The long-awaited Qantas Business Lounge at Perth Airport will also be the first to embrace a new design concept which draws elements from the airline’s highly-regarded Singapore and Hong Kong lounges.
Due to open in the second half of 2015, the Perth lounge will take its cues from Qantas’ current domestic business lounges as well as its newest international ones, says Helen Gray, the airline's Head of Domestic Product & Service.
“There’s a common design DNA across our entire product, and certainly our current domestic business lounges have some of those elements” Gray tells Australian Business Traveller.
Opening in 2015: Perth's new domestic Qantas Business Lounge
“But in the same way that the Hong Kong and Singapore lounges incorporate elements from each city, there will be a bit of regionality around the Perth Business Lounge" she explains. “Some of the colours will be drawn from the landscape of Perth and that part of the country.”
“It’s the next evolution of our Business Lounges… the key element now is regionality, and all the lounges won’t necessarily look the same.”
Read: Qantas to open new Business Lounge at Perth Airport
Gray says there are no make-overs planned for other business lounges in the domestic network, although it would likely happen “the next time we did anything in those lounges.”
The new Perth Business Lounge is being designed by architects Woods Bagot, the same firm as behind most Qantas lounges (including the Chairman’s Lounge and the Los Angeles Business Lounge) as well as Perth Airport’s new international and domestic terminals.
Opening in 2015: Perth's new domestic Qantas Business Lounge
To be built at the south-east corner of Terminal 4, the all-new lounge will provide passengers with easy access to both T3 and T4, which will be set aside for the exclusive use of Qantas, Jetstar, QantasLink and fly-in fly-out subsidiary Network Aviation.
The opening of the Business Lounge could also see the closure of the downstairs extension to the airport’s Qantas Club, Gray tips.
“We’ll likely close that extension when we move into the Business Lounge, because with seating for over 350 travellers we won’t need that additional amount of space (in the Qantas Club).”
A boost for Brisbane
Qantas is also looking to revamp its Brisbane domestic and international lounges next year.
“We would certainly like to be able to expand and modernise our Brisbane lounges” Gray admits.
However, she adds that the airline is “at the early concept stages of that work, so there’s not really too much meat on those bones at the moment.”
One option being considered is closing the international first class lounge and creating a single ‘integrated’ lounge, again along similar lines to Singapore and Hong Kong.
Qantas currently has no first class flights out of Brisbane.
“All of those options are being looked at but I don’t think anybody’s landed on anything as yet, it’s really about looking at how best to use the space that’s there and produce something really fantastic."
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.
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 1207
There is nothing new in this announcement. The upgrade to PER was announced 3 weeks ago and doesn't have a firm timeframe because it relies on the completion of the new terminal and VA's relocation into it. The BNE announcement is even more vague and is basically an announcement to announce something in the future.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 May 2012
Total posts 580
The BNE International lounge is long overdue for refurbishment. I'm very excited about this!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Jan 2013
Total posts 698
An integrated SIN/HKG style lounge is better than maintaining the current BNE First lounge (which is a poor cousin to its SYD/MEL ones). A greater number of Qantas flyers will benefit too.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
19 Nov 2011
Total posts 243
The international lounges need a refurbishment. I was at QF International Business lounge in Sydney airport and the furniture just looks sad and food choices were underwhelming (looks soggy / old)...
20 Jun 2014
Total posts 8
Refurbishment across the entire QF brand is very much needed. It's not the lounges that are the problem - I've been forced (thanks to some sneaky pricing) to fly QFF the last few weeks, and I'm yet to see a plane that has an interior less than five years old. Can't someone go to Spotlight and get a half-decent material to cover the interiors with?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
13 Mar 2011
Total posts 1
Agreed that the QF "first" lounge in BNE needs to be upgraded (not that is comparable to their other first lounges in SYD or MEL). However, combining it with an updated business lounge devalues the Platinum & Platinum One QFF product - many of those QFF who use that facuility in BNE would be the losers and less frequent QFF would be the winners - so much for valuing the relationship with QF and their higher vakue customers.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Qantas plans