Qantas First Class Lounge

The best place in the world to wait for an international flight. A la Carte menu to choose from and multiple wines and champagnes on offer. I was fortunate enough to be here and experience both breakfast and lunch (accompanied by champagne of course) and found it a delightful experience.
The service is amazing and the staff go out of their way to make you happy, which for me included endless champagne top-​ups!

Unlike Qantas’ US partner, American Airlines, the FC lounge in Sydney really feels first class. Sit down food service, spa, and large window seating overlooking the gates makes this a super cozy place to await your international flight, which will likely be long and not nearly as comfortable because heh, this is Australia. I also love the old fashion boarding display.

Love the Qantas First Class Lounge in Sydney. The service and food are inconsistently good. Food is by Rockpool. The Trout Sashimi and Salt and Pepper Squid are always favourites! With the Qantas partnership with American Airlines, they have introduced an American Burger. Pretty good!

My trip this year to the US was my first experience in a first class lounge and the Qantas Sydney lounge had certainly been hyped up for me. Following on from the common design elements in their business lounges, the first class lounge has a number of «zones», including a dining zone, where you can have a more substantial breakfast, lunch or dinner. Due to the change in QF11’s times (leaving about 3 hours earlier) I missed out on the lunch menu, but I did have the lovely sweet corn fritters for a late breakfast. There’s also a number of self serve options including coffee, cold water/​drinks and so on.
I utilised the showers when I was at the lounge as well. They were well laid out, obviously high quality design and materials used for them. They were also clean which is important. I also managed to score a session at the day spa. I took the back massage option as I hoped it would loosen me up and help me relax for the flight and holiday ahead. The massage was great, although the sessions last only about 20 minutes now, so you’re left wanting more.
The window side of the lounge overlooks the tarmac and you might even see the plane for your flight waiting for you. Overall a very classy experience.

The evening of September 14^th, 2015 me and the boy were celebrating the start of his new job at his old job. Accolades abound I know you back in San Francisco were some very happy campers.
But whoa! Fired on Wednesday by his «good friend»
My bf is much more forgiving than I am and took it stride. «Listen baby, lets just take a trip to…»
«Australia?»
Sure why not he says.
Now his former boss is calling his cell at all hours begging for his return. He’s coming back, but not until he takes care of his girl.
Qantas, you are amazing! I love you. Thinking of your lounge adds 13 pounds to my waist and hips.

Fabulous… makes long haul travel a bit easier…
Great service, food, and helpful professional staff.

Probably the best airline lounge in the world. The menu and wine list are as good as you will get at the best restaurants in the city. The idea of a pre-​flight massage is nice but it was a pretty average massage (definitely not at the same standard as the rest of the lounge) and only 20 minutes long.

What a treat this lounge is! Table service for breakfast and you can also get massages and facials at no cost (subject to availability). I only had time for breakfast and a shower during my stopover but it was enough to freshen me up so I felt a little more awake after a red eye flight. Service was quick and they tailored our order from the menu to our requests. Definitely makes those hours between flights much more bearable and enjoyable.

This is one of the best lounges in Australia (Melbourne also has a QF First Class lounge too) and up there with the best Airline lounges in the world. Designed by an Australian born world class industrial designer — Marc Newson who also designed many consumer products, buildings including the Sydney Apple Store (and a personal friend of Jony Ive from Apple).
It makes all that flying to get OneWorld Emerald or Qantas Platinum status worth it (or for those flying first class). Otherwise you can be extra nice to someone with a status and ask them for an invite (assuming they are flying on the same day you are)
For maximum enjoyment and to ensure that you get an appointment at the payot day spa, you should arrive at the airport at least 6 hours before your flight (don’t worry it’s normal once you get the status!) — that’s assuming you are flying with no bags (of course you are traveling without bags!) and on Qantas, otherwise 3 hours will have to do. There’s wifi and workspaces within the lounge so you can use this to catch up on any missed work. First class PAX get priority and may not need to be there 6 hours before, but why not spend extra time in the lounge.
Definitely a place you want to be when your flight is delayed.
The food? The big perennial favorite is the salt and pepper squid in the QF first class lounge. Another good one to get (on morning flights) is from the secret breakfast menu — which is a brioche roll with fried egg with bacon and tomato relish. All food is prepared to perfection.
Also lastly but not least, if you’re recognized as a regular here (DYKWIA kk?!) they might have some special selections of wines just for you.

This is definitely one of the top first class lounges in the OneWorld lounge network. If you can, try to book your spa appointments in advance, because from my own multiple experiences, it seems like they fill up rather quickly. I’d recommend getting to the airport early just to maximize your time here. Have a bite to eat at the restaurant (I particularly liked the squid appetizer and the desserts), snag one of the offices, and get a massage, before you head off on to your plane.

