Qantas officially opens its upgraded Melbourne domestic lounges
The new domestic Business Lounge and Qantas Club Lounge offer more seating, all-day barista coffee and increased power points for charging your devices.
After almost a year of renovations, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce officially opened the two domestic lounges at Melbourne airport today.
While seating was limited during the upgrade process, the final result is a 10% increase in seating in the Qantas Club and a 40% increase in the Business Lounge. This brings the total capacity in each lounge to 530 and 350 guests, respectively.
Mr Joyce said the multi-million dollar redesign is a timely investment for the airline.
"Melbourne is one of the busiest ports in our network, and with the demand for premium travel on the rise, it's the right time to be investing in bigger and better lounges," he said.
"Our frequent flyers tell us that starting their journey in a comfortable and premium lounge is important to them, which is why they were front of mind when we embarked on this redesign."
Given it's Melbourne, serving quality local food, wine and barista coffee is obviously a priority," he added.
To this end, the Business Lounge now boasts a signature dining experience, with a Spice Bar that serves up freshly-made Asian street food, noodles and soups from midday each day.
The Spice Bar builds on the popularity of similar options at Qantas lounges in Perth (gourmet pizzas) and Brisbane (Mexican cantina) and is offered in addition to a hot-and-cold buffet, with seasonal menus designed by chef Neil Perry, who is the airline's creative director for food, beverage and service.
Next door in the Qantas Club, guests will also enjoy a buffet with dishes such as soups, sandwiches, salads and various breakfast items.
These food options are complemented by a range of drinks, with the bars in each lounge serving up tap beer, Australian wine and non-alcoholic beverages. There are also signature "Quench" drink stations that offer a range of flavoured waters, tisanes and other options for those more focused on hydration and wellness. And, of course, you can enjoy barista coffee at any time of the day (which is very Melbourne).
The look and feel of each lounge has also been updated with design elements that are inspired by aspects of Melbourne and its surrounds.
In the Business Lounge, dark tones and sophisticated finishes have been used to evoke the feel of Melbourne's dining culture and supper clubs. It also boasts windows along the entire length of the lounge, which is perfect for plane spotting and tarmac views. The Qantas Club contrasts this with lighter tones of timber, turquoise and grey – drawing inspiration from the Great Ocean Road.
Other key features of the lounges include the following:
- Wi-Fi and wireless printing
- Power outlets throughout each lounge
- A communal work zone in the Business Lounge
- Shower suites in the Business lounge
- News and Foxtel from large TV screens
- A kids zone in the Qantas Club
If you want to visit one of these lounges, the Melbourne Qantas Club is open to Qantas Club members, Gold Qantas Frequent Flyers (or those with higher status) and anyone with equivalent oneworld tier benefits. The Business Lounge is open to customers travelling in business class, Platinum Frequent Flyers and above, and equivalent oneworld members.
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Pictures: Qantas
