LOUNGE REVIEW: Qantas First check-in and Lounge, Sydney

• TRIP REPORT: Oh Canada! Introduction
• LOUNGE REVIEW: Qantas First check-in and Lounge, Sydney

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This is the second instalment of my Oh Canada! Trip Report. I’m lucky that many of my international trips start at Sydney Airport at the Qantas First Check-in facility. And that is closely followed by a visit to the Qantas First Lounge. That was the case this day, with my outward flight on Qantas from Sydney to Vancouver, Canada.

Qantas First Check-in

The Qantas First Check-in counter is located just behind the Business Check-in. It’s roughly in the centre of the departures area on Level 2 of Sydney International T1 terminal. Look for Row D check-in counters, and adjacent to them is Island H, where Qantas Premium Passengers (Business and First) check in.

To use this area, you need to be travelling on a Qantas or OneWorld flight, be a Qantas First Class passenger, or be a Qantas Platinum, Platinum One, Chairman’s Lounge or OneWorld Emerald member. Emirates Skywards Platinum members may also use the facility.

The First Class check-in facility operates from 04:00 am until the last international departure each day.

As a Qantas Platinum frequent flyer travelling on an international Qantas flight in Business Class, I was eligible. What is nice about this premium area is that often you, and possibly our partner are often the only people checking in. At a pinch, you might have to wait while another customer completes their check-in. And if there are more, you can even take a comfy lounge chair and wait.

The staff here are knowledgeable and take their time to interact with you and answer any questions you may have. It’s a much more personable process than Business Class check-in, and a world away from the queues of Economy departures.

Departures

Once you have your ticket firmly in hand, you are close to the First and Business Class departures area, which you need to pass through before heading to the Duty Free and then to the First Class Lounge.

Sydney now has all upgraded security and body scanners, so there’s no need to remove computers or liquids, although I noted that people wearing boots were still requested to remove them.

The departures and screening process can depend on how many lanes are open and how many flights are due to depart. The passport readers still cause some confusion with some passengers. On the whole, it is much more efficient than in pre-COVID times.

With the previous Business Class lounge temporarily relocated to near Gate 24, these escalators only take you up to the First Lounge entrance. The main Business Class lounge is having a major revamp to be completed in 2027. Located in the old flight crew briefing space, it’s much smaller than the previous lounge, and so Qantas staff may redirect you to either the Plaza Premium Lounge or the Air New Zealand Lounge during peak periods.

Then it’s past the plant wall, and up another set of escalators, and you will reach the First Lounge.

When you get to the desk, if you are not travelling in First and don’t already have an appointment, ask if there are any spa slots available. A pre-flight massage or facial is always a great way to start a trip.

Qantas Sydney First Lounge

I had planned my arrival at the airport so that I could spend a decent amount of time dining in the Qantas First lounge. So I arrived at the airport at 17:23, and I was checked into the lounge by 17:50. To give you an idea of efficiency, that martini was in my hands by 18:00!

You need to check in at the counter at the top of the escalators by showing your ticket, and then there is a further small desk at the entrance to the dining area that you should also check into if you wish to dine. Staff are pretty attentive, so if it is unstaffed, it won’t be for long.

Food and drink

First things first, let’s get a drink. A Negroni or a Martini is my go-to cocktail, so for this offering I went for the House Martini.

Offerings are seasonal for both food and some cocktails. Although crowd favourites are repeated every season. Choose, and your meal will arrive pretty quickly, with serves that are pre-flight size. So if you are really hungry, you can sample all three courses, or even more without being overstuffed. Here is some more detail of those food and drink menus.

I went with the Paesanella Buffalo Mozzarella and heirloom tomato salad, the Minute Steak, and the Burnt Basque Cheesecake.

What’s not to like? Perfect steak, chips and that tasty classic butter. Normally I would have chosen a nice South Australian shiraz to have with my steak, but with most of a martini still to go, and a flight to catch, I opted for Champagne. If memory serves, it was Tattinger. Qantas usually has one, if not two, champagnes available, so always ask.

The Cheesecake was rich and delicious, as was the plum sauce. The grilled plums, on the other hand, were unripe, tart, and tough. That was the only wrong note in the meal.

Post Prandial

Dinner completed before 19:00, and with boarding not set to commence until 19:45, I retired to one of the seats facing the apron, and interrupted my plane spotting with my chosen novel.

I like to be in the first flush of boarding, so, just as I was on the escalator down to my gate, the flight was called, and I headed on to Gate 8, fortunately close to the lounge.

I was there just as Group 1 was called, and headed on down the airbridge to start my Canadian adventure.

2PAXfly Takeout

This was a classic start to an international journey out of Sydney. The Sydney First Class Qantas lounge is one of the best I have experienced and continues to be a reason I keep coming back to Qantas for international travel.

Dining prior to boarding, especially on an evening flight, gives you the option to forgo your meal onboard and maximise sleep. Given I was facing a 14-hour flight to Vancouver, I had plenty of time to sleep, and as you will see in the next flight review, I opted for a light dinner.

I find that planning around your flight and what you want to do on it is important for a successful and joyful experience. Call me anal, but I plan my airport arrival, shopping (if any), dining and boarding prior to my flight. I also have a rough idea of what I will do during the flight. I sketch out when I will dine (subject to the airline’s service flow) and when I will sleep, watch movies, and so on.

Now, a flight never goes according to plan, but at least I have accounted for the time I need to sleep and eat, so I can also plan when I will change into my pyjamas and when I will change out of them.

Do you plan your flights like me?