Qantas has announced that it’s pouring $100 million into enhancing lounges in Australia and overseas. This means four brand new lounges, as well as renovations to their existing ones.
Here’s a rundown of what’s in store:
- a swanky new First Lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport
- a refreshed Hong Kong International Lounge
- a complete overhaul of the International Business Lounge in Sydney
- a bigger and better International Business Lounge in Melbourne
- a new Hobart Qantas Club
- a new Broome Regional Lounge.
This is the biggest investment in Qantas’ lounge network in over 10 years, and it comes as the airline expands its domestic and international routes and gets ready for some next-gen aircraft.
London First Lounge
A brand new First Lounge at Heathrow Airport is being built to go along with the launch of Project Sunrise direct flights between the UK and Australia’s east coast (starting with Sydney).
The plan is to open it in late 2025, and it’ll be right next to the current International Lounge, which will become a dedicated Business Lounge.
Some expected highlights of the new First Lounge include direct access to boarding gates, awesome airfield views, a focus on wellbeing features, and top-notch dining.
This will be the fifth Qantas First Lounge, joining the ones in Los Angeles, Melbourne, Singapore, and Sydney.
“London is one of the most important destinations on our network and it’s the perfect location for a First Lounge, especially with our direct Project Sunrise flights on the way. Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports so we’re very pleased to be working with them to secure a great space in the terminal for an additional lounge,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.
Hong Long International Lounge
Qantas is reopening the Hong Kong International Lounge that closed down during the pandemic. The space is getting a makeover, and it’s set to open in April 2023.
Oh, and the yum cha trolley is making a comeback!
Melbourne International Business Lounge
One of the most underwhelming lounges in Qantas’ network will get a full makeover, with the first stage set to open in mid-2024.
It’ll also be expanded to handle more passengers in the future.
Sydney International Business Lounge
Qantas is planning a total redesign and rebuild of this space, which will increase capacity by 40% to more than 600 seats. They’ll also be introducing a new signature food and beverage concept. Work is expected to start in early 2024 and be completed by early 2025.
Hobart Qantas Club
Qantas is moving their existing lounge to a new Hobart Qantas Club that’ll have 50% more capacity, going from 96 to about 150 seats. The timeline for this is still up in the air.
Broome Regional Lounge
Qantas is building a brand new Regional Lounge in Broome that’ll open in 2024, doubling the capacity of the existing space to around 100 seats. This is thanks to strong demand from premium leisure travelers.
Previously announced upgrades
This news follows a number of other lounge-related announcements recently, including:
- a new Auckland International Lounge set to open progressively from 2023
- a new Business Lounge at Adelaide Domestic Airport (set to open in stages from 2024) as well as an upgraded Qantas Club (2023) and Chairmans Lounge (2025) at the airport
- the redevelopment of the Regional Lounge at Port Hedland Airport (2024)
- a new Regional Lounge at Rockhampton Airport (recently completed).
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