Qantas First Class Lounge, Singapore opens November – who gets in?

Since March 25, 2018, Qantas has re-worked its Australia to London flights away from the Emirates Dubai hub, with all fights now going via Singapore or Perth.

Back in 2013, Qantas opened a combined business and first lounge on level 3 in T1 at Changi with a capacity of 460 guests. This replaced the old first and business class facilities it shared with British Airways as part of their Kangaroo Route arrangement.

The lounge had been through a couple of refreshes since then, but 2019 will see the initiation of a dedicated Qantas First Class lounge at Changi.

Qantas flights to Singapore

Qantas has swapped Dubai for Singapore as their major overseas ‘hub’, with seven daily flights:

• 1x daily A380 to London (4 class)
• 1x daily A330 to Brisbane (2 class)
• 1x daily A380 to Melbourne (4 class)
• 1x daily A330 to Melbourne (2 class)
• 1x daily A330 to Perth (2 class)
• 1x daily A380 to Sydney (4 class)
• 1x daily A330 to Sydney (2 class)

Overcrowding

Making Singapore Qantas’s gateway to Europe has lead to a significant crowding issue in the present Singapore Business/First lounge – not surprising when you suddenly add a couple of daily A380 flights!

Opening

In February of this year, Qantas released image renderings of its intended new First Class Lounge in Singapore, slating it for opening in late 2019. True-ish to their word, the lounge is set to open in November 2019. It will add the fourth First Class lounge to their suite which includes, Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles.

VR

They made a song and dance about using Virtual Reality (VR) in the design process, which is not that unusual in commercial interior design these days. Here’s their promotional video about it:

Capacity and features

The new lounge will seat about 240 guests and will feature a la carte dining with an Asian feel directed by Qantas consultant Chef Neil Perry.

The lounge will have shower suites but is not scheduled to have a spa, unlike Sydney and Melbourne. It looks like Qantas only provides spa facilities in Australia, given that the Los Angeles lounge is also minus a spa.

Qantas First Class Lounge access eligibility

Access requirements mirror those for other Qantas First Lounges, which allows access for anyone on an onward Qantas or Oneworld flight that meets one of the following criteria:

• Platinum & Platinum One members of the Qantas frequent flyer scheme
• Members of the invitation-only Qantas Chairman’s Lounge
• Holders of a complimentary Qantas First Lounge invitation
• Oneworld/Qantas first-class passengers
• Oneworld/Qantas Emerald status frequent flyers

Opening hours & location

Hours are expected to be 2:30 pm to midnight daily, which is the same as the business class lounge and covers all Qantas currently scheduled flights.

The Lounge is to be located at Changi Terminal 1 near the D gates, whereas the Business Lounge is near the C gates.

2PAXfly Takeout

This will be a welcome addition to the excellent Changi Airport. Mind you it is an airport where arguably you need a First lounge the least, given the other extraordinary facilities, from rooftop-pool and butterfly garden to the billion-dollar addition of the Jewel with the world’s tallest waterfall.