Melbourne VA Lounge becoming airside from August 2022

[TMP]

Data point from today at 0945. Priority lane open and no queue. Both security people extremely friendly (asked where I was travelling to), bag wasn't secondary screened, had to remove light jacket.

I reckon walking from the original VA check in at T3 is faster than arriving at T4 given the walk from the drop off area from car to the terminal.

Absolute breeze and lounge airside (finally!) is a massive win.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Priority lane only open on weekdays - the 2 staff on duty today directing pax to security lanes needed to be displaying L plates but weren’t - no computers out certainly speeds process

 

[Jamie R]

Through MEL on Sunday at 4:45pm - no priority lane open, 7/8 scanners operating, long queues however moved reasonably quickly. Security let a few running late for a flight through and you can tune out the ‘put jackets under bags’ after hearing it non stop for 10min. Won the 50/50 post screening bag diversion (not diverted) so 15min later on my way to the lounge.

 

[PLANT]

Well first time in the new layout....
I'm sure the departure gate areas are smaller #seating and roof lower?
Also a bloody brewery inside along the departure gates

 

[simmomelb]

Well first time in the new layout....
I'm sure the departure gate areas are smaller #seating and roof lower?
Also a bloody brewery inside along the departure gates

Nothing has changed with the departure gates themselves, the Brewery, AKA pub on the left, has been there for a very long time.
The only notable changes in recent months near T3 gates:
A) removal of security
B) modernisation of the bathrooms.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Maybe it's T4 that has a smaller departure area?
Haven't ever been through T4 at MEL, but seeing it was set up as a budget terminal for budget airlines, I can see why it's smaller as to set up/impression.
Don't think they would split gates at MEL T3.
Have been through the old downstairs area at MEL T1 though, which smaller QFlink planes use.

 

[PLANT]

Definitely less Virgin gates and the toilets have been super sized.
The roof lowered..... the corridor is definitely narrower for Virgin. Bloody Coke machine making a racket in seating area.
TV's still too small for 2022!

 

[TMP]

Definitely less Virgin gates and the toilets have been super sized.
The roof lowered..... the corridor is definitely narrower for Virgin. Bloody Coke machine making a racket in seating area.
TV's still too small for 2022!

Sounds like a long time since you were in T3?

It's a massive improvement from what it was, that's for sure.

 

[AIRwin]

Well first time in the new layout....
I'm sure the departure gate areas are smaller #seating and roof lower?
Also a bloody brewery inside along the departure gates

At least T3 is closer to the bus stop...

Public Transport to our airports - what's cheapest?

T Looks like the 420 also works (on its way to T1). Edit: 1. sorry, the 2nd screen shot is the 420 route (pic got cropped for some reason). Weirdly, it was showing a few minutes quicker than the 350 but you grab whatever come first. 2. unfortunately, from T1 it looks like the 420 loops around...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[nutwood]

I passed through on Friday and was pleasantly surprised. Around the middle of the day, no priority security lane but they were hustling them through. They had the "leave laptop in" conveyor but we walked through what appeared to be a normal detector. They also had the Assume Matt Dillon Stance (AMDS) scanner there but were only using it when the walk through was unhappy about something. Worked well and it was nice to have the lounge on the same side as the plane.
Adelaide priority had two AMDS scanners for people but only one conveyor and even then the carry on was processing faster than those who were carrying it. Contrast with Launceston with one conventional person scanner and two conveyors. And yes, I did get groped in Adelaide again!

 

[twinaisle]

Well first time in the new layout....
I'm sure the departure gate areas are smaller #seating and roof lower?
Also a bloody brewery inside along the departure gates

The roof lower? They can't even upgrade the bloody terminal let alone lower the roof.. and even if they did why on earth would anyone want to lower the roof of T3

 

[jakeseven7]

The roof lower? They can't even upgrade the bloody terminal let alone lower the roof.. and even if they did why on earth would anyone want to lower the roof of T3

The roof in T3 is very low and claustrophobic, but it has absolutely not been lowered further you are correct because then hobbits would hit their head on the ceiling

 

[PLANT]

I'm calling lower for fegswai or air-conditioning or for more pub vats..... but it's definitely lower.
The corridor down the middle is definitely narrower aswell and I call on Australianfrequentflyer MODS to confirm my observation with Melbourne airport authority contacts.... Do I have a second?

 

[simmomelb]

Definitely less Virgin gates and the toilets have been super sized.
The roof lowered..... the corridor is definitely narrower for Virgin. Bloody Coke machine making a racket in seating area.
TV's still too small for 2022!

Huh?

Roof lowered? Definitely not, I go through T3 almost once a week and this has never been changed, why would they? Doesn't make sense.

The corridor narrower? Nope, hasn't happened.

Toilets are the exact same size as before, all they have done is modernise them, aesthetic improvements only.

 

[pauly7]

I'm calling lower for fegswai or air-conditioning or for more pub vats..... but it's definitely lower.
The corridor down the middle is definitely narrower aswell and I call on Australianfrequentflyer MODS to confirm my observation with Melbourne airport authority contacts.... Do I have a second?

T3’s time is ticking down fast they definitely didn’t shell out much money refurbing it because it’s set to be demolished in the next phase of MEL work. Virgin will be relocated when that happens.

It may feel narrower because they’ve blocked out more natural light with the retail offerings perhaps?

The T1 reno looks like it will be fancy pants by the time it’s done, and thankfully the ceilings are much higher over there!

 

[AIRwin]

Virgin will be relocated when that happens.

Relocated to T4?

 

[pauly7]

Relocated to T4?

The masterplan basically has T3 being swallowed up into T2 (allowing the international terminal to grow because MELi is at capacity) and then the idea is that Virgin moves to the edge of T4 either into a new T4a or T5 (depending on what version they go with).

It’s a bigger job if Virgin decides it wants aerobridges, pre-collapse I would have thought yes without question but now I wonder if they would with the new brand positioning.

Anyway it’s years away. But does explain why T3 isn’t getting much love in MEL - not worth it.

 

[PLANT]

Timeline seems right on track with the airport train

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Must admit, MEL T3 (the main part) hasn't had any real major works done on it since ANd days.
Showing its age indeed.
If I am not wrong, only the VA lounge at T3 had been upgraded since VA took over, the gates etc are all from AN days.
If I remember correctly, I started flying ANd in 1993 or so, joined AN FF then.
Edit: to add 2 replies together

The roof lower? They can't even upgrade the bloody terminal let alone lower the roof.. and even if they did why on earth would anyone want to lower the roof of T3

If its the far left hand side security screening, maybe the ceiling is indeed lower so.
Where there used to be the second T3 dom screening, the one that was opposite from the main (former) T3 dom screening.
I think I only used the far left hand screening side, the former one, once, a long time ago.
Most of my flights were from from the right hand side at screening at T3.
Most likely its the link from T3 to T4 that they have done works on, gives the impression of lower ceilings.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

The roof lower? They can't even upgrade the bloody terminal let alone lower the roof.. and even if they did why on earth would anyone want to lower the roof of T3

If its the far left hand side security screening, maybe the ceiling is indeed lower so.
Where there used to be the second T3 dom screening, the one that was opposite from the main (former) T3 dom screening.
I think I only used the far left hand screening side, the former one, once, a long time ago.
Most of my flights were from from the right hand side at screening at T3.
Most likely its the link from T3 to T4 that they have done works on, gives the impression of lower ceilings.