one step removed from the airline’s contract of carriage with the passenger.
@ Romuald Holubowicz -- If it makes you feel any better, I'd be willing to bet you won't have any issues. For one, Air France actually doesn't have any limits on how many hours before departure you can use the lounge, unlike many other airlines. Furthermore, it sounds like you're actually in transit in business class the entire way, in which case virtually any airline will offer lounge access for the entirety of a stay.
I have to agree with you here, the new lounge in CDG is huge and KLM/AF pride themselves in the lounge experience. I've had lunch and dinner in that lounge on a long layover even when I've been Platinum on an economy ticket.
However remember that business light fares don’t allow automatic lounge access unless you’re flying blue elite plus.
As far as I understand for paid access KLM has a time limit of 3-4 hours before since priority is given to eligible passengers.
Anyhow I don’t believe you personally have ever behaved like Cahill. If something is wrong you tend to be more reasonable. You’ve also said that it doesn’t help shouting at staff.
Cahill is just a drama queen.
This guy may have borderline personality, but in layman's terms either way he's an a**hole. He completely projects onto the lounge agent the "smiling", the "taking pleasure in" the confrontation - the video is damning as it shows nothing of the sort and the only person being rude and escalating is him. F*** him and the horse he rode in on. I'm guessing the YouTube comment section is sanitized by him....
I actually watch many of his videos because some of them are quite interesting from an av-geek standpoint. But you are totally right, he can be an asshole, and when he is I'm always surprised that his whole feed seems to be on his side, while on virtually any other platform / blog 95% of the people dislike him.
Not a huge fan of this youtuber. He was quite early for his flight, and Luxembourg is not a connecting airport, so i don't think they often had this type of issues.
The Luxair lounge is also accessible with priority pass, it is decent but I would not spend 8 hours in it, nor buy access.
Priority Pass indicates a 4 hour maximum stay for that lounge; odd that there's nothing on the Luxair site selling the access.
Interestingly, according to Luxair's website, access shouldn't even be up for purchase for flights to Paris:
"Our new lounge access service is available on the following destinations operated by Luxair Luxembourg Airlines: Luxembourg, Bucharest, Copenhagen, Geneva, Lisbon, Ljubljana, Porto, Nice, Rome, Montpellier, Florence, Belgrade, Stockholm, Oslo.
Please note that lounge access against payment for Flex and Smart fares is not available on other destinations."
What's also interesting is that a full-time YouTuber doesn't have a Priority Pass (or doesn't use it).
Downtown Luxembourg is only a 10-15 minute drive from the airport, why would any person want to spend 8 hours in a tiny lounge. Even with a 4 hour time limit he had plenty of time.
Paris is only a 4-hour drive from the airport. I can't imagine why anybody would want to spend 8 hours in a crappy lounge unless they did it just to cause trouble on YouTube.
I have family that lives about 30 minutes from LUX so I have used the airport over the years. Why anyone would want to spend 8 hours in that tiny lounge is beyond me. I get that he maybe wanted to review the lounge but if he indeed booked 2 one-way tickets maybe he should have left the airport for a while and then came back to spend 45 minutes or so in there which is more than enough time or an adequate review.
Can't say that I'm surprised.
Ben, is Josh a personal friend of yours? Otherwise I don't understand promoting and giving attention to someone who, on purpose, always creates scandals.
@ Mentees Salmon -- To my knowledge I've never communicated with him. And if you read my post (which, if you did, you're the world's fastest reader, based on how quickly you commented), you'll see that I criticize the way he interacts with the employee, so it doesn't exactly sound like I'm positively promoting him, no?
I'm covering this because I think it's important to be balanced. Airlines should be called out when they do...
@ Mentees Salmon -- To my knowledge I've never communicated with him. And if you read my post (which, if you did, you're the world's fastest reader, based on how quickly you commented), you'll see that I criticize the way he interacts with the employee, so it doesn't exactly sound like I'm positively promoting him, no?
I'm covering this because I think it's important to be balanced. Airlines should be called out when they do wrong, and I think it's also worth calling out customers who could do a better job communicating with staff in these kinds of interactions.
I have and personally I think, whilst you've gone a fair ways to criticize him, you're still running an article that directly promotes him.
In his case, any publicity is good and generates views. Something this post obviously enables.
In all honesty, he isn't only dramatic, he goes out and creates the drama time-and-time again by being confrontational and purposely pushing the boundaries of harassing employees. Josh is the boy who cried wolf and his...
I have and personally I think, whilst you've gone a fair ways to criticize him, you're still running an article that directly promotes him.
In his case, any publicity is good and generates views. Something this post obviously enables.
In all honesty, he isn't only dramatic, he goes out and creates the drama time-and-time again by being confrontational and purposely pushing the boundaries of harassing employees. Josh is the boy who cried wolf and his moaning loses all merit because of how repetitive it is.
I get that this is an easy story that will also generate clicks and lots of comments for OMAAT, but it just feeds the interest of someone who has questionable motives.
Oy. We can't have nice things. Isn't there anything else on the internet to complain about?
Well to be honest, this whole complaint is about an over-entitled provocative youtuber who can't get his way and is not allowed 8 hours in a rotten lounge.
We tend to easily forget that 4 years ago nobody was visiting pretty much any lounge anywhere. So who cares, life is short enjoy it.
The time this article published and the time he wrote this comment suggests that he wrote this right after you've uploaded it.
Indeed, the initial post was an immediate reaction to the fact that we've had plenty of posts about Josh Cahill (or whatever his real name is) here before and I legitimately wondered if there was a connection or friendship because other bloggers don't seem to mention Josh as often.
It seems like Ben was offended by my reply, which wasn't at all the objective and I'm very sorry if he was.
@ Mentees Salmon -- I wasn't offended by your reply, so I'm sorry it came across that way. Your points are totally fair about him, and about me covering him, and I'll keep that in mind in the future. :-)
"it doesn't exactly sound like I'm positively promoting him, no?"
You may not be promoting him, however you know talking about him on OMAAT drives up the traffic, comments etc just like the last time you did with the Qatar Airways thread. What are usually dull days and a handful of comments suddenly run into hundreds. So there is much for you to benefit from it yourself (wink)