QANTAS: New Auckland International Lounge opens in New Zealand

Qantas is scheduled to open its new Auckland International Lounge on 17 December 2025, just in time for the Christmas rush. Unlike the old space (which was in desperate need of attention), the new lounge features a 60% larger footprint and can accommodate more than 370 passengers. Qantas has combined the old First and Club lounges, and then some, and completely remodelled the space under the direction of designer David Caon.

It’s quite a major upgrade (if you ignore that there is now no separate First Lounge) for one of Qantas’ most important connecting hubs. Auckland feeds the airline’s trans-Tasman network as well as long-haul services, including the increasingly popular direct Auckland–New York flights.

More space and more food,

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace says travellers are placing more value on lounge time than ever, which is why Auckland has received a full-scale, premium overhaul. The lounge has dedicated zones for working, dining, relaxing and ablutions with 15 brand-new shower suites. Especially useful for those transiting to or from long-haul sectors.

Qantas is hailing the opening of its à la carte dining room in the lounge as its first-ever in any Qantas international lounge worldwide. Excuse me, that’s rather technical, since there are a bunch of First lounges that offer à la carte dining. So the ontological difference here is that it is an ‘International’ lounge.

Neil Perry is again in charge of the menu, with seasonal dishes like crumbed local fish and chips and some Qantas First staples, including salt-and-pepper squid and the seasonally varied deconstructed pavlova.

If you are seated in the general seating area, you will also find a buffet, a gelato station, and a cocktail bar, including barista-made coffee. The point of difference is that New Zealand produce, and wines are to take centre stage.

An Aotearoa lounge

Designers David Caon, Architectus, Akin Atelier and Simon James Design have included living green walls – well, sort of. The walls look a little like a comb-over compared to the lushness of the living walls in, say, the Sydney First Lounge. Other finishes include travertine tiles, terrazzo tables, and bespoke furniture upholstered in New Zealand wool and leather.

Signature Caon/Qantas design cues such as curved walls and porthole windows are included, but with handmade glass and natural textures. A four-metre artwork by Gabrielle Penfold, capturing Devonport’s iconic North Head, defines the lounge’s character.

Qantas has wisely fitted power points to 70% of all seats, especially desirable on long haul, given the bans on power banks.

2PAXfly Takout

With Qantas beefing up its trans-Tasman services through 2026, I see Airbus A300 series on some flights, including additional peak-season flights coinciding with Christmas and the April school holidays. Auckland has arrived as a strategic hub. The opening of this new lounge is just in time for that expansion. It also gives Qantas something shiny and new to counter Air New Zealand’s competition, especially as AirNZ reinvents its own premium offerings.

The old Qantas First and Club Lounges in Auckland reinforced their view, mainly held by Australians, that New Zealand exists roughly 20 years in the past. That’s increasingly a lie. With this new lounge, which I can’t wait to visit, Qantas will have world-class lounge facilities in Auckland. Now they need to do the same to the International and domestic Business Lounges in Sydney.