Six dens of Qantas opulence, formerly off-limits to your average flyer, are now open to everyone regardless of airline, cabin class, or frequent flyer member status.
There is an entry fee of AU$50-100 (depending on the lounge), but this is the first time Qantas lounge access has ever been available to every airport traveller.
Why the change? As Escape (a subsidiary of News.com.au) reports, “After an eight-week trial at Qantas’ London lounge, the offer has been made permanent.”
“It has also been rolled out to other Qantas lounges in airports including Los Angeles (Business and First), Hong Kong, Auckland, Wellington, and Perth (Business lounge T4).”
As always, there is a catch, with access being restricted to certain times of day, even if you rock up with money in hand.
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“The new paid casual visits are only available during off-peak times, and are at the discretion of local lounge managers,” Escape reports.
Similarly, a Qantas spokesperson has said the new access scheme is a way to make better use of these exclusive amenities: “In order to best utilise our international lounges, we will from time to time offer paid access to select lounges outside of peak hours.”
This paid access will be made an option during low-traffic times, and once customers from Qantas, oneworld airlines and partner airlines have already been found a spot.
“Check-in staff will extend the offer only when capacity will allow.”