Qantas travellers into Dallas could be enjoying a new first class lounge if Dallas/Fort Worth Airport moves ahead with plans to build a premium lounge for international travellers.
DFW chief executive officer and former Virgin Australia exec Sean Donohue previously talked of setting up "a world-class international lounge" during a visit to Sydney in April this year.
Donohue is now a step closer to his goal, reports the Dallas Star-Telegram, with a consultancy firm set to "study other international customer lounge offerings at global airports and evaluate possible partners to run a premium lounge at DFW".
The lounge would be located at DFW's Terminal D and run independent of any airline. Airlines would then pay a per-passenger fee for their first class and top-tier frequent flyers to use the lounge.
"One of the things that comes through very clearly from the foreign flag carriers is while our current lounge offering is competitive from a domestic standpoint, it is absolutely not competitive from an international and global perspective,” Donohue said. “We really absolutely have to step up our game.”
Qantas will shift its daily Sydney-Dallas flights to a flagship Airbus A380 on September 29, with Emirates following suit on October 1.
Read: Qantas to start Airbus A380 flights to Dallas from September
Follow Australian Business Traveller on Twitter: we're @AusBT
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
01 Oct 2013
Total posts 92
While a future shared F lounge would be beneficial, it doesn't do that much good for future QF F/Plat passengers once the A380 takes over the route. The current outsourced QF J lounge is mediocre at best - definitely not at an F standard (or, arguably, J). There's no AA Flagship (F) lounge in Terminal D, too. QF, take advantage of the opportunity, lead by example, and replicate the LAX lounge at DFW!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2199
I think QF and AA and BA should run a nice big combined oneworld lounge. Think of something like the SIN lounge but more suited to DFW.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
20 Sep 2013
Total posts 462
Hopefully if it were to happen its bigger than the LAX lounge as you and your Qantas club friends may be turned away.
12 Feb 2014
Total posts 228
Great idea PB. Qantas is developing a capacity for creating and managing distinctive hub lounges for themselves and partner airlines. Almost a business division on its own now.
12 Jun 2013
Total posts 732
In my understanding of oneworld rules, a big oneworld F lounge at DFW would have to be accessible to the thousands of AA Exec Plat level flyers who fly, mostly domestically, through DFW every day.
They can get away with it at LAX because it's in an international-only terminal.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2199
You know you want to see it.
25 Jun 2012
Total posts 61
Actually Hugo you cannot access any AA lounges as a PLatinum or Exec Platinum Aadvantage member when travelling only domestically - you must hold an onward International ticket to be able to enter the lounge (or have been on an international flight and onward on a domestic).
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Feb 2013
Total posts 25
Unless it's a OneWorld operated lounge as is being suggested above, then they would be allowed entry.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Oct 2013
Total posts 14
Are you sure?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Oct 2013
Total posts 14
Is this true David?
Actually Hugo you cannot access any AA lounges as a PLatinum or Exec Platinum Aadvantage member when travelling only domestically - you must hold an onward International ticket to be able to enter the lounge (or have been on an international flight and onward on a domestic).
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on DFW Airport considers first class lounge