Will Newcastle Airport Get an Airline Lounge?

19 May, 202319 May, 2023 Matt Graham

Newcastle Airport departures area. Photo: Matt Graham.

Qantas and Jetstar have an average of 11 flights per day departing from Newcastle Airport in NSW. But there are currently no lounges in Newcastle, making it the busiest Australian airport on Qantas’ route map not to have one.

In total, 48 QantasLink flights and 29 Jetstar flights depart from Newcastle each week. Some of the QantasLink flights to Brisbane are on Dash 8 aircraft, but the majority of these flights are on jet aircraft.

Virgin Australia, Link Airways, FlyPelican and Bonza also serve Newcastle Airport, which is located in Port Stephens. It’s the second-busiest airport in NSW and currently serves around 1.3 million passengers per year. The airport expects this to increase to 2.3 million passengers in 2028.

Realistically, if any airline would build a lounge at Newcastle Airport, it would be Qantas. Virgin Australia doesn’t even have lounges in Cairns, Darwin or Hobart, which are bigger airports.

Newcastle is a regional airport. But Qantas does have lounges in many other Australian regional airports. There’s even a Qantas Regional Lounge in Tamworth, which has only 22 QantasLink departures each week on Dash 8 turboprop planes.

Why doesn’t Newcastle Airport have a lounge yet?

There are a few reasons that Qantas hasn’t built a lounge yet at this airport. The main one is that there isn’t enough physical space in the current terminal.

Until a few years ago, it was also the case that most of the Qantas Group’s flights from Newcastle were on Jetstar. This reflects Newcastle’s position as more of a leisure market, where a lounge perhaps isn’t as important.

But things have changed in recent years. QantasLink now offers jet services from Newcastle to Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. Business Class is even sold on some of these flights. So, is anything in the works?

Newcastle Airport is expanding

Although the current terminal is too small for an airline lounge, expansion works are underway. Over the next year, the airport terminal will be expanded. The apron and taxiways will also be upgraded.

“This will be a complex build, continuing to deliver amazing customer experience whilst expanding our footprint by 50% and creating new arrivals and departure processes,” Newcastle Airport Executive General Manager Planning & Infrastructure Ben Kochanski said.

Does the terminal expansion project include any plans to add an airline lounge? On this question, the Newcastle Airport website says “We are currently exploring options for airport lounges and will have more information as the project progresses.”

We also asked Qantas whether the airline was considering adding a lounge at Newcastle Airport. The airline said it is always looking for lounge opportunities across its network, but doesn’t have any news to share on a possible Qantas Club or regional lounge in Newcastle at the moment.

For now, it’s a matter of “watch this space” for Newcastle-based flyers.

Leave a comment or discuss this topic on the AFF forum

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.

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exceladdict May 18, 2023 #1

I guess despite the industry in NTL, it isn't quite the same as the mining / energy FIFO traffic between PER and say KTA or KGI that justifies / demands the (small) lounges there.

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Hvr May 19, 2023 #2

I wonder if part of the decision making process was how many daily/weekly QF flights there are to SYD/CBR?

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b bullerdude May 25, 2023 #3

I would hope that Newcastle Airport is able to get Qantas or an independent provider to set a lounge, as it’s desperately needed.

It gets more traffic than other small regional lounges, including business flyers at certain times. I remember pre-Covid when only Jetstar was flying from Melbourne, seeing so many gold/plat “QF” bag tags boarding the Jetstar end of week flights going home!

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Princess Fiona May 25, 2023 #4

NTL is my home airport. I don’t fly out of there very often unless timing is convenient as I mainly go to SYD.

I don’t think we really have the QF elites ex NTL to support a QF lounge. It’s only Dash 8 or the odd 717 to BNE and MEL. There’s frequently PS flyers opposite me when I’m in 2D on the Dash 8.
VA will not be remotely interested nor have the customer base to support a lounge at NTL.

The current bar area has banger views of the tarmac and it’s a pleasant enough place to grab a stool and watch the RAAF jets take off.
If any lounge was to be built in the extension I think it likely to be a paid option.
Happy of course to be proved wrong and sit sipping Champers at an upstairs extension viewing the Hawks take off.

