Virgin Australia has reopened the Premium Entry to its lounge at Brisbane Airport during the morning peak. But there’s still no planned re-opening date for the Premium Lounge Entry in Sydney.
The Premium Entry was a popular benefit before COVID-19, and its return will be welcomed by frequent flyers. It allows Velocity Gold and Platinum members, Business Class guests and eligible frequent flyers of Virgin Australia’s partner airlines to bypass the security queues in the main airport terminal, potentially saving a lot of time.
The Premium Entry at Brisbane Airport is located outside the Virgin Australia check-in area at the domestic terminal and can be accessed directly from the street. This means eligible flyers without checked luggage can access the lounge without having to enter the main terminal at all. Customers with checked luggage will still need to drop this off first, but can then head to the Premium Entry for access to the Virgin Australia Lounge instead of queueing at the main security checkpoint.
Unfortunately, the Premium Entry in Brisbane will initially only be available from 5-10am on weekdays. At other times, Virgin Australia passengers will still need to use the main security checkpoint.
Qantas also operates a premium lounge entry at Brisbane’s domestic airport. This has remained operational for most of the pandemic.
Two weeks ago, a Priority security lane for Velocity Gold, Platinum and Virgin Australia Business passengers also opened at the Terminal 4 security checkpoint at Melbourne Airport.
“We are laser focussed on creating great travel experiences for our guests and we are pleased to provide fast track security screening for eligible customers in Melbourne and Brisbane airports,” a Virgin Australia Group spokesperson said.
“We know time is important for our most frequent flyers, and our expanded security facilities in Brisbane and Melbourne are a ticket for loyal guests to quickly move through the screening process, so they can spend more time enjoying our lounge experience prior to their flight.”
Virgin has indicated that its Premium Entry at Sydney Airport will also reopen at some point, but hasn’t yet committed to a date.
“Virgin Australia is continuing to work through options with Sydney Airport Corporation,” the Virgin spokesperson said.
On this, one AFF member commented:
My understanding is that it’s a Sydney airport issue rather than a Virgin decision. The airport is prioritising security staff in the main terminal rather than allocate staff to an exclusive security channel.
I feel like they should have made a compromise… Create a temporary priority channel in the main terminal for priority pax until they have the staffing to reopen premium entry.
– Milefest
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Will Virgin’s Premium Lounge Entries open back up at some point?
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