Qantas has begun the heavy work on its all-new business lounge at Brisbane Airport's domestic terminal, and if all goes according to plan, inside of six months – or "early March 2017", according to the airline's timetable – Brisbane's business class travellers and Platinum frequent flyers will be kicking back in what could just be the airline's best domestic lounge to date.
The new Brisbane business lounge will plant its dress-code shoes in an extension to the terminal which adjoins the current lounge above the valet parking area, with Qantas also talking up a "new valet experience."
The lounge itself will be designed by Woods Baggot, long-time Qantas partner behind the Sydney and Melbourne first class lounges, the Los Angeles business class lounge and most recently the Perth business class lounge (seen in these photos below).
And as with Perth, we’re expecting the Brissie lounge to carefully zone its floorplan around different types of travellers: from solo flyers wanting to work or relax, to couples and larger groups who’ll congregate around tables or bars as social spaces.
Those bars will transition from serving coffee and fresh fruit juice in the morning to beer, wine, spirits and cocktails.
We’re also tipping another pizza bar, given how much of a hit that’s been in Perth.
Also a la Perth, the Brisbane business lounge will embrace a new design concept which draws inspiration from the lounge’s home city to give it a distinctly Queensland feel.
Instead of Perth's dusky mineral-rich reds we're expecting to see a lighter, more tropical palette with an airsy 'outdoorsy' vibe.
New international lounge, Chairman's Lounge too
The business lounge is the second of the airport's four Qantas lounges set for a multi-million dollar make-over.
Yes, Brisbane's getting a lot of lounge love from the Flying Kangaroo.
October 20 will see the opening of a new 'premium lounge' at Brisbane Airport's international terminal (below).
This will replace the business class and first class spaces with a single, larger and much better lounge – similar to what's been successfully done at Singapore and Hong Kong.
There'll be seasonal menus from Qantas Chef Neil Perry's Rockpool team, a tended bar serving beer, wine and cocktails and barista-pulled Vittoria coffee.
Fast forward to "early 2017" and when the new Qantas domestic business lounge opens it doors, it's believed the oldbusiness lounge will be transformed into an invitation-only Chairman's Lounge for VIPs and high-value customers, to replace the current elite digs.
Finally, the adjacent Qantas Club is also in line for a redesign once work on the new business lounge is finished.
Qantas says that the new 'Brisbane lounge precinct' will see domestic lounge space increase by around 30%.
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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.
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