Airline lounges trail international travel demand

Visiting the lounge is a cherished part of air travel for many but some airlines are taking longer than others to reopen their facilities.

Air New Zealand lounge at Brisbane Airport.

The sudden ramp-up in international travel from Australia has seen airlines packing out their premium cabins despite some of the perks of flying up the front end still being unavailable.

While Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand have reopened lounges in Australia albeit with reduced hours in some instances, Emirates, Cathay Pacific and Virgin Australia (international) are yet to follow suit.

Qantas executive manager of product and service Phil Capps said the lounge was a fundamental part of the premium travel experience, as the starting point for the journey ahead.

“The service and welcome that we provide our customers in our lounges are really important. It sets the journey up, it relaxes people and puts them at ease,” Mr Capps said.

“Customers’ experience in the lounge forms a big part of the reason that customers choose to fly with us.”

In addition to its Australian lounges, Qantas has also reopened several overseas lounges including Heathrow and its Los Angeles business and oneworld lounge.

The airline’s Singapore first lounge will spring back to life from June 19, marking the return of the London-Sydney route via Singapore.

Auckland and Wellington will follow at the end of June, and then the Los Angeles first lounge in July.

An Emirates spokeswoman said the airline was “looking forward to reopening its lounges in line with continued growing demand for international travel”.

“Currently, we expect to reopen our lounges in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth in the third quarter of 2022 (but) dates are tentative and will be confirmed closer to the time,” she said.

“The reopening date of our lounge in Brisbane will be confirmed in due course.”

In the meantime, eligible Emirates passengers were able to access the Qantas lounges, she said.

“Customers can check availability of lounges before their flights and eligibility requirements for complimentary or discounted access,” the spokeswoman said.

Doors remain closed at the Emirates lounge at Brisbane International Airport. Picture: Glenn Barnes

Cathay Pacific was unable to provide a timeline for the reopening of its Melbourne lounge, saying all lounges outside of Hong Kong and London Heathrow “remained closed until further notice”.

The Plaza Premium lounge was also out of action in Melbourne while in Sydney the Skyteam lounge was yet to reopen for premium passengers of Delta, Garuda, Vietnam Airlines, Korean Air, China Eastern and China Airlines.

At Brisbane Airport, the No 1 Lounge previously used by Virgin Australia remained closed, and the Emirates lounge was undergoing renovation.

Pay-per-use Plaza Premium was operating in Brisbane and Sydney, and The House and American Express lounges were also back in business in Sydney and Melbourne.

Marhaba was open at Melbourne, while at Perth Airport, all international lounges were back in business with the exception of Emirates.

“The reopening of airline lounges is another sign that we are on the road to recovery and shows that our airline partners have confidence in the Perth market,” said Perth Airport chief commercial officer Kate Holsgrove.

“We’ve also seen really strong interest from passengers in the new Aspire pay as you go lounges which gives travellers another option, and we expect demand for those lounges to continue to build.”

With general lounge capacity yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, Qantas was seeing strong demand for its facilities not only from its own passengers but those of eligible customers with partner airlines.

As a result, services such as day spa treatments in the Sydney International first lounge were being booked out quickly, with eager passengers arriving several hours before takeoff time.

Offshore, Singapore Airlines was preparing to reopen its refurbished lounge at Changi Airport next month with a 50 per cent increase in size.

Regional vice president Louis Arul said the $50m makeover had delivered a “brand new concept”.

“It will be a very exciting launch,” he said.

British Airways also reopened its Singapore lounge this week after two-years on hold, featuring a bar for the exclusive use of first class travellers.

British Airways has just reopened its Singapore lounge, featuring a bar exclusively for first class passengers. Picture: Supplied