Qantas International Business Lounge

Not on par with the Asian business international lounges… but guess will do. love the juicer here in the mornings.

If you can get in, this is one of the best airport lounges in the world. I like it better even when compared to British Airway’s famous and overly hyped Concorde room at Heathrow Terminal 5. Now, this is how the 1 percent flies! Well maybe the 2 percent, as I assume the 1 percent doesn’t fly commercial:)
The highlight of the First lounge by far is the dining room. The food menu is extensive and draws from many of celebrity chef Neil Perry’s favourites. In particular if you’re there in the morning, try the corn fritters, served with bacon and smashed avocado and when paired with some champagne — it is the perfect worry-​free way to start your trip! There is also a massage room which offers several free pre-​flight treatments.
Now how does one get in, you might ask? Well, you have to be Qantas Platinum/​Platinum One, One World Emerald, or traveling in First Class on Qantas or a One World carrier operated flight). This ensures the lounge is never crowded and remains a tranquil spot to relax before your flight.
Finding the lounge is a bit tricky, ignore the Qantas Lounge signs… this will take you to the Qantas Business Lounge, which while nice, is not nearly as special. The First Lounge is located up the escalators by Gate ⁸⁄₉.
There is also a First Lounge at Sydney airport, which is much larger, but has the same menu, fit-​out as the Melbourne one.
If you haven’t yet been to this lounge, make a resolution to befriend a Qantas Platinum Member!

Singapore airlines Melbourne business class lounge staff: please attend a class at the Qantas business class lounge where you will see fine examples of superior breakfast, great drink selections, and an awesome, polite staff — I felt like a million bucks and will be back!

Even though I’m not in a suit and basically dressed like a hobo, the staff still treated me like a boss.
Hot breakfast, coffee, free wifi.
Nice to see they have about 20 macs to use. Good choice qantas!
I wish I flew business class every flight.
I bet it gets real old real quick, but right now it’s amazing.

I like showing up here on the early side, usually for my QF93 flight to LAX, and there are only a few people in the lounge. Food choices are good, though not great or spectacular. Drink choices are pretty good. Staff is friendly, WiFi is fast, and the seats are comfortable. They do make boarding announcements, which I appreciate since there are not that many departures. However, with flights to the US you have to go through additional screening, which means you have to go back upstairs to get in line, and usually by the time they announce boarding, there is a line that nobody, even the most elite of status holder, can skip. That’s frustrating.
I do wish it had windows of some kind. It can feel a bit closed in.

I love this lounge!
Awesome cocktails, hot chips and skewers brought around to your chair, pancake machine in the morning, decent food during the day and evening, plus pour your own spirits and wine. what more could you want?
Always kept clean and tidy and I’ve always managed to find a place to sit. Good stuff Qantas!

Once upon a time when I was a ‘suit’ I’d spend at least a few hours every month in the Qantas Club. I had it down to a fine art, depending on the time I was traveling. A quick slice of toast, a coffee and an apple in my handbag in the morning; or a glass of wine and some cheese before an evening flight. I’d grab the papers, check my e-​mail, and maybe raid the gigantic jar of Japanese crackers… After about five years, I took it for granted and forgot what it was like to travel ‘normally’, fighting crowds in the departure lounges and entertaining oneself with long visits to the bookstore. Ho hum.
Then I left the rat race and my Qantas Club membership lapsed. Tragedy. Yes, I returned to pleb-​land and it was a rude awakening.
Jump forward two years and a friend offered me a free pass for my upcoming flight to America. SCORE!
No overpriced and average airport food for me! I spent 45 minutes before my flight remembering what it was like to be a member — scoffing a bowl of muesli, eying of the dubious looking «scrambled eggs» and then settling on an English muffin with «Hank’s Jam» on top.
The food in the Qantas Club and associated lounges is good — it’s not rock your socks off amazing, but it’s fresh, «free» and can be enjoyed in relatively relaxed surroundings while you work on one of the in-​house Macs. The International Business lounge offers alcohol round the clock (Bloody Mary perhaps?) and in the mornings there’s «barista» coffee service. Don’t be fooled, it doesn’t mean it’s a whole lot better than the usual machine that operates for the rest of the day — but it’s necessary and it’s not like you can be concerned about the «notes» and origin of the beans before a massive flight, so just get stuck in.
Food and drinks aside, the real perk of the Qantas Club are the clean bathrooms, office facilities, comfortable arm chairs, huge assortment of newspapers and magazines, and relaxed atmosphere. If you’re a frequent Qantas traveler, the cost of a membership may just be the price to pay for your sanity.

If you can get in, the food here is exquisite — as good as it gets. The Eggs Benedict is a personal favourite and the best in Melbourne, unfortunately I only get to eat here when I travel :-(
It’s not quite worth the cost of the first class ticket, but if you do the miles to get your Platinum status, then this is one of the few genuine perks left for loyalty card holders anymore.
Seriously, the food coming out of the Neil Perry operated kitchen is sublime. Totally worth it.