LOUNGE REVIEW: Adelaide Virgin Australia Lounge update

I visited the new Virgin Australia lounge at Adelaide Airport not long after it opened in February 2021, and then again in 2022 when lockdowns were largely over. Back then, it was still only partially open, with the far end of the lounge, in fact, the major ‘loungy’ area was still blocked off.

On my visit earlier this week, the lounge was fully open, and food was accessible directly by travellers. No QR code ordering etc any more.

The lounge is light and airy and open, and overall the area is quite pleasant. The new design lacks the sophistication of the diamond motif of the old Virgin Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, and I would say is a far cheaper fitout. The cloth-covered furniture is already suffering from stains of liquid spillage.

We didn’t spend much time there – around a half-hour before our flight was called. My sampling of their food and beverage options extended to mineral water, so I can’t really reflect in depth on that.

Although the lounge wasn’t busy, it was a Sunday late afternoon flight, staffing levels seemed low. But that’s just a perception rather than necessarily reality. However there is something semiotically being said when you have a sign about service, with no one staffing the read, don’t you think?

2PAXfly Takeout

It’s good to see this lounge fully open, without any areas blocked from passenger entry. It makes the lounge lighter and airier, and I am sure affects the sense of crowding at peak times. Full self-service food has been restored, with the usual fare available in most Virgin Australia lounges, including those delicious wraps.

If you are flying out of Adelaide, it is a good place to spend your time, and currently looks fresher than the Qantas lounge. Of course, that will all change over the next year or so, when the Qantas lounge will be refreshed, and a business lounge added.