Qantas lounge members and Business and First Class flyers will soon be able to sip bubbles, flip through mags and freshen up pre-flight in four new locations. The airline has announced a $100-million investment that’ll see it opening four brand-new lounges, including a flagship First Lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport.
The lounge network update will also include extensive renovations to existing domestic and international lounges. Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the investment could be accelerated because of the faster-than-expected recovery in travel demand.
“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 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.”
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“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,” Joyce said.
The luxury London First Lounge will feature direct access to boarding gates, views of the airfield, wellbeing perks and a top-notch dining experience. It will be the fifth destination in the world to offer a Qantas First Lounge, along with LA, Melbourne, Singapore and the original First Lounge in Sydney. The London First Lounge is set to open in late 2025.
In addition to the First Lounge in London, the lounge network revamp will also include the opening of a new Hobart Qantas Club and a new Broome Regional Lounge with double the amount of seats. The International Business Lounge in Melbourne will also be updated and expanded; the Hong Kong International Lounge will be re-opened with a refresh and the International Business Lounge in Sydney will get a complete refurb and expansion.
Among other new lounge offerings, Qantas previously announced the introduction of an edible herb garden in a new Auckland International Lounge, a full upgrade to the Qantas Club at Adelaide Domestic Airport and a new regional lounge at Rockhampton Airport.
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