Emirates Reopens Most Australian Airport Lounges

The Emirates Lounges in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth will reopen from this week, with demand for international travel having well and truly returned.

This is good news for eligible Emirates passengers flying from Sydney, Melbourne or Perth to Dubai who now have access to Emirates’ excellent airport lounges again on departure. It’s also good news for eligible Qantas passengers who may now have the option to use the Emirates Lounge prior to their Qantas flight – if it’s open at the right time.

Emirates passengers ticketed in Business and First Class (excluding Business Class Special fares), as well as Economy and Premium Economy passengers with Skywards Gold or Platinum or Qantas Frequent Flyer Gold, Platinum or Platinum One status, are entitled to use the Emirates Lounge prior to departure. Eligible Qantas customers travelling to destinations in New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East or Europe (but not to the Americas or South Africa) may also use the Emirates Lounge, if it is open, in lieu of the Qantas lounges.

Paid lounge access is also available to Emirates passengers in Australia for a fee of USD143 (~AU$210). This fee is reduced to USD110 (~AU$162) for Emirates Skywards Blue and Silver members.

The Emirates Lounges are widely regarded as a step up from the Qantas international Business Lounges, although Qantas passengers flying from Sydney or Melbourne with Platinum status or a First Class ticket may still prefer to use the sensational Qantas First Lounges.

After closing in March 2020, the Emirates Lounge in Sydney will be the first Australian location to reopen on 19 July 2022 (tomorrow). It will initially be open daily from 4am-6am and 5.10pm-9pm.

Emirates currently has two daily Airbus A380 flights departing from Sydney at 6am and 9.10pm, so these timings will allow Emirates passengers to use the lounge prior to their flights. A third daily Emirates departure to Christchurch will resume operating in December, and we expect the lounge to remain open for a few more hours in the morning once this service comes back.

The Emirates Lounge in Melbourne will be the next Australian location to welcome back guests from 21 July. That lounge will open daily from 2.15am-5am and again from 5.15pm-9pm, prior to the two daily Emirates A380 departures at 5.15am and 9.15pm.

The doors to the Emirates Perth Lounge will swing open again from 28 July 2022. The Perth lounge will be open every day from 7.20pm until 10.20pm.

That’s convenient timing for the daily Emirates Boeing 777 departure from Perth to Dubai at 10.20pm. Note that the Emirates Lounge in Perth is in Terminal 1, while all Qantas flights depart from Terminals 3/4 – so access won’t be available to customers on Qantas flights.

You can see the Emirates website for a full list of lounge locations and opening times.

Emirates Brisbane Lounge remains closed

Emirates also currently has a daily A380 flight from Brisbane to Dubai departing at 9pm. However, there is no indication that the Emirates Brisbane Lounge will reopen any time soon.

In the meantime, Emirates passengers in Brisbane who would ordinarily be entitled to use the Emirates Lounge are being sent to the Plaza Premium Lounge in the international terminal. Some Emirates customers may alternatively be able to use the Qantas international lounge in Brisbane if it happens to be open in the evening. We’ve reached out to Emirates for comment on the status of the Brisbane lounge.

Across the Tasman, the Emirates Lounge in Auckland also remains closed for the time being. Eligible Emirates passengers may use the Air New Zealand Lounge or Qantas lounges instead.

Meanwhile, most of Qantas’ remaining international lounges have now reopened except for the Honolulu Business Lounge and Los Angeles First Lounge. The Qantas lounges in Hong Kong and Narita closed permanently during the pandemic.

Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: EMIRATES Lounges in Oz – Current Status

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.