QANTAS: Tired Auckland Business and First Lounges to reopen

According to ET, the very tired Auckland Qantas lounges are due to reopen next week.

Since Qantas returned to New Zealand flying back in April 2022, premium passengers have been making use of the much more modern, and apparently more comfortable Air New Zealand lounges. From next week, they will be corralled back into Qantas’s totally outdated product, which CEO Mr Joyce has been promising to refurbish into one large premium lounge for Platinum, Platinum One and Chairmen’s Club members and business passengers since way back in 2015. Work was announced to commence in 2018, but apparently never did.

Let’s just hope they have updated the cushions if not the actual furniture – or something.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

The Auckland Qantas lounge harks back to those jokes we used to make back in the 1990’s that New Zealand was stuck about 20 years behind Australia. It was a disappointing lounge when I last visited in 2019 and I imagine it will look largely the same when I see it in a few weeks, ready for my return to Australia.

And speaking of lounge openings, the Qantas First Lounge at LAX is scheduled to re-open in July/August this year. About time.