American Express to open new Melbourne Airport lounge on March 27
By Chris C., March 7 2018
The long-awaited American Express lounge at Melbourne Airport’s international T2 terminal will be open to travellers from Tuesday March 27, 2018.
A spokesperson for American Express has confirmed the opening date to Australian Business Traveller, with the adjacent Plaza Premium lounge also rolling out the red carpet on the same day.
This will be the second member of the Australian AMEX lounge network and will take its lead from the card company's popular Sydney Airport lounge.
Plaza Premium will manage both lounges, which will also share some facilities such as toilets and kitchens.
The AMEX Melbourne Airport lounge was previously slated to open at the end of 2017.
As with its Sydney sibling, the American Express Melbourne Airport lounge will be accessible only to passengers with selected AMEX cards or lounge passes issued with those cards.
The best cards on that list are the American Express Platinum Charge, Business Platinum, Platinum Corporate Card, Centurion and Business Centurion cards, which all come with unlimited access prior to international flights with any airline, plus up to two adult guests and children aged 2-17.
Other cards which come with two lounge entries per calendar year include the American Express Explorer, Qantas American Express Ultimate Card and American Express Velocity Platinum Card.
PREVIOUS | American Express will open a lounge at Melbourne Airport’s international terminal by the end of this year, building on the popularity of the company’s existing Sydney Airport lounge.
As in Sydney, the Melbourne American Express Lounge will offer barista-crafted coffee, buffet dining, alcoholic refreshments, complimentary WiFi, business facilities and a selection of local and international newspapers and magazines.
Melbourne’s door list will also mirror Sydney, with American Express Platinum Charge, Business Platinum, Centurion and Business Centurion cardholders afforded unlimited access prior to international flights with any airline, plus up to two adult guests and children aged 2-17.
The following cards can also get you and your children aged 2-17 inside, but with two adult entries permitted per calendar year in total across both the Sydney and Melbourne American Express Lounges, as opposed to unlimited access:
- American Express Explorer & Business Explorer
- Qantas American Express Ultimate Card
- American Express Velocity Platinum Card
- Westpac Altitude Black American Express
- CBA Diamond Awards American Express
- David Jones American Express Platinum Card
- AMEX Qantas Corporate Platinum Card
- AMEX Corporate Platinum Card
- Westpac Earth Black American Express (existing cardholders only)
- American Express Platinum Reserve Card (not open for general application)
- New Zealand-issued AMEX Airpoints Platinum cards
“Melbourne Tullamarine is an important transport hub for many Australian and international travellers and the new airport lounge will be a welcome travel benefit for card members,” an American Express spokesperson told Australian Business Traveller.
The new lounge will be operated by Plaza Premium on behalf of AMEX.
American Express Platinum Charge and Centurion cardholders already receive complimentary access to the Virgin Australia lounge in Melbourne Airport’s Terminal 2 – and to all other domestic Virgin Australia lounges – when travelling domestically with the airline and presenting their AMEX card.
These top-level cardholders can also access the Plaza Premium Lounge in Brisbane Airport’s international terminal when jetting abroad with any airline on presentation of their card, with the lounge also welcoming Priority Pass cards, such as included with Westpac Altitude Black.
Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
29 Jun 2013
Total posts 366
great news for melbourne,i always enjoyed the sydney one
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
20 Dec 2012
Total posts 40
Excellent news. One of the great perks of the Charge card is having access to these lounges.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jan 2017
Total posts 51
Nice to say goodbye to the qantas business dungeon
05 May 2016
Total posts 616
Would be interesting to hear how it compares.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2015
Total posts 580
I think it's still in the dungeon but in the old United space
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Oct 2016
Total posts 174
About time! Always been jealous that Sydney have the option
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 May 2016
Total posts 33
So that means Melbourne is getting a Plaza Lounge later this year?
24 Apr 2012
Total posts 2432
The American Express Lounge in Melbourne will be operated by Plaza Premium, as is already true of the AMEX Lounge in Sydney.
23 Feb 2015
Total posts 260
Feeling jealous as a holder of the ANZ equivalent of the Westpac and CBA cards that get you in :(
23 Sep 2015
Total posts 49
I was seriously underwhelmed by the lounge in Sydney when I visited in April... At least I don't pay anything for my CBA Diamond Amex
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
30 Aug 2016
Total posts 23
How did you get a free Diamond card?
24 Apr 2014
Total posts 269
Will priority pass use it?
05 Nov 2017
Total posts 2
Hi I am Westpac Altitude Black card holder, later I will visit Melbourne, when I flight back to Sydney ( Domestic ), can I use the American Express lounge at Melbourne ?
23 Sep 2015
Total posts 49
It's in the international terminal and if it's like the Sydney one it's air-side...
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
10 Aug 2015
Total posts 79
I LOVE the idea of flexibility and choices! The reality is, I tend to stick with airline lounges - but I will head in when it's open because I'm nosey.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Oct 2017
Total posts 98
Great concept especially for the not so frequent flyers or those that struggle to attain Status for Lounge entry. It may be enough to lure some passengers from devout loyalty to their f/f program.
20 Jun 2014
Total posts 59
I understand how the two lounges could share kitchens, but how would they share toilets?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
21 Mar 2017
Total posts 6
Interesting! I'm VA Platinum heading to Hong Kong at the end of the month. Need to choose which lounge Etihad Business or this hmmm! Great problem to have
24 Apr 2012
Total posts 2432
Why not check-in early and take a look at both, if your schedule permits?
07 Mar 2013
Total posts 30
At last! Flying out on the 30th and have the Amex velocity plat entries.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2015
Total posts 580
I'm also flying on the 30th and now have the new plaza premium, AMEX and marhaba lounge to try. Only ever been in the SQ and NZ lounges at MEL.
15 Feb 2013
Total posts 163
I visited Amex lounges at both DFW and MIA on a recent trip to the US, and they were both pretty average. Crowded, dirty, sub-par food selection, and awful coffee. In MIA we left almost immediately and went back to the AA Flagship Lounge which was brilliant in comparison (but still not as good as the QF Flounge).
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Feb 2017
Total posts 11
Any information on the lounge opening hours?
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2560
No, if we had that right now we'd share it, but we will have more info once the lounge opens :)
13 Sep 2016
Total posts 174
Be good to see where this is at, I hope it's larger than the SYD lounge which is a great size when not too busy but very quickly gets crowded.
24 Apr 2014
Total posts 269
What about the American Express Platinum Reserve card? Is it accepted?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 May 2017
Total posts 84
Well, as far as I'm aware, the case has been for a number of years now, that this card is only available to Plat charge card holders, so you'd have entry with that anyway.
24 Apr 2012
Total posts 2432
lind26: Full details will be published after we visit the lounge later this month, but it's our understanding that the 'door list' will mirror that in Sydney.
Aer Lingus - Gold Circle Club
20 Nov 2017
Total posts 5
Will my UK issued Amex Platinum Business card allow access? Or just Aus/NZ cards?
QF
04 Apr 2014
Total posts 209
The US lounges recognise all cards regardless of the country of issue. Which makes sense, after all these lounges are in airport and the AU ones apparently are in the international terminal :)
25 Apr 2018
Total posts 1
interestingly I have a Maybank AMEX Reserve card but can't be used for this lounge.In fact this AMEX card can't be used for any lounge at all. I'll probably have to change to some other card.
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