QANTAS: Adelaide Business and Club Lounge schedule and images released

With work commencing this month, Adelaide Airport should see the opening of a refurbished Qantas Club by mid-November 2024. The new Domestic Business Lounge will not be opening until at least six months later in mid-2025.

A reduced Qantas Club will remain open during the entire construction and refurbishment process.

Qantas is working within the same space envelope as the current Qantas Club and Chairman’s Lounge. It will fit the third lounge, the Domestic Business Lounge within that space envelope. Some current space will be repurposed to allow for a 10% increase in capacity. I’m thinking that the second desk check-in area that I have never seen used might be going.

Design of the Adelaide Business and Club Lounge

There will be South Australian-sourced furniture, lighting and other materials curated by the Jam Factory, plus some First Nations artists’ work

“Our local design philosophy means the new Adelaide Lounge Precinct will celebrate the best of South Australia. From the furnishing and artworks through to the premium food and beverages we want to give our customers a taste of South Australia every time they fly with us. Our customers can also expect to see more of the features they’ve told us they value the most.”

Phil Capps, Qantas Executive Manager for Product and Service

Work Space at the Domestic Adelaide Business and Club Lounge

From the renders, it looks like the triple workstations near the entrance are going. They were my favourite place, about equidistant from the bar and the food counter. Many a post for this blog has been written there!

“We’re installing extra seating throughout the precinct to provide more space to work and around 80 per cent of seats will have access to power stations and device ports so customers can easily charge up before their flight.”

Phil Capps, Qantas Executive Manager for Product and Service

So, I will have to reserve my judgment on the lounges until they are complete. The added power outlets will be a great benefit.

Roll out of the Adelaide Business and Club Lounge

The Qantas Club – or at least part of it, will continue to operate from one hour before the first Qantas departure of the day until the final departure. Qantas will also introduce a ‘Grab and Go’ premium breakfast option with barista coffee during the busy morning peak travel times when the lounges reach capacity. Given the temporary reduction in size while construction is proceeding, that will probably be quite often

2PAXfly Takeout

Adelaide and Sydney are my most frequently visited airports in Australia. All the domestic lounges in Sydney are crying out for upgrades. The Adelaide lounge, although dated in design, is still spacious and efficient, with staff even having the time to wander around with trays of short blacks, quiches, or party pies. The afternoon sun is glaring, and the seating is getting dated, but I still think it’s one of Qantas’s most comfortable, unrefurbished lounges.

My one concern from the renders, is that all the work areas look like they are at bar height. If you are stuck there for an hour or more and working, a standard desk height is much more comfortable. I hope there are still some of those.

I’m excited that Adelaide gets a makeover and a Business Lounge as part of the airline’s S100 million investment in its lounges across the globe, but I wish they were tackling Sydney first, especially the very tired Business Lounge there.

I’ll be greeting the Sydney refurbishment schedule when that is released with even more enthusiasm.