Before my Emirates First Class flight to Auckland, I visited the Qantas First Class lounge in Sydney. Being my first ever visit to a First Class lounge ever, I was very impressed. Keep reading to learn about my experience in the lounge.

Access

• Passengers Flying in First Class on Qantas Affiliated Airlines
• Qantas Platinum, Platinum One and Chairmans Lounge members
• OneWorld Emerald Members

The Qantas First Class lounge is located above the main departures level, a short walk from security. The lounge entrance is located at the top of an escalator, with a glass sliding door.

There’s a short walk around a massive, stunning vertical garden before another set of escalators to the lounge entrance. I handed my boarding pass to the warm agent who clicked around on his computer for a while before welcoming me and asking me if I would like to be shown around. I agreed, and he took me to one side of the lounge, pointing out seating and a dining area, and offered me a drink. I took a seat at the window.

I worked on my laptop for an hour or so, as the lounge began to get busy. It was the first day of school holidays, and there were many families with children in the lounge. I helped myself to a pot of T2 tea, which I made myself at one of the self serve counters, and was surprised that one of the staff who was milling around behind me didn’t offer to help.

The view from the lounge was fantastic, and I enjoyed the view of the Japan Airlines 787.

At 8, I decided to go and have breakfast. There are three dining areas in the lounge, each with 2 staff and many tables, though being one of the busiest days in the lounge of the year, tables were limited. All 3 areas were full, one staff member was polite and apologised, another was indifferent and offered no solution, while the last was incredibly polite and helpful, telling me where to wait, and I was quickly seated at a free table by the fantastic Elaine. The table was set and I was given an extensive menu, with the breakfast menu, and all day drinks menu.

I selected the signature breakfast with no tomato and a latte. I ended up double parking myself when I also ordered a golden ticket drink. It was about a 15-minute wait for the drinks and about half an hour for the food. The breakfast was delicious, as was the coffee and drink. After breakfast, I made my way to the other end of the lounge and had a brief walk around some of the different areas of the lounge.

What was fantastic was Elaine noticed me walking around, and asked me by name if I needed anything. I was very impressed, particularly given she never asked me my name, and must have noticed it on my boarding pass at the table.

One of my favourite features of the lounge are the retro departure boards, with the rotating letters. I got a quick video of them moving, on the main board at the lounge entry.

I spent the next 2 hours working and was offered another drink by a staff member. My EK A380 soon arrived at the gate right in front of me.

At 11, the menu at the restaurant changes from Breakfast to the all day menu, and to sample two of the most famous menu items, I quickly headed to the dining area to try them before my flight. I tried the famous squid, and pavlova off the menu, which were both delicious.

The lounge had well-appointed showers, with ASPAR products, and clean bathrooms. There is also a Spa in the lounge, which fills up quickly, so when visiting, make sure to make a booking straight away.

At about 11:30, I left the lounge to board my flight.

Bottom Line

The Qantas First Class lounge is incredible. Large, well designed and has plenty of space, even on one of its busiest days of the year. The food and drinks are spectacular, and overall, my visit was superb.