Worst Domestic Qantas Lounges & What Can be Done About It?

[Vic]

Perhaps I am disconnected from reality, but having visited the SYD lounge showers a few times, I fail to see what is disgusting about them. They tend to be clean (albeit spartan) and there is decent hot water pressure. If there is one substantial complaint I have about the showers it's the lack of ventilation, which if you are taking a steamy shower can be frustrating.

After two recent international arrivals via SYD the lack of ventilation is my major gripe. They look ordinary, but seem clean enough for me. On both occasions so steamy I only used cold water for the shower, ran the cold water for 5 minutes beforehand to cool the room. There is no point getting out of a shower and being instantly sweaty again.

They're not proactively cleaned after each use and there's not enough of them either.

Not sure about properly cleaning and noting you other comments about insufficient number of showers in SYD (is it 3 each in club and business lounge?). The problem is made worse by people people using the shower. On both of my recent uses some grub left their used towels on the floor. Having to pick up someone's used towel is utterly disgusting. The basic lack of courtesy is a damning indictment on society. Fortunately, I caught one offender as they opened the door ready to walk away, towels dumped on the floor. I asked "you're going to pick up your towels aren't you?" He still had a smart retort.
some people are pigs.

, I'm quite pleased at the consistency of finding showers at Qantas domestic lounges.

They're forced to have showers, I still remember the Qantas club advertisement in the 1990s...
"where are you?"
"I'm in the shower"
lol
tried to google it but no success

 

[Daver6]

Not sure about properly cleaning and noting you other comments about insufficient number of showers in SYD (is it 3 each in club and business lounge?). The problem is made worse by people people using the shower. One both of my recent uses some grub left their used towels on the floor. Having to pick up someone's used towel is utterly disgusting. The basic lack of courtesy is a damning indictment on society. Fortunately, I caught one offender as they opened the door ready to walk away, towels dumped on the floor. I asked "you're going to pick up your towels aren't you?" He still had a smart retort.
some people are pigs.

I suspect people leaving towels in the shower is partly ignorance more than anything else. You and I both know there's a place to put one's towels. However, many lounge showers around the world don't have that. The intent is you leave them behind and after each use someone removes them and does a quick tidy up. This is what I feel is missing when I say that the showers aren't cleaned after each use in the SYD J lounge.

 

[Vic]

I suspect people leaving towels in the shower is partly ignorance more than anything else. You and I both know there's a place to put one's towels. However, many lounge showers around the world don't have that. The intent is you leave them behind and after each use someone removes them and does a quick tidy up. This is what I feel is missing when I say that the showers aren't cleaned after each use in the SYD J lounge.

Sorry, I didn't mean to disagree with your point. I certainly agree a quick tidy up is the best option. I can handle a bit of water on the floor, but it is not a good look.
I suspect they're also having some staff shortage issues. On one of my visits I asked about a towel pack at the reception desk who directed me to outside the showers. But there were none there so I had to go back to reception.

 

[UP4014]

Credit where it’s due.

I can report Adelaide serving hot ham and turkey with potato and gravy. Very nice it is too.

 

[Scarlett]

Given what NZ can do for their regional lounges, the QP in HBA is pretty disappointing.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

I suspect people leaving towels in the shower is partly ignorance more than anything else. You and I both know there's a place to put one's towels. However, many lounge showers around the world don't have that. The intent is you leave them behind and after each use someone removes them and does a quick tidy up. This is what I feel is missing when I say that the showers aren't cleaned after each use in the SYD J lounge.

Do you take your used plates and glasses and return them to a trolley on the other side of the lounge? I don't and I reckon most don't either for the simple fact that there is an expectation that a lounge agent will take care of that for us. Would it therefore be unreasonable to assume that a similar protocol is in place for lounge showers? Granted, QF does put up placards to indicate that you need to return used towels to the bin at the end of the hall, but it's a small placard and one that many will miss if they're in a rush to get a quick shower in before catching their connection flight!

Another key consideration is whether Qantas has the facilities to hire dedicated shower attendants to deal with this? Perhaps an argument could be made for larger lounges like SYD, MEL and perhaps even BNE, but I frankly don't see it happening at smaller airports like ADL, DRW or HBA (although the latter is clearly in need of one!).

Looking higher level at this topic, what I would be curious hearing is what aspects of the lounge are needing of improvement. Here's an inventory of items I came up with (in no particular order):

• Food & Drink Offering
• Lounge Furniture
• Lounge Space
• Lounge Hours
• Restroom & Showers
• Business Centre
• Lounge Views of Apron

I reckon there are probably a few more items that some may may think are worthy of consideration when we are talking about how Qantas could improve their domestic lounges - feel free to contribute... maybe we'll have a poll to prioritize these improvements!

-RooFlyer88

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Having just popped into the Adelaide QF Club, I must say I'm amazed at both the size of the lounge and catering being offered here:






Hopefully QF doesn't mess up a good thing when they refurbish the lounge to bring QF Pub, J lounge and Chairperson's Club lounges to the airport. Not all changes are for the better!