After plenty of business travel I have finally reached Platinum status in the Qantas Frequent Flyer scheme!
Now it’s time to make the most of one of the best first class lounges in the world.
The Qantas First Lounge in Sydney and Melbourne international airports is leagues ahead of the Qantas Business Lounge experience for Gold members and business class.
Here are some tips on how the lounge works, think of them as the Six Habits of First Class Lounge Lizards.
First up: you can glide through those frosted Qantas First Lounge doors if you hold Emerald status with any oneworld partner airline (such as Qantas Platinum, Cathay Pacific Marco Polo Diamond and British Airways Executive Club Gold) and are flying with Qantas or a oneworld airline.
1. Get to the airport as early as possible
If it’s your first time in the Qantas First Lounge, you’ll probably want to see what all the fuss is about. That means getting to the airport earlier than you usually would.
And once you’ve experienced the lounge, I think you’ll want to make a habit of arriving super-​early for subsequent trips!
Most passengers can check in for international flights three hours before departure.
Qantas makes an exception for Airbus A380 services to Los Angeles: check-​in opens four hours before the flight, to help get all 450 passengers on board in quick time.
But Qantas Platinum cardholders travelling with carry-​on baggage only can arrive at the airport an astonishing eight hours before their flight provided they’ve used online checkin and printed out their boarding pass (or have had their passes printed at another airport before a connecting flight).
Eight hours might be a little much for any other lounge, but if you’ve a late flight and are leaving your hotel at regular check-​out time, there are many worse places to spend the day.
You get to beat the queue, enjoy some great meals, have a drink or two, plough through your work with free and fast Internet access — maybe even fit in a spa treatment.
2. Use the Qantas First check-​in area
Don’t forget that as Platinum or oneworld Emerald you can now skip the Business Class line in favour of the Qantas First check-​in area, even if you’re flying economy.
If you’ve already checked in for your flight online, drop by the First Class check-​in lounge to collect your Express Path pass. This lets you scoot through the fast-​track Express Path outbound security lane.
Annoyingly, a checkpoint for a secondary ‘random’ security inspection is located just past the Express Path security lanes — so you’ve a higher than usual chance of being pulled out, just when you want to head straight up to the lounge.
3. Travelling with a friend or colleague?
Technically you’re allowed one lounge guest as a Qantas Platinum. If you’re travelling with one friend or colleague then treat them! If you’re in a group, just choose which of your workmates and/​or family members you like the most.
Okay, I jest — but only slightly!
If the lounge is relatively quiet it’s been known for the staffers to bend the guest list rules on occasion.
This is very much not a hard and fast rule, and my only advice is to be exceedingly pleasant about your situation.
4. Book your spa session
Fancy a massage, facial or other spa treatment? Your first stop should be the Payot spa, which opens at 9am.
Passengers travelling in first class are telephoned before they travel so they can book a spa session — everyone else is on a first-​come, first-​served basis.
So if you want a little pre-​flight pampering, make a beeline for the spa as soon as you get into the lounge and check what (if any) sessions are available.
5. Ask what wines are being poured
The staff at the Qantas First Lounge take obvious pride in the champagnes, wines, stickies and spirits served in the lounge. They’re all top notch, and sometimes you’ll find a few amazing bottles cracked open and on offer.
Champagne, reds, whites and rosés are all on the regular wine list, but ask what else might be available, especially if you’re a wine fan.
And if you don’t yet have a favourite among the Bolly, Veuve or Taittinger the staff are happy to help you discover a new fave for your fizz.
6. Be smart about the menu
One of the best things about the First Lounge is the wonderful restaurant and equally wonderful menu.
If you’ve taken my advice and headed into the airport very early you can sample several meals throughout your visit.
There’s a breakfast menu through to 11am, while then a more extensive ‘all day menu’ kicks in until the last flight out in the evening.
The salt and pepper squid (photos) is a perennial favourite, and don’t miss the daily specials at the bottom of the menu.
If your hunger just won’t be sated, though, the minute steak (minute in speed rather than in quantity — it’s currently a 300g tenderloin) is always good.
So pick up a glass of your favourite whatever and get ready for a relaxing airport experience.

Without a doubt, the Qantas 1^st Class Lounge in Sydney is the nicest airline lounge I’ve ever set foot in.
As the guest of a platinum frequent flyer, I was able to partake in all the little luxuries this lounge has to offer even though my seat on the plane was in economy. We began with dinner in the restaurant. We had seasonal steamed greens with lemon oil, risotto and salt and pepper squid. It’s such a delight to have a top quality pre-​flight meal amid peaceful surroundings prior to jumping on a long haul flight.
Beverage-​wise, I must call out the exceptional champagne selection and the fresh-​squeezed grapefruit juice. You won’t want to miss out on either!
The spa closes at 16:30 so arrive earlier if you want to partake.
We ended our multi-​hour odyssey in the Qantas 1^st Class Lounge with a menagerie of desserts: strawberries and cream, several types of gelato and sorbet and a coconut panna cotta with grilled pineapple.
And then we promptly passed out on the plane. Who could ask for more?

Defiantly better than the standard Qantas lounge and it inspires me to get to the airport a several hours early to relax back with a steak and wine and get ready for the trip.
Back in there tomorrow for another trip looking forward to it more than the flight.

Oh hello free massages, meals, magazines and Veuve Clicquot. Why yes I *will* be arriving hours upon hours early to enjoy the fruits of my never ending spree of Qantas flights.
My advice? Get there early, snag an office, book a spa session, have a glass of whatever they’re pouring, and do everything you can to forget about the economy class seat you’re about to sit in for the next several hours of your life. For the time being, you’re first class.
(Note: most international flights will only let you check in three hours before departure time… unless you’re flying A380, in which case, you can get there as early as you want since it takes a year and a half to load that bus! Okay, it’s 4 hours for A380.)

Everything you would expect from a 1^st class lounge is here. Plenty of food and drink, nice comfy lounge, showers, free wifi, and if you’re lucky a good view of the runway and your plane!
Qantas called me a few days before my flight and offered me a massage before my flight. I thought, «what a great idea, why not?!» So took up there offer. Whilst it was a nice room with relaxing music to drive the mood, the massage was less that inspiring.
Actually, it was more like just having some oil being rubbed into your back, without any pressure at all. Didnt relax me at all, but then again, I was about to hop into a 1^st Class seat on a long haul flight, so I guess it didnt really matter.