Rex to open new flagship Sydney Airport lounge
Get set for a bigger, brighter lounge with plenty of natural light plus airport views.
By David Flynn, March 4 2021
Executive Traveller exclusive
Regional Express plans to open a new flagship lounge at Sydney Airport by the end of 2021 as the airline continues to build out its new Boeing 737 network.
Substantially larger than the current Rex Lounge tucked away near Gate G2, the new space will be located on the upper level of Terminal 2, above the semi-circular rotunda near gate 53, and offer views across the airfield.
"In Sydney we're building a brand new lounge... which will be upstairs there," Rex Deputy Chairman John Sharp revealed to Executive Traveller on the sidelines of the airline's inaugural Sydney-Melbourne jet service.
"It'll be a good, big lounge with an excellent outlook, if you like outlooks over airports."
Sharp said construction, while yet to begin, "is not far away" and he "fully anticipated" the lounge would be open by the end of this year.
There'll be access for business class passengers, Rex Lounge members, Priority Pass holders and walk-up travellers, and potentially, top-tier members of the rebooted Rex Flyer loyalty scheme.
In addition to being Rex's official base and the hub of the NSW regional network, Sydney now hosts Boeing 737 flights to Melbourne, with services to the Gold Coast starting from April 1, with Sydney-Canberra also under consideration and Brisbane still not being ruled out, Sharp says.
The airline's Adelaide lounge – which will see Boeing 737 services from Melbourne as of March 31 – will also see some improvements.
"We've got a nice lounge in Adelaide and we're looking at a new site, or an expansion of the existing lounge," Sharp told Executive Traveller.
"We're in negotiations at the moment, and that negotiation is coming to a head soon."
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.
26 Jul 2017
Total posts 13
I wonder whether Rex if they do branch out into more airports around Australia will take on ex Virgin 'The Club' lounges? Virgin Blue/Australia took over the spaces of Golden Wing Lounges in the mid-2000s, is it now Rex's turn to rewrite history and taking over some of VA's lounges.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
06 Aug 2017
Total posts 84
Any plans to expand the Melbourne lounge? It's nice enough, but very small (though it's the only Rex lounge I've ever used, so I can't compare it to the others).
18 Jan 2017
Total posts 51
All I currently know about the new Rex Sydney - Melbourne flights is there seems to be a number of delays, VHRQC seemed to have had a rejected takeoff on 3rd March returning to the gate.
Yet looking on their Facebook page they are all "cookies & cream".
No doubt this will have much fanfare too and any delays or changes ... there wont be a whisper.
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 1207
Is the proposed new lounge in T2 the same location where QF used to have a Qantas Club which was used when they operated regional flights out of T2? It will be bigger than their existing lounge but is still relatively small. It will be fine with their current size but no good if they are serious about being a 30 jet operation....which I still doubt.
QFP
22 Jan 2013
Total posts 93
Are any of the REX loungers open at the moment? A earlia story said they were closed.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Nov 2012
Total posts 125
I flew out of Melbourne today and it was open. They need to address the ‘find someone to let you in’ scenario, but otherwise it was perfectly adequate. (It reminded me of Golden Wing lounges in NZ when I lived there in the 90’s flying those lovely BAE 146 jets around the country.). For the money I paid I think the whole experience was worth it and I’ll definitely fly them again in J at the right price.
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2561
Sydney and Melbourne both reopened on last Monday, March 1.
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