Qantas shelves plans for London First lounge

AFF Exclusive | Amidst the hype of Project Sunrise announcements, Qantas has quietly shelved its plans to create a dedicated First Lounge in London.

Instead, they will refurbish the existing lounge, similar to the new Auckland Lounge. This includes a dedicated space for Platinum, Platinum One and First Class guests, as well as other updates.

Qantas London Lounge Closure

While there’s no set date for the Qantas London Lounge to start construction, Australian Frequent Flyer understands that work is to begin imminently. The refurbished Qantas London Lounge is set to be open by the end of 2026.

Speaking to media at the launch event for Project Sunrise, Qantas will look to close the lounge in stages, rather than an outright closure. However, Qantas may also use other Oneworld partner lounges in London Heathrow, such as Cathay Pacific’s excellent facilities, to help alleviate demand.

While this refurbishment is underway, Qantas will most likely prevent the use of single-use lounge invitations for its London Lounge.

What’s changing in the lounge?

The major change coming for Qantas’ London Lounge is the dedicated dining area. This area, inspired by the successful Auckland design, will seat between 40 and 60 passengers. It will also offer table service and an expanded dining menu.

You can expect to see famous staples of Qantas First Lounges, such as the salt and pepper squid. But the food and beverage offering will be confirmed at a later date.

Unfortunately, this change is a bit of a downgrade for Business Class, Qantas Gold and Qantas Club passengers. Previously, they were also able to access a small a la carte menu.

To address overcrowding, Qantas will redesign and shrink the downstairs bar area to accommodate the new dining space. There will also be additional shower suites and bathrooms added upstairs to reduce waiting times as part of the refurbishment.

What happened to the dedicated First lounge?

Qantas first announced plans to create a dedicated First Class lounge in 2023, but little has been said since. So, why was this the case?

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said that while Qantas looked at “about three or four spaces”, none proved suitable for a flagship lounge.

The ongoing discussions about changes at London’s Terminal 3 meant Qantas was unwilling to commit to a major investment in a long-term solution. This means that even if a suitable space does open up, it’s unlikely they will build a separate First Class facility.

This does mean there’s a potential capacity squeeze on the dedicated First/Platinum section, especially once Project Sunrise flights launch in October 2027.

What do you think of the changes to Qantas’ London Lounge? Let us know your thoughts on the AFF forum!