Sydney Virgin Lounge

[Velocity Frequent Flyer]

Im going to chime in here on the Sydney Lounge. Both of us are Plat - been to all VA lounges and seen the re-fits over recent times. I am not pleased with a few points on Sydney. On Sunday arvo yesterday it was not a pleasant place to be. As is official policy - upstairs closed on Sunday. The F and B serving area was cluttered with seating and now has a "closed in" feeling (compared to the "open" feeling before). It was very busy with limited seating. The tables were not being cleared away. The pokey utra-white compartmenatlised sense of it was not so great - maybe because it was so busy. The design is too much like a 1970s TV show attempt at how the future will look (UFO and Commander Straker comes to mind). I assume when fully finished it may be better?

We can assure you that upon completion, the Sydney Lounge will be a fantastic addition to our renovated Lounge network.
We also appreciate how frustrating having to put up with builders and temporary seating etc is, but please hang in there!

 

[EuroFlyer]

We can assure you that upon completion, the Sydney Lounge will be a fantastic addition to our renovated Lounge network.
We also appreciate how frustrating having to put up with builders and temporary seating etc is, but please hang in there!

I still think its poor that by having upstairs closed at weekends you are not offering the same level of service to weekend customers. I am a plat that travels every week for work and only really get to properly enjoy a lounge at weekends if i travel for leisure, i was totally disappointed with my experience in the sydney lounge a few weeks ago when i even arrived at the lounge early to enjoy the upstairs area to find it was closed. The over all lounge was stuffy and too crowded so ended up just leaving early and walking round the terminal. not good enough to close of areas at weekends, not sure other airlines do this, iv not seen this before myself.

 

[k3nnis]

When is the renovations for the Sydney lounge scheduled for completion??

 

[lovestotravel]

not good enough to close of areas at weekends, not sure other airlines do this, iv not seen this before myself.

Qantas do not close lounges over weekends

The issue with Qantas was the closure of their domestic business/platinum lounges over the xmas period for "renovations" where the actual "renovations" taking place were debatable

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Well, on that note, I noticed the SYD masterplan released the other day did acknowledge that the extended pier at T2 allowed an "additional 5 contact gates, an additional 4 bus gates, and new lounges."

Whether those are the new 'gate lounges' (unfortunately, probably more likely) or potential 'airline lounges' is left to the imagination but a contractor who worked on the extension did tell me that the upper level was an entirely empty space, and that he was told that it would be possible to allow direct gate access from that space.

Wow, direct gate entry from the lounge, now that would make SYD the premier lounge! Assuming that empty space might be a lounge and not just offices!

(PS....copied Fruitcakes post from another thread)

 

[medhead]

Qantas do not close lounges over weekends

The issue with Qantas was the closure of their domestic business/platinum lounges over the xmas period for "renovations" where the actual "renovations" taking place were debatable

VA don't close lounges either, not sure why you'd even make such a suggestion.

 

[EuroFlyer]

VA don't close lounges either, not sure why you'd even make such a suggestion.

VA close the upstairs part of the Sydney lounge at weekends and thus offer a less service for weekend customers in that lounge, so yes the don't fully close lounges but they do close parts of them, and this upstairs closure is not to do with any construction it's simply to save money

 

[Mondo]

Will be flying through SYD with the family in a month, would love to show off the lounge to the them. Any one know if the renovations are even close to being completed? They were meant to have finished last year! Seems to be taking forever.

 

[moa999]

I suspect it will just open when its done, much like the current new section.

that said was told that the recently opened section was the tougher one as it contained most of the expanded kitchen. The front part will be open space

 

[Mondo]

Anyone been to the lounge lately? Have the renovations finished yet? Cheers

 

[bass_ke]

Not as of two week's ago

 

[Milboo]

I was through this morning and it was different to my visit a month ago. There is an area to the left after you pass the security screen that is opened up (maybe I did not notice it before?) and the area behind the service desk is now all open.

There was the food counters and a coffee counter and the space seemed L shaped with the high counter seats at the front and there was hoarding up around the part that used to be open to the right of the escalator.

 

[serfty]

I was through this morning and it was different to my visit a month ago. There is an area to the left after you pass the security screen that is opened up (maybe I did not notice it before?) and the area behind the service desk is now all open. ...

It's been there for some time - only with the reno's has it become useful:

Down stairs, if you head towards the premium entry, to the right is a small area of about 30 seats that is often underutilised.

As I indicated in post #3, there's an area of the older style furniture that not to many notice or are aware of.

 

[Tuddy]

Was told by Lounge staff yesterday that the whole shebang is opening this week and will be primarily seating, capitalising on the views over the tarmac. From memory, it was indicated that tomorrow is the magic day...

 

[Fruitcake]

Looks like it's done. I haven't been here for about two months and the change is amazing. Upstairs is open this morning and it's still a big "barn" with not much more than seats but it looks a lot more appealing than the bare white walls it had last time I was here.

I see no signs of further reno work being done. I'm glad I don't have to clean all these white surfaces though.

 

[Warks]

The first few times I went upstairs it was as though no one knew about it. Downstairs was packed but upstairs was about 20% full. Last time it was one of those 'fog' mornings with delays aplenty and upstairs was totally packed for the 90 minutes I was there. I don't mind the wide open spaces up there. They also have the baristas at work, not that I'm a coffee drinker. Food's all right - fun with the pancake machine - it means I don't eat too many of them unlike downstairs where I'm tempted to take a 'stack'. Too long to wait for another pair using the machine especially if someone else is waiting.

They were still doing renos on the ground floor last time. I wonder what it will be like when finished.

As for comparisons with QP lounges (non-J) I can't say there's a lot of difference now. I guess when you get sick of one QP lounge (BNE) through familiarity the VA Lounge seems like heaven even though it isn't (and is a bit on the small side).

 

[newmarket]

There is an area to the left after you pass the security screen that is opened up (maybe I did not notice it before?) and the area behind the service desk is now all open.

That was always the best spot. No one ever seemed to use it and it had its own soft drink machine. Unfortunately, that seems to be gone now.

 

[Plutonus]

Upstairs does seem to be less of a shambles now. I haven't been to the main part in months as it is always packed when upstairs has a light load.

 

[smit0847]

Hearing all these reports makes me realise just how good the MEL lounge is. Plenty of space, great fitout, different zones, always spare seats and the best VA staff in the country. They're currently renovating the lounge but you wouldn't know it unless you go right down the end and notice the hoarding.

 

[Fruitcake]

Having seen the (apparently) finished SYD lounge this morning, I think the hard fitout is easily comparable to the other refurbed lounges (MEL & BNE). The zoning is done very well downstairs, although there is no variety upstairs.