MEL Dom. lounges refurb Completed October 2018

[kermatu]

Friday afternoon visit was not pleasant. Regular lounge was full and unbelievably noisy. Constant stream of pax moving up and down corridor (me included). Couldn't see a spare seat. Clusters of people just standing.

Got to J lounge and took 2 laps of the space to find a seat as it was also a zoo. In days gone by in MEL and BNE (pre-refurb) if J was full I'd happily go to the regular lounge - definitely not now, as it seems vastly inferior.

Eventually got one seat in J where the old J entrance used to be. It's now walled off and doesn't have passing traffic so is one of the better places to be. It was much quieter and comfortable.

My flight had a 45 minute delay so was in lounge for over an hour. Saw dozens of people wandering around looking for a seat. One announcement was made to ask pax to not put personal items on seats that weren't being used. Some people complied. But most incoming pax shied away from vacant seats in pairs/quartets where there was one person already seated anyway. I probably would too.

Still temporary so can't be too critical. And the staff were really good. Constantly clearing and very attentive. Chloe in particular had a terrific attitude. Food was fine and re-stocked. Bit of a wait at the bar but not unreasonable. No table service as I always get in the refurbed J lounges in BNE and PER as well as SYD, but that might change in future.

When I boarded my flight I happened to sit next to a former colleague who is a CL member. I asked her how the lounge was - she said it was, as usual on a Friday, 'crowded' by CL standards - including a few SYD flight cancellations - but still way less than half full! If ever there was a time Platinum Ones should be given CL access this would be it, in my humble opinion.

 

[pauly7]

Friday afternoon visit was not pleasant. Regular lounge was full and unbelievably noisy. Constant stream of pax moving up and down corridor (me included). Couldn't see a spare seat. Clusters of people just standing.

Got to J lounge and took 2 laps of the space to find a seat as it was also a zoo. In days gone by in MEL and BNE (pre-refurb) if J was full I'd happily go to the regular lounge - definitely not now, as it seems vastly inferior.

Eventually got one seat in J where the old J entrance used to be. It's now walled off and doesn't have passing traffic so is one of the better places to be. It was much quieter and comfortable.

My flight had a 45 minute delay so was in lounge for over an hour. Saw dozens of people wandering around looking for a seat. One announcement was made to ask pax to not put personal items on seats that weren't being used. Some people complied. But most incoming pax shied away from vacant seats in pairs/quartets where there was one person already seated anyway. I probably would too.

Still temporary so can't be too critical. And the staff were really good. Constantly clearing and very attentive. Chloe in particular had a terrific attitude. Food was fine and re-stocked. Bit of a wait at the bar but not unreasonable. No table service as I always get in the refurbed J lounges in BNE and PER as well as SYD, but that might change in future.

When I boarded my flight I happened to sit next to a former colleague who is a CL member. I asked her how the lounge was - she said it was, as usual on a Friday, 'crowded' by CL standards - including a few SYD flight cancellations - but still way less than half full! If ever there was a time Platinum Ones should be given CL access this would be it, in my humble opinion.

Agree Friday night was busy - long weekend holiday traffic meant whole airport was absolutely rammed and yes there were several SYD cancellations back to back in peak hour which was really odd, the weather in Melbourne was windy but not impacting movement too much I would have thought?

Luckily I got a seat straight away and once the new parts are open I think capacity should be improved with less bulky furniture. Looking forward to when this whole project is complete!

 

[hb13]

Visited the Qantas Club yesterday, and I liked the renovations, I think they look nice enough, however the fact that there will be no natural sunlight and no aircraft views will make this a fairly dreary lounge IMHO.

 

[Daver6]

Visited the Qantas Club yesterday, and I liked the renovations, I think they look nice enough, however the fact that there will be no natural sunlight and no aircraft views will make this a fairly dreary lounge IMHO.

They're just going for consistency with the international lounge there

 

[hb13]

They're just going for consistency with the international lounge there

Aha - that makes sense now.

