General VA Lounge Discussion (2021 onwards)

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Not sure where to ask this but are all VA dom lounges now open (i.e. OOL)?

Depends what you mean?

Alice Springs, Cairns, Darwin, Mackay and Perth T2 lounges didn't survive Covid. So Virgins already very limited lounge locations is now significantly weaker. Cairns and Darwin would be a pretty big blow to some members I would imagine.
 
What’s the go with buffets and covid? I had a full self service buffet breakfast in Melbourne CBD but 23km away at the airport it’s still attended service in the VA lounge.
 
What’s the go with buffets and covid? I had a full self service buffet breakfast in Melbourne CBD but 23km away at the airport it’s still attended service in the VA lounge.
I haven’t been in all VA lounges lately but the ones I’ve been too are all attended service.
In the last 6-12 months probably the QF HBA lounge is the only one that springs to my mind as being self service
 
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How is the current service offering in VA melbourne lounge ? We have a late evening flight from Mel , not sure if it is worth checking in early to spend time at the lounge.
 
How is the current service offering in VA melbourne lounge ? We have a late evening flight from Mel , not sure if it is worth checking in early to spend time at the lounge.
It is basic but not too bad.

My question is with the security issues is it worthwhile going to the lounge if arriving at the airport or probably more importantly if on a connecting flight taking it is before security.
 
more importantly if on a connecting flight taking it is before security.

Definitely a good point as the premium exit from the lounge seems not functional yet. If the queue at security is long , I believe it is wise not to be stuck at the lounge for long.
 
What's the MEL lounge like for breakfast these days ? I can't find recent photos/trip reports

I'm switching to VA as QF have lost the plot and since SQ redemptions are back too :)
 
What's the MEL lounge like for breakfast these days ? I can't find recent photos/trip reports
Breakfast in the VA lounges is basically back to pre pandemic days. A mixture of typical hot food with cold options as well however it's worth noting that many VA lounges still haven't gone back to self service whereas I believe most if not all QF lounges have.

Less than a week ago I had the ability to visit both the VA and QF lounge in Canberra one after the other (I was flying QF but guested in by people flying VA) in the afternoon.

My Canberra lounge comparison Virgin AustraliaQantas (Business lounge)
EntryAbility to enter via self service machine so no wait.Had to wait several minutes as the only person at the entry desk was busy processing seat/flight changes.
CleanlinessNothing note worthy jumped out as unclean and they cleaned tables very quickly as well (although the lounge was quieter)I sat down the back near the bar and the floor was visibly dirty and could do with a real good mop.
FoodA selection of about 4-5 pre-plated items like Salads/Pasta/wraps - all cold
Fruit/Packet chips and cookies.
Some chicken/rice hot dish plus a soup. The typical cheese cubes plus a few other cold items like ham/tomato etc plus the usual snack items.
DrinksI don't drink wine but the people I was with were impressed with $20-30 bottles of wine (they googled it) plus a range of can/bottled beers (nothing local or special). No spirits.Mixture of basic spirits, wines (slightly poorer than VA in quaility) plus beer on tap.
ToiletsNothing to complain about and clean although showers are still closed.Ironically I'd say the loos were cleaner than the lounge plus the showers were open.
SeatingLounge was quite empty when first walking in but filled up to about 50-60% before departure.Quite full with very few spare seats, actually poor that the QF Club wasn't open to act as an overflow space.
ViewView out over the runway.No view of anything noteworthy in the QF business lounge.
 
Breakfast in the VA lounges is basically back to pre pandemic days. A mixture of typical hot food with cold options as well however it's worth noting that many VA lounges still haven't gone back to self service whereas I believe most if not all QF lounges have.

Less than a week ago I had the ability to visit both the VA and QF lounge in Canberra one after the other (I was flying QF but guested in by people flying VA) in the afternoon.

My Canberra lounge comparisonVirgin AustraliaQantas (Business lounge)
EntryAbility to enter via self service machine so no wait.Had to wait several minutes as the only person at the entry desk was busy processing seat/flight changes.
CleanlinessNothing note worthy jumped out as unclean and they cleaned tables very quickly as well (although the lounge was quieter)I sat down the back near the bar and the floor was visibly dirty and could do with a real good mop.
FoodA selection of about 4-5 pre-plated items like Salads/Pasta/wraps - all cold
Fruit/Packet chips and cookies.
Some chicken/rice hot dish plus a soup. The typical cheese cubes plus a few other cold items like ham/tomato etc plus the usual snack items.
DrinksI don't drink wine but the people I was with were impressed with $20-30 bottles of wine (they googled it) plus a range of can/bottled beers (nothing local or special). No spirits.Mixture of basic spirits, wines (slightly poorer than VA in quaility) plus beer on tap.
ToiletsNothing to complain about and clean although showers are still closed.Ironically I'd say the loos were cleaner than the lounge plus the showers were open.
SeatingLounge was quite empty when first walking in but filled up to about 50-60% before departure.Quite full with very few spare seats, actually poor that the QF Club wasn't open to act as an overflow space.
ViewView out over the runway.No view of anything noteworthy in the QF business lounge.
An excellent comparison.

Also worth noting that you were comparing VAs lounge to the top tier QF offering that can be accessed by those who aren’t CL/VA club members. The QC would typically have a lower level of amenity.

Not to mention the cost of access for QF either via a higher paid fare or higher price to attain status is a significant premium over VA. However QF have a bigger network of locations.
 
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