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justinbrett May 25, 2023 #5

I just left NTL after 13 years of living there, unlike @Princess Fiona I did fly out very often domestically - multiple times a month, usually to BNE for personal travel but often work travel via MEL or BNE to other cities. For international my preference was out of SYD and back into BNE (with domestic connection to NTL), but often it was into SYD as well if the times didn't work. Oh and my day job was on the base - so yes, I am very familiar with NTL.

It doesn't need a lounge in its present state - although the master plan does include a lounge. I really enjoyed the new terminal, the bar is reasonably priced, you can get decent food and good views. They were even doing live music on Friday afternoons a while ago (to the point where you couldn't hear the boarding announcements 🤣 ) .

I think we need to see mainline QF ops into NTL before there's any chance of a lounge - and that may happen in 10+ years, but not any time soon. The closure of the JQ base will help that - it is not a JQ city IMO (a lot of government, military and mining pax). NTL-MEL is always jet operated (usually 2 daily 717s) and NTL-BNE is a mix (3 daily Dash 8s, 1 daily 717 and 1 daily E190). Then you have ADL also on E190. The days of all QF Dash-8s are long gone fortunately, and the frequency of JQ has significantly reduced since they closed the base.

Now I'm in OOL that has an actual Qantas Club but weirdly stop-starts all day, only opening an hour before QF metal (not JQ), and there's no view - so it's not a significant improvement. I really liked the local gin they served at the NTL bar (Farmer's Wife) which is now stocked at Dan Murphys - but I was drinking it long before that at NTL.

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sqrt() May 25, 2023 #6

I didn't realise NTL had 6x weekly service to ADL on Alliance for QF!

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d dajop May 25, 2023 #7

I don’t think we really have the QF elites ex NTL to support a QF lounge.

There are ports, with surely less elites to support a QF lounge than NTL?

Using next week as reference, QF has just shy of 1200 seats on flights departing DPO next week, which has a small QF lounge. QF has 4793 seats out of NTL, just shy of 4x the DPO figure.

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justinbrett May 25, 2023 #8

There are ports, with surely less elites to support a QF lounge than NTL?

Using next week as reference, QF has just shy of 1200 seats on flights departing DPO next week, which has a small QF lounge. QF has 4793 seats out of NTL, just shy of 4x the DPO figure.

Yeah, I actually disagree with the lack of elites comment; and the editor's statement that NTL is a Leisure destination.

I don't think many fly to NTL from other locations for leisure; some do for sure but I don't think it's what's filling the planes M-F. I think there is a lot of outbound leisure travellers, but this is mostly for weekends.

I guess the good way to tell is in the BNE J lounge and QP, how many people get up when a QF NTL flight is called. From my experience (again, having travelled that route more than any other in my life), the number is often into the teens or 20+ per flight (fewer for Dash 8s).

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j jakeseven7 May 26, 2023 #9

Yeah, I actually disagree with the lack of elites comment; and the editor's statement that NTL is a Leisure destination.

From my 4 flights last year ;) on the MEL services on QF at least - it’s very business and lots of military as well. But of course QF would pull all the business, government and well heeled anyway I suppose.

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NM May 26, 2023 #10

NTL is my home airport. I don’t fly out of there very often unless timing is convenient as I mainly go to SYD.

I don’t think we really have the QF elites ex NTL to support a QF lounge. It’s only Dash 8 or the odd 717 to BNE and MEL. There’s frequently PS flyers opposite me when I’m in 2D on the Dash 8.
VA will not be remotely interested nor have the customer base to support a lounge at NTL.

The current bar area has banger views of the tarmac and it’s a pleasant enough place to grab a stool and watch the RAAF jets take off.
If any lounge was to be built in the extension I think it likely to be a paid option.
Happy of course to be proved wrong and sit sipping Champers at an upstairs extension viewing the Hawks take off.

I would have expended NTL would be similar to ROK in terms of QF flights, both number of flights and aircraft types (mix of Dash-8 and 717). ROK has managed to score a lounge for qualifying Qantas passengers.

But I do agree that in my experience departing NTL, the "need" for a lounge is not significant. It just my family heritage that prefers to keep my short arms out of the deep pockets when seeking a beverage from the bar prior to boarding ;)

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