Qantas lounge dress code: what you can and can’t wear

Looking back on photos of the ‘golden age’ of travel, it’s clear the experience was once an occasion worth dressing up for – a chance to don your Sunday best.

These days standard travel attire is more about comfort, yet dress codes still apply in certain instances such as airport lounges. And if you’re not suitably togged up, you risk being turned away at the front desk.

In the case of Qantas, the airline enforces a strict smart casual dress code at its main Qantas Club lounges and Qantas business class lounges across Australia – specifically at Qantas Club and Qantas Business lounges in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

What about regional Qantas lounges, as well as international Qantas first class and business class lounges – including overseas Qantas lounges in Singapore, London and Los Angeles?

The airline advises Executive Traveller that visitors to all Qantas lounges, not just ones in Australian capital cities, are expected to follow the same guidelines.

Smart casual for men includes button-up shirts and polos, chinos and casual dress pants or dark jeans.

Qantas lounge dress code explained

‘Smart casual’ is a fairly broad term – even Wikipedia describes it as “an ambiguously defined Western dress code” – but if you go too casual and dress down rather than up, you can be denied entry at any Qantas lounge.

A spokesperson for the airline previously confirmed to Executive Traveller that entry “may be refused at the discretion of the lounge staff if visitors do not meet the appropriate standard”, noting it’s up to the discretion of lounge staff whether a visitor meets its guidelines.

No matter how cool your pyjamas are, save wearing them for the flight...

So what can you be turned away for?

The Qantas website breaks down the Qantas lounge dress code – the major fashion faux pas are also posted at the entry of most domestic Qantas lounges – adding that its lounge staff “will decline entry if some items of clothing are too casual or inappropriate.”

On that list are the likes of thongs and Ugg boots, revealing clothing and swimwear, as well as head-to-toe athleisure gear (bad news for Lululemon devotees).

While thongs (left) are banned from Qantas lounges, sandals and slides (right) are fine.

That doesn’t mean you need to dress up to the nines – it’s the aircraft that are on the runway, not you – but clothes that are just too casual should be left in your luggage rather than trotted out in the terminal. This includes:

Singlets: never a good look, so swap the singlet for a neat collared polo top or T-shirt. Just be sure the shirt doesn’t carry what Qantas may describe as “offensive images or slogans” (the airline doesn’t specify exactly what it considers “offensive”, so just use your common sense).

Thongs: this includes everything from rubber thongs and Havaianas to the more expensive fashionista footwear, with Qantas’ defining a thong as footwear with a strap between the toes. If it’s got a strap around the ankle or is more a sandal than a thong, you’re good.

Ugg boots: yes, Ugg boots are deliberately called out by Qantas. They may be comfortable but they’re not smart casual by any stretch.

Bare feet: well, that should go without saying!

Beachwear: this includes board shorts, even those which cost a pretty penny. Save them for the swimming pool or the beach.

Head to toe gym wear: a pair of leggings may pass muster, as might an ‘active wear’ top, but don’t turn up wearing both as if you’re headed for a run on the treadmill.

Revealing clothing: to some extent this is open to interpretation, but if you wouldn’t wear it to a decent cafe or restaurant then you shouldn’t be wearing it to a Qantas airport lounge.

Sleepwear: there’s nothing wrong with wearing a pair of smart PJs on your flight, but even that set of Qantas pyjamas should stay in your carry-on bag until then. Ditto for slippers.

Clothing in bad condition and one wash away from falling apart: while Qantas doesn't have a hard and fast rule on this, you should generally avoid wearing unclean or torn clothing.

Note that high-vis clothing and other uniforms are permitted within Qantas lounges, as long as they’re clean.

As for flying, Qantas doesn’t enforce the same strict dress code onboard its aircraft, although anybody wearing clothing with “offensive images or slogans” could still find themselves requested to make a quick change.