“Good things come to those who wait”, the saying goes – and by that standard, Adelaide’s new Qantas lounges should be very good indeed.
As previously reported by Executive Traveller, there’s a total make-over for the Qantas Club at Adelaide’s domestic airport, along with the ‘secret’ members-only Qantas Chairman’s Lounge, and an all-new Qantas Business Lounge is also on the way.
And yes, Qantas is behind the clock on all this. Adelaide’s lounge overhaul, first announced in August 2022, promised the redevelopment would “begin in the second half of 2023” with the new Qantas Business Lounge due to “open in stages from 2024.”
While necessary preparation’s been going on behind the scenes, the real work – the stuff passengers and the public can see – is getting underway this month.
What will eventually emerge will be a ‘Qantas Adelaide lounge precinct’, along the same lines as at Brisbane’s domestic terminal, with room for 570 travellers and guests across all three lounges.
Here’s the latest.
Adelaide Qantas Club
The first stage of the project includes a revamp of the Qantas Club, with construction finally set to begin this month, Qantas says.
Throughout the construction phase, the existing Qantas Club will remain open from one hour prior to the first Qantas-operated domestic flight out of Adelaide until the last departure.
However, travellers are certain to be impacted as lounge capacity is temporary reduced – so as one interim measure, Qantas will open a ‘Grab and Go’ station serving barista coffee and ‘premium breakfast options’ during busy morning peak travel times if the lounges reach capacity.
The current timetable sees the Adelaide Qantas Club expected to fully re-open in mid-November 2024.
Lighter and brighter: a total transformation for Adelaide’s Qantas Club.
And while it will be physically smaller, due to space being shaved off to accommodate the new Qantas Business Lounge, the airline says “through the redesign of currently under-utilised spaces, the total seating capacity will increase by more than 10%.”
“We’re installing extra seating throughout the precinct to provide more space to work,” says Qantas Executive Manager for Product and Service, Phil Capps.
In addition, “around 80% of seats will have access to power stations and device ports so customers can easily charge up before their flight.”
Adelaide Qantas Business Lounge
Of course, what business class passengers and Qantas Platinum and Qantas Platinum One frequent flyers have been waiting for is the debut of the Qantas Business Lounge at Adelaide.
The lack of a business class lounge has made The City of Churches a noticeable exception in the Qantas domestic lounge network, as the mainland’s only state capital without a dedicated Qantas Business Lounge.
That’s set to change, as the Adelaide loungescape gains a brand new Qantas Business Lounge with a capacity of almost 200 travellers.
The all-new Qantas Adelaide Business Lounge.
No surprise, however, that the arrival of this lounge has also been delayed: Qantas now says the Adelaide Qantas Business Lounge will “welcome its first customers in mid-2025.”
Those visitors can look forward to a design “which takes inspiration from Kangaroo Island’s Flinders Chase National Park.”
Concept images shared with Executive Traveller reveal a spacious open-plan footprint featuring an oversized near-circular bar flanked by high work benches on one side and a series of lounges on the other.
The all-new Qantas Adelaide Business Lounge.
Qantas says the interiors of Adelaide’s new Qantas Club and Qantas Business Lounge “will be inspired by the beauty of South Australia, drawing from the state’s landscapes, culture and iconic food and flavours.”
Adding to the local touch which gives each set of Qantas lounges their distinct flavour and character, the furniture, lighting and natural materials will all be“South Australian-sourced.”
“Our local design philosophy means the new Adelaide Lounge Precinct will celebrate the best of South Australia,” Qantas exec Capps says.
“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.”
Adelaide Qantas Chairman’s Lounge
Then there’s the lounge which Qantas doesn’t like to talk about: the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.
These lounges are discrete havens for member of this invitation-only program – including politicians and power-brokers, execs from the top end of town and big spenders on Qantas flights, along with assorted celebs.
Like the Qantas Club, the Adelaide Chairman’s Lounge has seen better days – it’s not scrappy by any stretch, of course, it’s just tired and dated, and certainly falls short of the standard set by the other capital city Chairman’s Lounges, especially the flagship at Brisbane designed by David Caon.
It’s not known if Caon will be lending his talents to the Adelaide Chairman’s Lounge, which was previously slated for a full upgrade for 2025.