New Qantas Singapore First Lounge opening in 2019

The existing Business Lounge will also be expanded.
The Qantas lounge experience for Singapore passengers is about to get a lot less crowded.
The airline today announced plans to build a new separate First Lounge and expand its existing Business Lounge at Changi Airport. Designer David Caon will work on the aesthetics in partnership with Akin Atelier, while chef Neil Perry will again consult on the menu.
The new First Lounge will seat 240 people, while the expanded Business Lounge will be able to take 560 passengers. That's a 60% boost on the existing combined lounge, which opened in 2013. The First Lounge will included showers, a cocktail bar and a la carte dining.
The Singapore lounge has been under particular stress since Qantas routed its Sydney-London QF1 and QF2 services through Singapore rather than Dubai in March this year. More than 50 Qantas routes fly through Singapore.
"With the return of our A380 service to Singapore we've got more passengers transiting through our existing lounge and strong demand for travel in premium cabins," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement announcing the new lounge.
For regular first class flyers and Qantas, the return of a dedicated first-class lounge will be welcome news. It's arguably a less welcome development for business and economy flyers, since it's likely that will mean a downgrading of the food options in the existing business-class lounge.
However, for Qantas Club members, it should mean the end of the current practice which sometimes sees Club members sent to a partner lounge rather than the main Qantas lounge.
The new Singapore lounge will add to a busy year of expansion for Qantas, with new and expanded lounges already announced for six locations.
THE POINTS FINDER TAKE
Crowding has definitely been a problem in the Singapore lounge, so it's good news that there's a change ahead.Latest Points Finder headlines, tips and guides
- Why I paid $10 more to earn credit card points on a Qantas flight
- Exclusive: Get 15,000 extra Qantas Points on top of existing card offers
- Earn free Qantas or Velocity Points at JB Hi-Fi: Get in quick!
- Should I take my Qantas Loyalty Bonus as points or Status Credits?
- When do frequent flyer reward seats become available?
Picture: Qantas