Article: Qantas Auckland Lounge Upgrade: The End of an Era

[AFF Editor]

Qantas Auckland Lounge Upgrade: The End of an Era is an article written by AFF editorial staff:

Qantas Auckland Lounge Upgrade: The End of an Era

The old Auckland lounge is one of the last places on the Qantas network where I really feel like I'm stepping back in time - in a good way.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic below.

 

[henrus]

Not sure if this has been answered elsewhere but are they retaining the same space?

If so I imagine there is going to be a significant period of time where QF sends their lounge eligible pax to either Air NZ or maybe the Strata if it ever reopens?

 

[SYD]

Not sure if this has been answered elsewhere but are they retaining the same space?

If so I imagine there is going to be a significant period of time where QF sends their lounge eligible pax to either Air NZ or maybe the Strata if it ever reopens?

No, as per the article they’re doing a progressive refurb across the existing combined space.

Edit: actually this one says they’re using some adjacent space also - as per the article.

https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/qantas-announces-direct-auckland-new-york-flights-and-upgrade-to-lounges/

 

[Berlin]

Finally! That’s all I have to say to that.

 

[Beano]

I will be sad to see the First lounge go. It had an intimate air to it rather tha barns that are Qantas Business lounges elsewhere.

 

[Beano]

Ok, not including Mackay and Townsville, but at least the F lounge had better catering and facilities.

 

[kiwitripper64]

I dont agree with you about the comparison with the Air New Zealand lounge. I always find this bleak and it often very busy and hard to find a seat. The outdoor area is nice, but I have only been there once that it was warm.
Food and beverage comparison, the QF F lounge is much better ( the Emirates lounge was the best in AKL) The Air NZ lounge has on ok range of food, but a surprisingly poor quality drink selection. We were having a chat about this and we all agree there is not a bottle that we would buy to have at home. One comment was the wine is so mediocre, they only have a beer in the lounge.
It will be interesting to see how the changes play out. I will be sad to see the champagne go.

 

[Beano]

I dont agree with you about the comparison with the Air New Zealand lounge. I always find this bleak and it often very busy and hard to find a seat. The outdoor area is nice, but I have only been there once that it was warm.
Food and beverage comparison, the QF F lounge is much better ( the Emirates lounge was the best in AKL) The Air NZ lounge has on ok range of food, but a surprisingly poor quality drink selection. We were having a chat about this and we all agree there is not a bottle that we would buy to have at home. One comment was the wine is so mediocre, they only have a beer in the lounge.
It will be interesting to see how the changes play out. I will be sad to see the champagne go.

I wasn't impressed with the AIR NZ Int lounge either, for the same reason.

 

[Berlin]

I dont agree with you about the comparison with the Air New Zealand lounge. I always find this bleak and it often very busy and hard to find a seat. The outdoor area is nice, but I have only been there once that it was warm.
Food and beverage comparison, the QF F lounge is much better ( the Emirates lounge was the best in AKL) The Air NZ lounge has on ok range of food, but a surprisingly poor quality drink selection. We were having a chat about this and we all agree there is not a bottle that we would buy to have at home. One comment was the wine is so mediocre, they only have a beer in the lounge.
It will be interesting to see how the changes play out. I will be sad to see the champagne go.

I must agree there. The NZ lounge is all style over substance, reminds me of Virgin Australia. As you say, the booze is cheap and nasty and don't get me started about the food- post 2pm and all hot selections are taken away, wtf?

Agree, Emirates is lightyears ahead in Auckland but that's not really a surprise tbh. I'm for one am looking forward to the upgrade, it was time. And the lack of champagne can be made up once on board so not a biggie for me, especially if it's just a short hop over the Tasman.

 

[muppet]

While an upgrade is obviously necessary, it’s a real shame to lose a separate lounge for WP pax. Even though it is a closet, it is *usually* much quieter than the J lounge which is something I really rate.

One of the best bits about travelling around the US in AA lounges is how peaceful they are due to very few AA pax being eligible and the lack of boarding calls.

These combined lounges end up with lower quality slop for food, bare minimum quality drinks and heaps of loud talking men and kids with their grotty hands in the liquorice all sorts.

I’ll stick to the Emirates lounge when its open.

 

[Berlin]

I’ll stick to the Emirates lounge when its open.

It was hard enough to get past the dragons at times as a Qantas customer (against the rules, well documented on here) so I suspect access to the EK lounge might even get harder post the reno because EVERYONE will prefer the EK lounge.

But when talking EK lounge- that was often open only during the times when the Qantas booth was everything but peaceful. I was hopping back and forth between Auckland and Sydney for over a year (until getting locked into NZ for good thanks to a certain bug spreading) and my destiny was always the Friday afternoon departures from Auckland.