-RooFlyer88

 

[RichardMEL]

Dunno about the choice of brews mate, but sure. Lucky you weren't hounded out for not going for the local Coopers

ADL has always been a slight cut above the usual QC it's true imo. large, a great bar (and service) and sometimes some good food.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Dunno about the choice of brews mate, but sure. Lucky you weren't hounded out for not going for the local Coopers

I would've gone for the Dom Perignon considering I'm in a Dom lounge, but sadly they ran out. Seems like too many people were in the Krismas cheer!

ADL has always been a slight cut above the usual QC it's true imo. large, a great bar (and service) and sometimes some good food.

Slight is an under statement. Like cough they got 5 meeting rooms you can book at the lounge. I've been to many a Qantas lounges domestically and have never seen such a facility before! Also not chock-a-block like SYD despite SYD having far more floor space. If there is one criticism, it's the lack of runway views. That being said, compared to the Rex lounge here, it's certainly a cut above (that being said the ADL Rex lounge is a cut about the QF Pub at HBA )!

 

[RichardMEL]

The relative volume and spread of flights ex-ADL vs SYD has to be taken into account of course.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

The relative volume and spread of flights ex-ADL vs SYD has to be taken into account of course.

I'd say SYD is slightly more. Now I know you're gonna point out there's tons more QF domestic flights departing Sydney and you would be 100% correct here. But you need to consider the unusual circumstance that ADL is in where JQ flights also depart from the same terminal and hence what ADL QP loses in QF volume versus SYD they make up for in JQ volume.

All of that said, and those in ADL please correct me if I'm off base here, but the SYD Qantas lounges take a higher priority than ADL (which is next slated for refurbishment). Those SYD lounges are dated despite it being the top domestic hub for QF by a country mile. No one in ADL is gonna shed a tear if their refurbishment is delayed by a year or two!

-RooFlyer88

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Update: I think I found a domestic airline lounge worse than the HBA QF Pub - the Rex lounge @ ADL. Very cramped space and most importantly next to no food selection (i.e. no sandwiches, yogurt, etc.):





I know some of you who patronize the HBA lounge will point out the inclusion of TimTams, Nespresso coffee and Bega cheese at this lounge. And you'd have a point, I suppose. On the other hand, the HBA lounge at least had views of the apron!

-RooFlyer88

 

[RooFlyer]

I know some of you who patronize the HBA lounge will point out the inclusion of TimTams, Nespresso coffee and Bega cheese at this lounge.

I'd like to point out the inclusion of Tim Tams, Nespresso and Bega cheese in this lounge AND this lounge is uncrowded!

Furthermore, this lounge has views of construction works at the airport!! Phwoar!!!

 

[Lynda2475]

SYD dom J food offering has improved since my last breakfast visit, there was actually bacon this morning!

 

[chiken_nugets]

On a recent trip back from Hobart my wife and I had the displeasure of arriving at the airport about 3 hours before our flight. Spent far too long in that QP I tell you...

 

[opusman]

On a recent trip back from Hobart my wife and I had the displeasure of arriving at the airport about 3 hours before our flight. Spent far too long in that QP I tell you...

At least you were allowed in! Still the only lounge in the network I've been denied access to due to overcrowding.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

At least you were allowed in! Still the only lounge in the network I've been denied access to due to overcrowding.

Some on this forum would argue that the lounge attendant did you a favour by denying you access to said lounge!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Wrong thread I know but... QF T1 MEL I like it.
But while MEL airport are doing Reno for a while downstairs after security is a pain in the bum.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Just thought I'd share that Executive Traveller recently posted an article on the lounge refresh project QF is undertaking:

Qantas’ lounge upgrade roadmap for 2023

All-new lounges and overdue refreshes are on the way…

www.executivetraveller.com

Of particular interest is the discussion of the Qantas lounge at ADL being refurbished sometime in H2 of 2023:

While Qantas promises the redevelopment of its Adelaide lounge precinct “will begin in the second half of 2023”, no further dates have been shared on when the business class lounge will open.

The article then goes on to discuss the potential of the SYD lounge being refurbished but hints at that being a 2025 upgrade given the size of the project. For me though, this is insane that QF keeps dragging their feet on what is arguably the most important domestic lounge in their network. This is borderline lounge abuse at this moment, and the fact that Uncle Alan wouldn't even spend some pocket change to spruce up the lounge a bit is quite telling. Indeed the ET article says just as much:

As for Sydney’s domestic Qantas Business lounge, this is the airline’s busiest domestic lounge – and having been opened in July 2008 it’s now noticeably long in the tooth, especially when compared with its modern counterparts at at Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Speaking of lounge abuse, no word yet on when Hobart will receive any attention from QF.

-RooFlyer88

 

[RooFlyer]

You know none of that is new, don't you? The timings are obvious - minimise cash spend until the CEO retires, maximising profit and all the goodies that flow from that.