 

[Wanderlust_tim]

Two visits for me, one ok and one poor. The first visit was before the 10.10 to Brisbane on the 31st. I was there for an hour and managed to find a table and get some work done. The lack of natural light was really difficult to adjust to. Thursday the 7th, i was on the 9:30 to Sydney and it was probably the worst lounge experience i have had in a while. It was rammed to the gills. It took me two laps to find a seat, the coffee queue was 20 deep and blocking the entrance to the business lounge. The biggest issue was the noise, i always remember the old Qantas Club as relatively quiet, but there's a dull roar in the background when this place fills up.

I am sure they will iron out the teething issues, but i am not a fan so far.

 

[RichardMEL]

Passed through on Sunday morning around 1030.

To me it did not look as "bad" as some had made out though the lighting is no substitute for natural light. The contrast with the dated J lounge is stark and it will be great to get that opened over the next few months.

On a Sunday in the middle of a long weekend it was still quite busy/full .. I think peak times Mon morn/Fri eve would be horrendous.. eased a bit hopefully when the whole project is done by the end of the year and they get more space.

Obviously a work in progress and the overall footprint I think is used better than it was, but it's still not enough for all the people accessing it IMHO. Perhaps quite deliberate to discourage a lot of people to stay for long? Hmm.....

 

[JessicaTam]

When I was there on Monday the staff did comment that it is louder. The old QP was carpeted but the new is not (I think) which would be a cause.

 

[FromTheRail]

Looks like it's open......just in time for me next week

Qantas opens all-new Melbourne domestic business class lounge

I will be travelling though in a party of 6, 2 in business, 4 in eco, 2 of them hold a QC membership, can I guest the other 2 onto QC and then head off to the business lounge for a shower after the red eye?

 

[mviy]

This makes it a little more tempting to do interstate travel soon. I'd like to see what the new lounge is yet. Obviously not the complete size yet with the final stage of the renovations still to take place.

 

[FromTheRail]

This makes it a little more tempting to do interstate travel soon. I'd like to see what the new lounge is yet. Obviously not the complete size yet with the final stage of the renovations still to take place.

Will try and get some pictures if no one else has by then

 

[ozmille]

looking forward to my first visit, the pics look quite nice

 

[Matt_01]

Well I missed opening day as I few out last night. I will be able to take a look next week, and the following, come to think it every week for at least the next 6-12 months.

 

[love_the_life]

Well I missed opening day as I few out last night. I will be able to take a look next week, and the following, come to think it every week for at least the next 6-12 months.

The QC is terrible IMO. Hope they manage to improve with the rest of the renovation. It reminds me of Coles cafeteria and is just so noisy with the timber flooring. Even when the old one was full the noise was nowhere near as bad. The carpet on the floor helped to minimise the noise.

 

[Daver6]

Will be passing through on Friday morning (unless plans change). Will try get some pictures if no one else has by then.

 

[chooms]

Paid a visit on Friday (opening day) but was only there for a few mins. Dark tones (unlike QC), but nice tarmac views. Noodle bar not open yet.

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

I quite liked it, although annoying that most drinks other than tea/coffee/water require a visit to the bar. Hot food selection was poor but lots of salads and some fruit.

 

[JessicaTam]

I quite liked it, although annoying that most drinks other than tea/coffee/water require a visit to the bar. Hot food selection was poor but lots of salads and some fruit.

And like other new lounges, when they are quiet you have to go find someone just to get a glass of coke. Frustrating.

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

Paid a visit to the Refurbedished MEL J lounge yesterday morning, and really like the aesthetics of the lounge,ie hanging light fittings, real plants used in the first planter box besides the first refresh station, various seating types utilised and arranged.
The marble coffee tables positioned between chairs located at the windows is a little bit of the F lounge influence coming in.
Certainly Qantas have done a great job at replicating a supper-club like appearance in this lounge.
How the lounge handles peak traffic at school holidays remains to be seen, but certainly more seating than before is welcomed enormously.

 

[kpc]

Will check it out this pm