"Intimate" is not the first word that comes to my mind when thinking of those times- I'd actually prefer a bigger, more modern but J class lounge over this mess any day. It wasn't an Flounge like in Sydney or even LA, faaaar from it.

 

[kiwitripper64]

It will be interesting to see what Emirates do with their lounge. It was big enough for 3 A380 departures from AKL-Aus. Now they are only running a flight to KUL-DXB. It looks like they will start a 380 non stop to DXB soon, but the lounge will be a huge cavernous space with just 1 flight. Anyone up for a game of indoor cricket? Or will they be giving some of the lounge space up to make room for QF lounge addition?

 

[serfty]

Perhaps the only other lounge in the Qantas network that still feels like it belongs in the 1990s is the one in Honolulu. The Qantas Honolulu Business Lounge is currently closed while a “light refresh to furniture and amenities” is completed. While this is definitely needed, there’s a small part of me – for nostalgic reasons – that hopes this refresh will indeed just be a very light one.

The current Honolulu lounge location is relatively recent.

Until a few years before COVID the lounge was located way over to the Eastern side of the airport terminal. Maybe 300 metres in a direct line but a 500 metre walk from the current location.

That facility was a Qantas lounge until the last morning QF flight departed after which it became an Admirals Club.

 

[Princess Fiona]

It was hard enough to get past the dragons at times as a Qantas customer (against the rules, well documented on here) so I suspect access to the EK lounge might even get harder post the reno because EVERYONE will prefer the EK lounge.

But when talking EK lounge- that was often open only during the times when the Qantas booth was everything but peaceful. I was hopping back and forth between Auckland and Sydney for over a year (until getting locked into NZ for good thanks to a certain bug spreading) and my destiny was always the Friday afternoon departures from Auckland.

"Intimate" is not the first word that comes to my mind when thinking of those times- I'd actually prefer a bigger, more modern but J class lounge over this mess any day. It wasn't an Flounge like in Sydney or even LA, faaaar from it.

I couldn’t agree more with you about AKL F.
I was there a couple of weeks ago and if anything it’s gotten even worse.

Cramped, needing a good deep clean.
Glasses ran out and were not replaced for ages. Blokes drinking Champers out of tumblers. No spare seats (was a Fri arvo).
The food on offer was absolutely identical to that next door. Except we had some tiny flies zooming around in the F lounge:
The coffee machine didn’t work.
If this is what passes for an F Lounge no thanks. I’d rather a clean combined space with a reserved area for P1.

In comparison the QF Club was huge, barista in the corner.

 

[Beano]

I couldn’t agree more with you about AKL F.
I was there a couple of weeks ago and if anything it’s gotten even worse.

Cramped, needing a good deep clean.
Glasses ran out and were not replaced for ages. Blokes drinking Champers out of tumblers. No spare seats (was a Fri arvo).
The food on offer was absolutely identical to that next door. Except we had some tiny flies zooming around in the F lounge:
The coffee machine didn’t work.
If this is what passes for an F Lounge no thanks. I’d rather a clean combined space with a reserved area for P1.

In comparison the QF Club was huge, barista in the corner.

I can understand that it could become full very easily but I was never there when it was. I'd arrive between 1 and 2 pm on a Monday and leave about 4 pm. I haven't been there since Covid but the food was different to the Business lounge. There was aways staff hovering around so gasses were replenished frequently. From what Princess Fiona says perhaps it is time for a change.

 

[RaRa]

I was there at business lounge this week for the first time. The staff was super helpful, notified me of my flight delay, and kept us updated. My favourite part in there was that little ice cream chest freezer full of kapiti ice cream tubs

On way out I noticed emirates and strata lounges next door. AKL airport still haven’t returned to pre-covid capacity. I had a quick chat with one of the staff at a shop, retail look quite that day.

 

[muppet]

....
I’d rather a clean combined space with a reserved area for P1.
...

Ahhh... with respect @Princess Fiona ... "a reserved area for P1" really doesn't sound like you want to be in this "combined space"

 

[Princess Fiona]

Ahhh... with respect @Princess Fiona ... "a reserved area for P1" really doesn't sound like you want to be in this "combined space"

I do as long as I get the secret squirrel bubbles

 

[eminere]

My favourite part in there was that little ice cream chest freezer full of kapiti ice cream tubs

That's the one redeeming feature imo.

 

[kiwitripper64]

I went for a wander through the business section and they have a barista. She made a great coffee, but has never travelled out of NZ. I felt a bit sorry for her, stuck in the back dark corner of the lounge watching people fly out.