The domestic Qantas Club in Melbourne is a perfect example of what U.S. airlines should aspire to. It wasn’t over the top, but featured everything I am looking for in a domestic lounge.
Let’s start with a construction update. The lounge is currently under construction with renovations slated for completion by June 2018. With the lounge remaining open during the refurbishment period, keep in mind you may see more crowding than usual. I thought the lounge was already nice enough, but it will be beautiful when finished. Take a look at these four renderings:
images courtesy of Qantas
So my pictures below won’t be all that helpful in how the lounge will soon look, but it will give you a a fair idea of the amenities to expect. The lounge includes:
- Hot buffet
- Barista-made coffee
- Showers
- Restrooms
- Work stations
- Fast wi-fi
- Tarmac views
My uncle and I had eaten an early breakfast at the Park Hyatt Melbourne and I was ready for lunch in the lounge. The selection did not disappoint: I enjoyed tomato soup, a green salad, pasta salad, and a great goulash-style stew. The highlight of the meal, however, was the excellent coffee.
CONCLUSION
There was nothing in this lounge that was “over-the-top” exceptional. But the combination of a very decent food selection, barista-made coffee, fast wi-fi, and showers make this a highly practical, highly useful lounge. Delta is moving in this direction with its SkyClub product, but I’d love to see Alaska, American, Delta, and United offer a product like this.
#pipedream
Wow, three Qantas 767s in a row. That’s a piece of history right there.