Qantas Singapore Lounge [overcrowding]

[serfty]

I think most of the hate is unwarranted.

Don't get me wrong, I don't "hate" the Qantas SIN lounge. It is quire reasonably set out although I do tend to gravitate to the areas nearer the showers.

Mainly I use it for showers and a light snack but will decamp to BA/EK afterwards when available as they generally have better F&B.

My comment was that for me the SIN lounge refurbishment is an 'enhancement' within the traditional Qantas use of the word.

[ASIDE]I don't use either of the QF lounges at HKG or LHR . As there are far better options and facilities available to me at those locations there is little desire or need for me to do so.[/ASIDE]

 

[Daver6]

Agree. My MO is turn up to the QF lounge. Shower, eat and then move to the BA lounge for peace and quiet. I've not looked into the EK lounge, but perhaps next time. The Plaza Premium lounge has good views, but I think you pay for alcohol. Not as quite as the BA lounge, but much better than the QF lounge as it fills up.

 

[RooFlyer]

I moved straight into the EK lounge after the QF one started filling up. Great food & bev and blessedly quiet.

 

[Mattg]

Looks like I missed you by a day, RooFlyer. I was in the Qantas SIN lounge on Thursday evening. The showers are great and both dishes of the day were very tasty. But once QF2 arrived from LHR it became very crowded and people were struggling to find a seat. At that point I headed over to the BA lounge which was very peaceful in comparison.

These were the special dishes available the other day - the laksa is accompanied by the lounge “coughtail of the month”

 

[Austman]

I moved straight into the EK lounge after the QF one started filling up. Great food & bev and blessedly quiet.

At that point I headed over to the BA lounge which was very peaceful in comparison.

You need to pick your times at SIN!

I've been many times to both the BA and the EK lounges. They also can get pretty crowded (and even noisy) at their peak times! Those peak times might not be the QF peak times.

But even in the QF lounge, there are quieter areas - the ones well away from the buffet and the cooking station.

 

[RooFlyer]

Looks like I missed you by a day, RooFlyer. I was in the Qantas SIN lounge on Thursday evening. The showers are great and both dishes of the day were very tasty. But once QF2 arrived from LHR it became very crowded and people were struggling to find a seat. At that point I headed over to the BA lounge which was very peaceful in comparison.

These were the special dishes available the other day - the laksa is accompanied by the lounge “coughtail of the month”

I was thinking about asking who else would be about, but I knew I'd be coming off a flight from CMB with a 4:30am wake-up call and probably not very good company (tired) - and I was right, although the swim in the pool perked me up.

After the ordinary BA lounges at their home port, and having experienced their lounges in other places#, I wouldn't have guessed that BA was a decent option!

# Their new one at FCO isn't bad.

 

[dk4]

... I wouldn't have guessed that BA was a decent option!

There is a decent part to the BA SIN lounge, but you need the PIN code to get into it!

 

[Daver6]

I was thinking about asking who else would be about, but I knew I'd be coming off a flight from CMB with a 4:30am wake-up call and probably not very good company (tired) - and I was right, although the swim in the pool perked me up.

After the ordinary BA lounges at their home port, and having experienced their lounges in other places#, I wouldn't have guessed that BA was a decent option!

# Their new one at FCO isn't bad.

It isn't anything amazing....other than being nice and quiet. The showers are those same terrible ones they have in LHR T5.

 

[harvyk]

It's a very nice lounge, but never designed to be a hop on the kangaroo route.

A couple of weeks ago I got to the airport and into the lounge (after a day spent in the city) just before an A380 of pax (either to or from LHR, don't know) landed. Luckily it meant no waiting for the showers, however the very next pax behind me was handed a beeper. I was able to find space to sit for dinner, however after dinner it was a little more difficult to find space to sit in a comfy chair. I ended up asking if I could sit at a spare chair in a group of 4.

Of course the question does become how long do they continue flying A380's to LHR? Will all LHR flights end up being East Coast-xPER-LHR on B787's? If so then the lounge will again be demoted to destination lounge / Asia hop, so perhaps that's QF's end game.

 

[moa999]

Possibly, but any Project Sunrise aircraft is still 3+yrs off.
I'd still expect at least one via SIN aircraft to consolidate traffic

 

[RooFlyer]

I thought the new SIN lounge was opened just before the EK deal? It was under pressure at peak times not long after opening.

