Qantas’ $100 Million Investment in Lounge Network
Qantas has announced major enhancement to its network of lounges in Australia and overseas. The $100-million investment features a new flagship First Lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport, and an extensive upgrade program of existing international and domestic lounges.
This is the single biggest investment in the Qantas lounge network in more than a decade and comes as the airline expands its Domestic and International routes. It is phased over three years.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the faster-than-expected recovery in travel demand meant the airline could accelerate investment in its lounge network.
“Being back in profit means we’re back to making long term investments for our customers. That started with the major aircraft order we announced last year and now we’re building on that with a major investment in our lounges,” said Mr Joyce.
“Millions of people a year visit our lounges and they are typically our frequent flyers who travel with us the most, so anything we do to improve them is a way of saying thank you to our most loyal customers.
“We have three new and upgraded lounge spaces due to open this year and the pipeline we’re announcing today will take us through to 2025.
“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,” Mr Joyce added.
The London First Lounge is expected to feature direct access to boarding gates, sweeping views of the airfield, a focus on wellbeing features and an unrivalled dining experience. The targeted opening date will align with the first Project Sunrise flights direct to Sydney.
London First Lounge
- Construction of a brand new flagship First Lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport to align with the launch of Project Sunrise direct flights between the UK and the east coast of Australia. The First Lounge will operate alongside the current International Lounge, which will become a dedicated International Business Lounge. It is expected to open in late 2025.
- It will be the fifth destination to offer a Qantas First Lounge, along with Los Angeles, Melbourne, Singapore and the original Marc Newson designed First Lounge in Sydney.
Hong Kong International Lounge
- Reopening of the Qantas Hong Kong International Lounge that was closed and vacated during the pandemic. The lounge is currently undergoing a refresh and the new and improved lounge will open in April 2023. The popular yum cha trolley will return.
Melbourne International Business Lounge
- Proposed redevelopment of existing Qantas Business Class Lounge at Melbourne International Airport featuring an expanded footprint which will increase capacity by up to 30 per cent to accommodate future passenger growth.
- Will include a full internal refresh and a new signature food and beverage concept. Work will be carried out in stages from late 2023, targeting stage one opening in mid 2024.
Sydney International Business Lounge
- Redevelopment of existing Business Class Lounge at Sydney International Airport (as previously announced but paused due to the pandemic) pending confirmation of Sydney Airport terminal upgrade plans. Proposal for a full redesign and rebuild from scratch that will increase capacity by 40 per cent to more than 600 seats.
- A new signature food and beverage offering. Work is estimated to commence early 2024 with completion of stage one estimated by early 2025
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