Qantas Switches Canberra Airport Lounge Locations

Qantas has quietly moved its Domestic Business Lounge at Canberra Airport into the former location of the Qantas Club – and vice versa.

The change means that the Business Lounge is now the larger of the two Qantas lounges in Canberra (or three lounges, if you include the invitation-only Chairmans Lounge). This also means that the Business Lounge now enjoys great views over the airfield, and more natural light.

Conversely, the Qantas Club at Canberra Airport is now in the smaller space that used to occupy the Business Lounge. This is a bit of a darker space with a less impressive view of the airport carpark.

According to an AFF member who already visited the “new” Business Lounge at Canberra Airport this weekend, Qantas has also refreshed these lounges with new furniture.

The difference between Qantas Club and Business Lounges

The Qantas Club lounge is accessible to paid-up Qantas Club members, as well as Qantas Gold and Oneworld Sapphire frequent flyers travelling with Qantas or a Oneworld airline. (Qantas Club and Gold members can get access when flying Jetstar domestic, too).

The Qantas Club is also where complimentary lounge invitations are accepted.

The Domestic Business Lounge is exclusively for Business Class passengers as well as Qantas Platinum, Platinum One and Oneworld Emerald flyers. Qantas intends for this to be the more premium of its two domestic lounges.

The Business Lounge typically has slightly better wines and more food options. But in practice, there often isn’t that much difference between that and the Qantas Club. In fact, in the past, I have sometimes opted to visit the Qantas Club in Canberra for the better views – even though I was entitled to Business Lounge access.

Why the change?

The Qantas lounge swap at Canberra Airport means that the Business Lounge is now firmly the superior option, given its larger size, better views, and presumably still slightly better catering.

More to the point, perhaps Qantas felt that its Domestic Business Lounges now need a larger footprint. In 2024, Qantas expanded its Domestic Business Lounge at Sydney Airport by annexing space from the neighbouring Qantas Club. It did this because more people were getting access to the Business Lounge than before – so it needed more space.

Could Canberra’s new Qantas Club get too crowded?

The “new” Canberra Qantas Club could now get noticeably crowded during peak times – such as the end of a parliamentary sitting week, Monday mornings, or the start of school holidays. But Qantas could manage this by sending a few people to the neighbouring Business Lounge if that becomes an issue.

Most of the time, crowding in the Canberra Airport lounges is not an issue at all. In fact, these are among the most pleasant lounges in the whole Qantas domestic network because they are usually quite empty.

Most weekends, Qantas just sends everyone to the Business Lounge at Canberra Airport and closes the Qantas Club anyway. Now, when this happens, everyone will get to enjoy the nicer of the two spaces – instead of nobody.