Qantas travellers can Skip queue for airport coffee

An app-based scheme allows flyers to pre-order coffee online for collection at the Qantas Club or business lounges.

The Skip app.

It is the bane of any business traveller: traffic and queues at security and in the lounge mean you miss your barista-made morning coffee before you board your flight.

Now Qantas and Sensis, the directories and marketing services group backed by ­Telstra and US private equity giant Platinum Equity, will allow you to order coffee online for collection at the Qantas Club or business lounges across the country.

Sensis launched Skip, an app that helps customers “skip the queue” by ordering and paying for coffee and food, two years ago. Since, it has signed up 800 cafes and bars and has more than 60,000 registered users.

But the alliance with Qantas is the first step outside CBD cafes and could herald a move into other locations such as hotels.

Skip is also poised to trial a move into sports stadiums, mirroring the US model where spectators at sports events can order food and drink from their seats. “For us it is a great opportunity to work with an iconic Australian brand and one that looks for great customer service,’’ Skip general manager Bill Bizos said of the Qantas alliance, which has been under negotiation for more than three months.

Skip staff have been training and working closely with staff at the Qantas lounges. In the Qantas Clubs alone, a barista brews more than 1000 cups of tea and coffee every day.

Qantas passengers using the Skip app can select the time they want to collect their coffee. They can also use touchscreen kiosks located throughout airport lounges to order coffee and receive a text message when it is ready.

Mr Bizos said during a soft launch most people preferred downloading the app to using ­kiosks. Skip’s service is available to customers using Qantas Clubs and business lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and Perth domestic ­airports.