QANTAS: No First Lounge for London. Premier dining room instead

The original plan was to have a new First Class Lounge at London’s Terminal 3. It was to be ready for the debut of the Project Sunrise flights. Qantas has quietly shelved those plans, to the indignation of premium frequent flyers and passengers.

Instead, the airline will refurbish and enlarge its existing two-level London lounge. A small premium dining room for First Class passengers and premium frequent flyers is to be added instead. That’s a disappointment.

The standalone London First Lounge was first flagged in 2023. Then, Qantas expected to begin non-stop Sydney–London Project Sunrise flights much sooner. The concept included direct boarding from the lounge, views over the airfield and a wellness-focused premium experience.

None of that will now happen.

Heathrow has run out of room

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace says the airline could not find a suitable site. Terminal 3 is not exactly awash with vacant real estate. ,A flagship lounge with direct aircraft access was an even bigger challenge.

So, Qantas has gone for not second, but third or maybe fourth best. It will reconfigure its current space to squeeze in more passengers.

Opened in late 2017, the current London lounge spans two floors. It serves Qantas First and Business passengers, eligible frequent flyers, Qantas Club members, and qualifying Oneworld and Emirates customers. I have not visited, but it is generally regarded as a pleasant place to spend time. Qantas users complain that it can become crowded around the airline’s London departures.

The refurbishment is intended to address that. Qantas expects to create space for roughly 40 to 60 additional passengers by shrinking the downstairs bar, changing the layout and reworking the staircase. More shower suites are also planned upstairs, which will be welcome news for anyone joining a long-haul flight after a day of travel from elsewhere.

Dining room instead

The centrepiece of the makeover will be an invitation-only premium dining area. It will be modelled on the Platinum Dining Room in Qantas’ recently refreshed Auckland lounge.

The London dining room is expected to offer à la carte meals and a stronger wine selection than the main lounge. Access will be aimed at Qantas First passengers, Qantas Platinum and Platinum One members, eligible Oneworld Emerald travellers and Chairman’s Lounge members.

The vast majority of eligible customers will still use the main space, but the airline’s highest-spending and highest-status passengers will have a quieter, more formal place to eat.

It also reflects a broader Qantas interest in creating designated dining spaces for elite frequent flyers, even when they are travelling in Business rather than First.

Project Sunrise

Qantas plans to launch non-stop Sydney–London flights in October 2027 using specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULRs. However, this project has already been delayed several times. Qantas still awaits certification of the ultra-long-range aircraft and its new interiors and seats.

Those aircraft will have six First suites, compared with 14 First seats on the Airbus A380 currently operating Qantas’ Sydney–Singapore–London service. But the pool of Platinum, Platinum One and Oneworld Emerald travellers departing Heathrow is much larger than the First cabin alone.

Qantas is still deciding whether the London lounge upgrade will be completed in stages or require a temporary full closure. The airline suggests a staged approach is more likely, with British Airways and Cathay Pacific lounges in Terminal 3 available as alternatives if necessary.

2PAXfly Takeout

This decision is exceedingly disappointing. It irks me that there is a dedicated First Lounge in Singapore and Los Angeles, but not in London, which is a major destination for Qantas. I don’t want to be cynical, but this decision does reinforce the feeling that fewer and fewer aircraft in the Qantas fleet will have a First Class cabin.

A dedicated Qantas First Lounge at Heathrow would have been a genuinely impressive addition ahead of Project Sunrise. Heathrow is difficult, so I am inclined to believe the excuse that additional space could not be found. The question is, why announce the intent without securing space? Another example of Qantas PR department overselling a story before it is certain it can deliver.

Some things have not changed since the departure of the much-maligned CEO Alan Joyce.

I suppose the next question is will New York get a Qantas First, or any lounge when Project Sunrise starts flying there?