Review: Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

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Getting to the Qantas lounges at Auckland International Airport first means navigating your way through the maze of duty free shops you’ll find after you clear airport security.

Once though the duty free zone look for a sign pointing to the right that looks like the one below and follow the direction of the arrow.

The signs will lead you to a set of escalators where you’ll see the “Emperor Lounge” (a Priority Pass lounge)…..

…and another sign by the escalators guiding you to the Qantas Lounges:

Qantas has First & Business Class lounges in Auckland and both share the same entrance and check-in desk.

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

Entry Criteria & Times

The lounge is open daily between 04:00 and 20:00 (or the last Qantas departure if it’s later).

The entry criteria are as follows:

• Oneworld flyers with Business Class boarding passes + 1 guest
• Qantas Club members + 1 guest
• Oneworld Emerald & Sapphire status card holders + 1 guest
• Flyers with a lounge access pass purchased from Qantas

Note: guests must be flying on a oneworld marketed and operated flight on the day of entry.

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

The Qantas Business Class lounge in Auckland is to the right of the main reception desk (to the left is the First Class lounge).

Right by the entrance door you’ll find storage shelves for carry-on luggage….

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

…and, as you make your way into the lounge you’ll find a magazine/newspaper rack on the left and the first seating area to your right:

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

Directly ahead of you are the large lounge windows which, although they let in a nice amount of light, offer a view of absolutely nothing (except a few aircon units and some roofs).

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

The lounge stretches out from left to right at this point and, to the right, are more armchairs…..

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

…..while to the left are dining tables and chairs…..

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

….the food/drink area (I’ll come back to this)…..

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

….and more armchair seating……

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

….including a mobile-free zone (I love this!):

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

The food on offer is a buffet and, during my visit this was what was laid out:

A selection of cheeses and salad items:

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

Beef nachos with chili beans, cheese, sour cream and chives:

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

A quiche selection:

• Bacon & egg
• Spinach & feta
• Chicken & potato

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

A selection of mixed wraps and rolls:

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

A selection of cakes (6 different types):

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

Cookies (including a low-gluten variety):

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

A selection of fruit:

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

On a wall next to the buffet is where you’ll find a self-serve bar….

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

…..with non-alcoholic drinks like juices….

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

…..and sodas…..

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

…..as well as bottled beers (in the same chiller cabinet as the sodas) and a selection of wines & spirits:

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

If you’re looking for high-end drinks you’re going to be disappointed but at least the selection is reasonable.

Lastly, if it’s a hot drink that you’d like, the lounge also offers a coffee machine that, not only makes a variety of coffees, but is also is capable of dispensing boiling water for tea and hot milk to go with the hot chocolate sachets on the side.

Qantas Business Class Lounge Auckland

The lounge also offers a business area for those looking to get some work done. There are a series of cubicles available on a first-come-first-served basis….

……and the cubicles alternate between being empty…..

…and with having an iMac:

The lounge also offers printing/copying/faxing facilities…..

…but I didn’t notice any PC workstations.

I should, at this point, point out that the Business Class lounge also offers shower facilities but, as I ended up using the First Class facilities after I finished looking around this lounge (review coming soon), I didn’t get to see them.

Thoughts

The Qantas Auckland Business Class lounge is due for a refresh at some point in the not too distant future but, looking at it objectively, it’s not a bad Business Class lounge at all.

The food on offer is better than what you’ll find at most US domestic lounges…and it’s actually better than you’ll find at a lot of international airline lounges too (including BA’s Business Class lounges at Heathrow).

The drinks selection isn’t going to get anyone excited….but then I don’t remember the last time I saw a great drinks selection in a Business Class lounge anyway.

During my time in the lounge there was more than enough seating for the guests that came in (I don’t think it was ever more than a third full) so, based on that and on the size of aircraft Qantas operates out of Auckland, I suspect overcrowding may not be an issue here (please feel free to correct me if I’ve missed something).

Overall…

The staff are friendly, there’s a good amount of light (the lounge doesn’t feel dark during daylight hours), the workstations aren’t cramped and the lounge seating is comfortable – that all adds up to a pretty decent Business Class lounge.