We recently flew from Sydney to Los Angeles on the Qantas A380 in Business Class and visited the Qantas International Business Lounge in Sydney prior to departure.
The lounge was due for an upgrade several years ago but was paused during the pandemic. Qantas have recently announced the plans are back in action and will see a complete redesign and rebuild to increase capacity by 40% with a new food and beverage experience. Stage one is expected to open in 2023. Gold and above Qantas Frequent Flyer members along with those travelling on a Qantas Business Class ticket are given complimentary access.
Both the First Class and Business Class Lounge are located on the second level near gates 9 and 10. The lounge is open from 5 am until the last scheduled Qantas flight.
Once you pass reception, there is an area with lockers for storage as well as a kids corner to the side.
I arrived at 9:30am and the lounge was quite busy and after walking around, found there were only a few seats remaining. The layout is similar to a long T shape with the majority overlooking the tarmac.
The centre area has high long bars with place settings for dining. The high bars also have flavoured water, barista, wine & champagne and a few light food options.
There were several lounge areas, directly in the entry and down each wing with bar tables in front of the window. The lounge areas offered a variety of seats to relax in or get some work done, however there were limited charging ports.
The main food is down the left wing with no current offering in the right wing. I was there at breakfast time and presented with a Breakfast Snacking Menu. The options included Neil Perry bircher muesli, sliced peach and apricot, mixed fruit salad with mint and passionfruit, plain yoghurt with mango, passionfruit and raspberry coulis and house baked pastries and croissants. There was also a section for bacon, eggs and sausage, the only hot options, however they hadn’t been refilled while I was there.
Down both the left and right wing were drinks stations with self-serve beer, wine and soft drinks. Shower facilities are also available down the left wing however they were being used while I was there. Overall the Qantas Sydney International Business Class Lounge is looking a little tired and with limited food options. The upgrade being undertaken in 2023 will be welcomed by frequent travellers.
To book your Business Class fare travelling with Qantas, contact our QFlyer Airfare Specialists