 

[harvyk]

I thought the new SIN lounge was opened just before the EK deal? It was under pressure at peak times not long after opening.

From memory it was opened just after the EK deal came into play. I remember being a little surprised at the time as I was almost expecting QF to start hand balling the route over to JQ given it was now a destination route rather than a hub.

 

[Happy Trails]

I thought the new SIN lounge was opened just before the EK deal? It was under pressure at peak times not long after opening.

A couple of AusBT articles from the time that lend some perspective.

Qantas: new First Class lounges for Singapore, Hong Kong by year's end
Qantas spells out its plans for Singapore

 

[michaele]

It's a very nice lounge, but never designed to be a hop on the kangaroo route.

A couple of weeks ago I got to the airport and into the lounge (after a day spent in the city) just before an A380 of pax (either to or from LHR, don't know) landed. Luckily it meant no waiting for the showers, however the very next pax behind me was handed a beeper. I was able to find space to sit for dinner, however after dinner it was a little more difficult to find space to sit in a comfy chair. I ended up asking if I could sit at a spare chair in a group of 4.

Of course the question does become how long do they continue flying A380's to LHR? Will all LHR flights end up being East Coast-xPER-LHR on B787's? If so then the lounge will again be demoted to destination lounge / Asia hop, so perhaps that's QF's end game.

At least for the next few years the a380s through SIN will have to be the plan. The loads are much better on the second leg compared to DXB, as more flights can join into QF1 at sin. More choices in flights and direct options too (eg BNE).

I remember a year or two ago, DXB - LHR was always empty, as the number of people who transited through DXB before jumping on an EK flight direct to their destination was way more than the almost zero pax who would book QF for DXB-LHR and start their journey from Dubai, and no additional QF feeder services.

I was on QF1 2 days ago and F,J and PE were all 100% full. Y had 10 seats free.

I’d say there’s more chance of adding another service SIN-EU than there is dropping onward flights to Europe anytime soon.

 

[downgraded]

At least for the next few years the a380s through SIN will have to be the plan. The loads are much better on the second leg compared to DXB, as more flights can join into QF1 at sin. More choices in flights and direct options too (eg BNE).

I remember a year or two ago, DXB - LHR was always empty, as the number of people who transited through DXB before jumping on an EK flight direct to their destination was way more than the almost zero pax who would book QF for DXB-LHR and start their journey from Dubai, and no additional QF feeder services.

I was on QF1 2 days ago and F,J and PE were all 100% full. Y had 10 seats free.

I’d say there’s more chance of adding another service SIN-EU than there is dropping onward flights to Europe anytime soon.

QF2 last week from LHR to SIN had nearly every middle seat in Y free. Packed from SIN to SYD though.

 

[coriander]

QF2 last week from LHR to SIN had nearly every middle seat in Y free. Packed from SIN to SYD though.

We had to come back from LHR-MEL on QF10 rather than QF2 last week (in J) as even at last September all J was booked out for our return date and 5 days either side; QF10 in J was wide open for any date.

 

[harvyk]

Individual flights, or even a group of flights doesn't really show how viable a route is. Having a flight that is almost empty does not make for an nonviable route, having a flight that is full does not make a route viable.

Airlines look at trends, feeders, and overall perception when analyzing a routes viability. So for instance, QF where finding pax going via DXB to anywhere other that LHR would simply book on an EK service rather than booking QF AU-DXB and then EK for DXB-Somewhere Else which was their original intention. So despite the fact that they were (AFAIK) making money on the route, it made sense for them to move their hub back to Asia since they would get both the LHR crowd, plus a feeder service for their own 3K services (which is headquartered at SIN).

It's rare that a route exists complete in isolation.

 

[danintas]

Straight to the EK lounge for me... smaller, quieter, great runway views and Champagne!

 

[Mr_Gimlet]

I must admit I am a bit ambivalent about the SIN lounge. It's nice and airy, and I have never had an issue getting a comfy seat. The bar is great and the staff are friendly. The new fizzy water taps are a nice touch. But the food is too bitty - it's snack food rather than main meal, even with the cook to order. Fine if you are hopping to KL, Penang or Jakarta on JQ but not good enough for a major international stopover.

 

[blaz]

When you are flying cattle class, any lounge is a good lounge and very much appreciated . But if you are spoilt with a business or first class seat, it loses some of its glamour, and starts looking like a up-market herding corral .