Qantas opens new domestic business and Qantas Club lounges at Melbourne Airport

QANTAS has unveiled its new domestic business and Qantas Club lounges at Melbourne Airport. See what inspired their design.

Qantas has upgraded its business and Qantas Club lounges at Melbourne Airport. Picture: Supplied

CBD supper clubs and the Great Ocean Rd have inspired upgrades of Qantas’s domestic business and Qantas Club lounges at Melbourne Airport.

The new lounges will seat nearly 900 customers — 40 per cent more seats in the business lounge and 10 per cent more in the club.

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It comes less than a fortnight after Virgin revealed its members lounge was set for an expansion of its own.

Qantas has upgraded its lounges at Melbourne Airport.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce launched the lounges today after a 12-month redevelopment costing millions of dollars.

“Melbourne is one of the busiest ports in our network, and with the demand for premium travel on the rise, it’s the right time to be investing in bigger and better lounges,” he said.

“Given it’s Melbourne, serving quality local food, wine and barista coffee is obviously a priority.”

An upgraded Qantas lounge at Melbourne Airport.

The Qantas Club’s interior design of natural timber and turquoise and grey colours were a nod to the Great Ocean Road.

While the dark tones and “sophisticated finishes” in the business lounge symbolised Melbourne’s dining culture and supper clubs, according to the airline.

The business lounge has a spice bar with freshly-made Asian dishes including noodle soups, char siu pork and Sichuan eggplant.

Both lounges offer all-day barista coffee, a bar serving Australian wine and beer, seasonal dining, and business facilities such as Wi-Fi and printing.

Qantas has 53 lounges worldwide and in the past five years has built or upgraded 85 per cent of its network.

Under a partnership with British airport lounge specialist No1 Lounges, Virgin announced last month its passengers would have access to new lounges across its Australian and New Zealand network, with passengers able to access the new zones at a fee.

The airline will take over Etihad Airways lounges in Melbourne and Sydney under a rebranding exercise with self-service and al la carte menus on offer for passengers.

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