Review: Qantas International Business Lounge Perth (Terminal 1)

a glass door with a sign on it

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If you’re traveling in a premium cabin on a oneworld airline out of Perth you’ll almost certainly be traveling out Terminal 1 (unless you’re flying with Qantas) and this means that the lounge you’ll be using is the Qantas International Business Lounge which is located across from Gate 52.

a sign in a building
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1

Key Info

  • The lounge opening hours are as follows*:
    • 04:30 – 09:00 daily
    • 11:00 – 18:00 daily
    • 19:30 – 02:00 daily
  • The lounge can be accessed by:
    • First Class passengers flying a oneworld airline on the day of entry
    • Business Class passengers flying a oneworld airline on the day of entry
    • Oneworld Emerald elites flying a oneworld airline on the day of entry
    • Oneworld Sapphire elites flying a oneworld airline on the day of entry
    • Qantas Platinum One/Platinum/Gold elites flying with Emirates

* If you check the oneworld website it suggests that the lounge closes at 18:00 daily – this is incorrect.

The Lounge Areas

Just inside the lounge doors is the check-in desk and, past that, the lounge opens up into a rectangular room that runs from left to right and which is divided up into separate small areas.

As soon as you enter the lounge there’s a seating area to the right with various armchairs and tables:

a room with chairs and tables
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1
a room with chairs and tables
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1

Just past this area are the lounge’s main features.

To the right, there are seating areas that lead all the way up to the end of the lounge…

a room with chairs and tables
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1
a room with chairs and tables
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1
a room with chairs and tables
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1
a room with chairs and tables
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1

…and a bar/long counter which is home to a professional-style espresso machine and, ant certain times of the day, snacks and drinks.

a counter with food and drinks on it
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1
a group of drinks on a table
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1
a coffee machine on a counter
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1

The left side of the lounge offers a further seating area…

a room with chairs and tables
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1
a room with chairs and tables
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1

…but is mostly taken up with a dining area and the lounge’s buffet:

a room with tables and chairs
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1
a room with tables and chairs
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1
a white bar with shelves and bottles
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1
a buffet with fruit and vegetables
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1

Dining

I was visiting the lounge ahead of my Qatar Airways Business Class flight to Doha so my visit took place in the evening but, based on the signs in the lounge, it would appear that an all-day dining service is offered.

a menu on a table
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1 – Menu

The buffet area was offering a variety of salad options…

a tray of food on a counter
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1 – Dining

…as well as a small selection of hot foods:

a food on a counter
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1 – Dining

At approximately 8:15 pm the lounge staff brought out a selection of snacks that were placed on the long bar/counter at one end of the lounge…

a long table with food on it
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1 – Dining
a table with food on it
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1 – Dining
a table with food on it
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1 – Dining
a plate of brownies on a black tray
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1 – Dining

As far as drinks go…

A selection of low-end red and white wines was on offer alongside a number of spirits and mixers…

a group of bottles of liquor
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1

…chiller cabinets offered beers, sodas and a number of juices…

a refrigerator with drinks in it
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1

…and coffee/tea making facilities were available alongside the buffet.

a coffee machine and a box of tea bags
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1

Connectivity, Power & Work

The wi-fi in the lounge was of an acceptable speed (I didn’t need to stream or download any particularly large files but webpages loaded quick enough) but visitors to Australia will need adapters if they are to charge their devices here – I didn’t see any USB ports and all the power outlets were of the Australian 3-pin variety.

a close up of an outlet
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1

Not only are the lounge’s power outlets of the Australian variety but they’re also pretty scarce – if you need power be sure to choose your seat carefully.

None of the tables in the lounge’s seating areas were conducive to getting any work done (they were all too low) and the only concession to a work area that I found was a somewhat pathetic-looking 4-seater desk with a single iMac.

a table with chairs and a computer
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1

If you plan on getting any work done in this lounge be prepared to use your lap!

Showers

The lounge offers 3 unisex shower cubicles of which one is large and designed to cater to the less-abled.

a bathroom with a glass shower door
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1 – Showers
a shower with a bar and white bottles
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1 – Showers
a bathroom with a mirror and sink
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1 – Showers

As with all Qantas lounges, the toiletries on offer are from Aspar and not of the individual variety.

a group of white bottles with black lids
Qantas International Business Lounge Perth Terminal 1 – Toiletries

Thoughts

If you’re used to the excellent international Qantas lounges in cities like London, Los Angeles, and Sydney and are expecting something similar here you’re going to be pretty disappointed. This is a very mediocre lounge.

The food offering was closer to what I’d expect in one of the lesser Priority Pass lounges, the wine that was put out wasn’t very good, the spirits selection was poor and there was a surprising scarcity of healthy options to choose from.

The lack of tables at which guests can get some work done is disappointing, the shortage of power outlets is unacceptable and the absence of USB ports suggests that the lounge isn’t ready for this decade let alone the one that’s coming up.

Bottom Line

All the staff members I interacted with in the lounge were friendly and helpful and the shower facilities were pretty good (they were clean and functioned as expected) but these two positives can’t cover up for the fact that this isn’t a very good lounge at all.

There are lounges that are so good that they’re almost worth getting to the airport early for and there are lounges that are simple but are also nice places to relax or get some work done – this lounge is neither.

This a lounge that you use because, despite its many shortfalls, it’s still a lot better than sitting at a gate….but that’s not really a major compliment is it?

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