NewsBite

Qantas first class lounges: 10 things to know on their 10-year anniversary

IT’S the exclusive airport domain of luxury travellers, frequented by celebs and rich-listers. Now the lid’s been lifted on what happens inside.

What to Know About First Class Upgrades

IT IS Australia’s Champagne capital, with a menu designed by a celebrity chef - but for some high-flyers, this exclusive spot is just a stop-off for pie and sauce or a burnt burger.

Ten years since Qantas’ First Lounges opened in Sydney and Melbourne, the airline has lifted the lid on some of the secrets of the passengers who’ve lucky enough to hang out there.

Chief among the revelations about what the first class crowd gets up to behind closed doors is drinking champagne. Lots of it.

More Champagne is reportedly consumed in the Sydney First Lounge than anywhere else in Australia (per capita) on a weekday night.

The luxury lounge lurkers are also serious coffee addicts, and rather partial to salt and pepper squid, the club sandwich and pavlova - the three most popular dishes over the decade the lounges have been operating.

THE MENU MISTAKE THAT ALMOST BROKE QANTAS

INSIDE THE QANTAS FIRST CLASS LOUNGE

WHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE EATING IN FIRST CLASS

THE PROBLEM WITH FLYING QANTAS FIRST CLASS

Salt and pepper squid: First class travellers can’t get enough of the stuff. Picture: Qantas
Salt and pepper squid: First class travellers can’t get enough of the stuff. Picture: Qantas

But it’s the offbeat orders of the rich, famous and points-hoarders that might leave you shaking your head.

“We’ve been asked to make a platter of as many raw vegetables finely cut as we had, mac and cheese, burger extra burnt, meat pie with tomato sauce and a blended burger and fries,” a Qantas spokesperson says.

“No request is too unusual.”

And in case you were feeling a little shy about pairing your glass of Champagne with a bowl of cereal, don’t.

Breakfast-as-dinner is always acceptable when you’re travelling - even (or especially) in first class. Qantas says so.

“It’s not unusual for customers to request breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast,” the airline says of its first class flyers.

Qantas First Lounge’s signature club sandwich is Neil Perry’s personal favourite dish. Picture: Qantas
Qantas First Lounge’s signature club sandwich is Neil Perry’s personal favourite dish. Picture: Qantas

Once they’ve settled on their favourite pre-flight snack, first-class travellers tend to be creatures of habit.

“Many of our regular flyers eat the same dish and like to sit in the same seat each time they visit,” according to Qantas lounge staff.

Lounge staff also outed the Qantas Wallabies, Australia’s national rugby team, as having the biggest appetites out of all their customers.

And not even celebrities are above making the most of freebies when it comes to first class travel. An A-list actress used to have her eyebrows waxed and shaped in the spa, according to lounge insiders.

VEGEMITE AND QANTAS: A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN?

SECRET CODES OF QANTAS FLIGHT ATTENDANTS

BIZARRE WAY TO GET A CHEAP QANTAS FLIGHT

Not a bad way to start a holiday. The spa in Qantas’ first class lounge. Picture: Qantas
Not a bad way to start a holiday. The spa in Qantas’ first class lounge. Picture: Qantas

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT QANTAS FIRST LOUNGES

1. It’s all about the bubbles

The most popular drink request is Champagne. The airline goes through 200,000 bottles every year across the Sydney and Melbourne Lounges.

2. Oh, and the squid

The most ordered menu items are the Salt and Pepper Squid, the Club Sandwich and Pavlova. All items have been on the menu since 2007. The Salt and Pepper Squid is so popular, Qantas had to add it to the menu in the Los Angeles lounge.

3. Spilling the beans

Customers in Melbourne prefer a latte, while customers in Sydney like a flat white. More than 200,000 coffees are served per year in the Sydney First Lounge.

4. The brains behind it

The design was conceived by internationally acclaimed Australian industrial designer Marc Newson. Newson has also designed the interiors of Qantas’ A380 fleet, the First Lounge in Los Angeles and oversaw the recent redesign of the iconic Qantas roo logo.

5. There are no corners

The lounge was designed using Feng Shui principles with the layout of the lounge assessed by a leading expert in this field. There are no corners in the lounge apart from the floor to ceiling windows.

Just a few of the 8500 plants you’ll find in the Qantas First Lounge. Picture: Qantas
Just a few of the 8500 plants you’ll find in the Qantas First Lounge. Picture: Qantas

6. There’s a massive garden

A spectacular vertical garden by French Botanist Patrick Blanc with more than 8500 air-filtering specific plants spreads across 30m of lounge wall at the entrance. This was the first Patrick Blanc garden to be opened in the Southern Hemisphere. The garden is self-watering.

7. There’s even a link to Michelangelo...

The lounge’s most striking feature apart from the view is the extensive use of Carrera marble for the walls and floor. The quarry chosen was the same used by Michelangelo centuries ago for his famous sculptures.

8. Who’s been there?

Famous lounge guests have included Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, Kylie Minogue, the Bold and the Beautiful crew, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Justin Theroux, Helen Mirren, Taylor Swift, Ellen DeGeneres, Modern Family cast, Chris Martin, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Robert De Niro, Novak Djokovic, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Bruce Springsteen, Pink, Sarah Jessica Parker, Quentin Tarantino, John Travolta, Chris Rock, Matt Damon, Keanu Reeves, Kanye West, Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Guy Pearce, Hemsworth brothers, Eric Bana... That good enough company for you?

If you want to fit in, order Champagne. Picture: Qantas
If you want to fit in, order Champagne. Picture: Qantas

9. Is it really that good?

Since it was opened, the lounge has been a permanent fixture in top 10 airline lounges globally. Recently, it was ranked No.1 in TheDesignAir’s Lounge awards in 2015 and received the top gong for Best Lounges from Airline Ratings.

10. And back to the bubbles ...

To celebrate the Qantas First Lounges’ 10th anniversary, they’ll be putting on special menu items over the coming weeks. “Ruby Ten” blood orange juice with sparkling wine will appear on the menu for four weeks, along with rhubarb and raspberry sponge cake with yoghurt sorbet.

For more travel news and inspiration, sign up to Escape’s newsletter.

Read related topics:Qantas

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/flights/qantas-first-class-lounges-10-things-to-know-on-their-10year-anniversary/news-story/8a315e84771c808d338366053a51dfba