Review: Qantas Club lounge, Broome
While smaller than many other Qantas Clubs, this lounge still offers light refreshments as you enjoy the sweeping airport views.
By Chris C., July 28 2020
Country
Australia
City
Broome
Airport
Broome
Alliance
oneworld
Airline
Qantas
Cabin-class
Any
Notes
The Good
- Broome's only airline lounge
- A broad guest list, owing to Qantas' many partnerships
The Bad
- Food is limited to light snacks
- Slow WiFi, with no dedicated working space
X-Factor
- There's air conditioning, which Broome Airport otherwise lacks
Introduction
Following a significant expansion in 2014, transforming the lounge from a Broome closet into something larger, the city's Qantas Club serves as Broome Airport's only lounge.
After closing its doors during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Broome Qantas Club was one of the airline's first lounges to re-open in July 2020, as Executive Traveller reviews here in the Kimberley.
Location & Impressions
Broome Airport is relatively compact, meaning its Qantas Club doesn't have a dedicated reception space.
Instead, after going through security screening, advise the security staff that you have lounge access and present your eligible boarding pass.
They'll buzz you through a side door adjacent to the screening point, which leads upstairs to Broome's Qantas Club/Regional Lounge:
Inside, the first thing you'll notice is that unlike the terminal itself, the Qantas Club is air conditioned – and with Broome seeing daily high temperatures of around 30-34°C year-round, you'll be glad you're a frequent flyer or paid for a Qantas Club membership.
The space is filled with seating, and the lounge normally has a capacity of up to 49 guests.
Even with social distancing requirements in place, Qantas has only had to trim this by three seats to comply with local WA regulations, making the current limit 46 passengers at a time.
In any case, you'll find sweeping views over the tarmac, and when your flight is called for boarding, there isn't far to roam.
It's advertised that the Broome Qantas Club opens one hour prior to each Qantas service, but on this visit, both the Qantas check-in desks and the lounge itself sprung into action 1hr 45min before departure.
Access
The Broome Qantas Club welcomes:
- Qantas and QantasLink business class passengers, on flights where business class is available.
- Qantas Club members prior to Qantas and QantasLink flights booked on a Qantas flight number.
- Qantas Gold, Platinum, Platinum One and Chairman's Lounge frequent flyers ahead of Qantas and QantasLink flights (including Emirates and Oneworld domestic codeshares).
- Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald frequent flyers when their next onward flight that day is operated by Qantas or QantasLink, booked under a QF or other Oneworld flight number.
- Emirates Skywards Gold, Platinum and iO cardholders travelling onwards aboard a Qantas or QantasLink flight booked under a QF or EK codeshare flight number.
- China Eastern's Eastern Miles Gold and Platinum members departing on a domestic flight operated by Qantas or QantasLink on a QF or MU flight number.
- Air New Zealand Gold and Elite cardholders travelling on a domestic Qantas or QantasLink flight booked on an NZ codeshare flight number.
- Alaska Airlines MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K and Alaska Lounge members prior to Qantas and QantasLink flights, including those on QF flight numbers.
- American Airlines Admirals Club subscribers before a Qantas or QantasLink flight booked under a QF or AA flight number.
- Normally, Qantas Silver frequent flyers and eligible credit card customers redeeming one of their single-use complimentary lounge passes prior to a Qantas or QantasLink flight.
- Passengers connecting to or from a same-day international business class or first class flight with Qantas, Emirates or a Oneworld airline, even if the domestic flight is booked in economy.
However, as a temporary measure while the reduced capacity limit is in place, travellers with a single-use lounge pass cannot access this lounge. Additionally, invited guests of eligible members must be travelling on the same flight as their host.
Should the lounge reach its capacity limit, other eligible travellers will also be prevented from entering until other guests depart, to remain within that limit.
Dining
The food and beverage available in Broome's Qantas Club doesn't match that found in major capital city locations, although snacks and light refreshments are still available.
Even before the disruption of COVID-19, most nibbles came pre-packaged, requiring little change in light of current service restrictions.
Under current arrangements, snacks may include Snowy Mountain cookies, gluten-free biscuits, Tim Tams, rice crackers, almonds and pretzels, cheese, and water crackers.
On the beverage front, a Nespresso machine and kettle remain at the ready for coffee and tea, while other non-alcoholic drinks come served in bottles and cans.
To avoid guests coming into contact with high-touch surfaces – and congregating around the buffet zone – passengers are instead asked to remain seated, with lounge staff serving drinks and snacks to their seat,
After 12pm when alcohol becomes available, there's a selection of beers plus red and white wine, although unlike larger Qantas Clubs, spirits aren't available here.
Under normal circumstances, the lounge would be unattended for the most part, but staff will remain posted here for the time being, bringing a more personal touch to the service.
Work
Given the limited space available within the Club, you won't find 'hot desks' here for laptop work, although the seats prove ample for balancing a laptop on one's lap for short periods of time.
A few power points are scattered throughout the lounge, but these are scarce – and if you're not one of the first few guests to arrive, your chances of sitting near one are remote.
WiFi is available here, but speeds aren't flash, churning out downloads averaging 1.53Mbps, and uploads averaging 3.18Mbps – enough for basic browsing, but little else.
Relax
As the lounge is mainly filled with the same types of seats, travellers kicking back do so around those that are working, which isn't ideal, but is understandable given the size of the lounge.
For a little peace and quiet, you'll find a small number of seats on the opposite side of the snack counter, although these remain close to a TV, so take your pick.
The lounge's artwork is supplied by local indigenous artists Caroline Nuidoo and Roseanne Patrick, connecting the space with the local community.
Overall, while the Broome Qantas Club is more on-par with the likes of the Regional Express lounge at Sydney Airport than, say, Perth's normally-bustling Qantas Club, Qantas remains the only airline with a lounge in the Kimberley region.
This gives the Roo a natural advantage over all other competitors flying here, and with the lounge being the only part of Broome Airport that's air conditioned, that could be reason enough for passengers to book with Qantas.
Chris Chamberlin travelled at his own expense.
Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
06 Aug 2017
Total posts 84
Great review, as always, but you didn't answer the one question that's most important to anyone visiting, or living in, Broome:
Is there Matso's in the fridge?
24 Apr 2012
Total posts 2432
Haha, this was a morning visit, so at that time of day I was more preoccupied with the coffee than the beer (you can see in the fridge photo that the alcoholic side remained bolted shut, being before 12pm).
09 Dec 2015
Total posts 12
Mango please !!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Mar 2014
Total posts 204
Such a quirky airport, basically an open air shed....definitely has the tropical vibe
28 Mar 2018
Total posts 30
Chris, are you sure the club is the only air conditioned part of the terminal?
Last December, after a hot day charging round Broome, I certainly remember the delightful feel of deliciously cool air on my bald bits in the downstairs departure lounge.
Believe me, there is nothing more tragic than a bald guy swishing his head like he's rocking a mullet in a wind machine from a 1980's music video.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 467
LOL at "Broome closet" !!
04 May 2015
Total posts 261
And "sweeping views", haha.
QantasFF
16 Nov 2012
Total posts 59
A few years since I've been to Broome, but this is definitely an improvement on the old VIP lounge they used - not to mention having to be on good behaviour because I ran into my (Adelaide) dentist there.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Sep 2018
Total posts 2
Used the Lounge Tuesday last week. Found it as usual most comfortable; great staff service and with a 737 800 flying back to Perth many were in lounge but still comfortable and cool.. with a delightful lunch and red wine when on board.
Been flying in and out of Broome since 1972 so seen all the changes over the years.
Good service too by the Counter check in staff
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