I'm in the VA Lounge thread

henrus said:
Are any of the premium entries/exits open?

VA says no (both social media team and website) but there are some reports of MEL being open.
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Brisbane around 5:30 Thursday afternoon Premium Entry was closed. Melbourne Saturday afternoon between 2:30 and 3:30 Premium Exit was closed.

I also miss the newspapers and magazines in the lounge. Qantas had reading materials in their lounge ...
 
Heya guys , I have a flight our of Melbourne airport tomorrow evening. Does anyone happen to know if the premium exit is open or still closed.

As per the VA website , the premium exit looks to be closed and no indication of when it will be open.

Appreciate any inputs so we can plan better. TA
 
knagelli said:
Heya guys , I have a flight our of Melbourne airport tomorrow evening. Does anyone happen to know if the premium exit is open or still closed.

As per the VA website , the premium exit looks to be closed and no indication of when it will be open.

Appreciate any inputs so we can plan better. TA
Click to expand...
from my experience it opens over lunchtime peaks, and that appears to be all
not permanently open as of yet
 
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In the BNE lounge this morning - bacon, beans and potato rosti was being served by staff, however the pancake machine and toaster have come back to the public for us to use!! (Cue celebrations)
Makes you wonder whether the sandwich toasters will make a reappearance...
 
Photos of long queues at Syd and Mel during school hols have been in the news. According to some reports passengers need to allow 2 hrs to get through security.

Has this been a problem for VA travelers at MEL, especially with the lounge outside security and the premium exit closed?

Can anyone who's passed through MEL recently share their experience? I have an evening flight.
 
It wasn't too bad when I passed through MEL security on the 13th. My flight was at 1pm. Took me about 10 mins to get through. I think it's at its worst in the mornings till about 10am.
 
MH_fan said:
It wasn't too bad when I passed through MEL security on the 13th. My flight was at 1pm. Took me about 10 mins to get through. I think it's at its worst in the mornings till about 10am.
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We travelled BNE-SYD on Easter Saturday morning (9am departure) and then SYD-BNE on Easter Sunday afternoon. (2:15pm)
Security lines weren't any longer than usual in SYD, but T2 environment around the food court and gates was noticeably busier. Get there 2 hours before and he prepared to spend time waiting either in a cafe post-security or at your gate.
 
Ev1dent said:
Photos of long queues at Syd and Mel during school hols have been in the news. According to some reports passengers need to allow 2 hrs to get through security.

Has this been a problem for VA travelers at MEL, especially with the lounge outside security and the premium exit closed?

Can anyone who's passed through MEL recently share their experience? I have an evening flight.
Click to expand...
It's been stated multiple times that the MEL premium exit even though officially closed has been opened in times of peak congestion.
I'm glad VA has this common sense & flexibility in making life that little easier for it's status holders.
 
Was in Melbourne lounge this morning from about 0730 to 0830. Premium exit closed but no queue at the main screening area. T4 gate for me so had to join the queue at the far end, only took about 5 minutes to get through.

Coffee was acceptable. Good spread of breakfast items, cereals and fruits. Avocado and feta with bacon and some very delicious pain aux raisin. Self serve is back for water, soft drinks, pancakes and toast.


PXL_20220427_213829885.jpg
 
had to leave MEL on Friday before the burgers made an appearance. Very nice vegetable wraps though.

In BNE lounge now. Busy, quite a few cancellations, including my flight to MEL. Now going via Sydney with a 20 minute connection. Yeah let's see how that goes! As long as I don't miss the last Skybus of the night I don't mind what happens...why fly direct, etc. Did hear of some passengers being flown on Qantas. COVID related crew shortages apparently.

Nice falafel plates with hommus, pumpkin soup, chicken sandwiches, tuna wraps, packs of crisps and pretzels. Good effort again from VA in the catering department.

Also a selection of beers from Green Beacon - part of the Asahi group now but still, choice of a pale ale, tropical ale and passionfruit sour along with the usual Asahi branded fare. Nice to see something different!

Edit: steamed pork buns and mushroom buns have just appeared on top of everything else. Will not sample as now have the really difficult proposition of being served two J class meals in the coming hours...
 
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