Adelaide’s new Qantas Club lounge is now open

What to expect at the made-over Qantas Club and the Qantas Business Lounge that will follow...

By David Flynn, November 14 2024
Adelaide’s new Qantas Club lounge is now open

Adelaide has a swish new Qantas Club lounge, and it might just be the best Qantas Club in Australia.

This large, light and bright space opened its doors today as Qantas completed the first stage of an extensive upgrade which will soon see Adelaide gain a dedicated Qantas Business Lounge for business class passengers and Platinum-grade frequent flyers.

Adelaide's new Qantas Club.
Adelaide's new Qantas Club.

Regular visitors to the Qantas Club at Adelaide Airport will be welcomed by a warm interior design which the airline says reflects “the beauty of the South Australian landscape.”

But the Qantas Club’s appeal stretches beyond the customised furniture by local designers Agostino & Brown.

A long sandstone bar serves up premium wine and beer including South Australian favourites such as Coopers and Penfolds.

Adelaide's new Qantas Club.
Adelaide's new Qantas Club.

There’s also a full seasonal buffet menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus barista-pulled coffee and light refreshments.

Adelaide's new Qantas Club.
Adelaide's new Qantas Club.

Over 80% of the seats are fitted with USB-A and USB-C power outlets, while wireless charging mats adorn the terrazzo coffee tables throughout the lounge.

“All of the elements within the space have been carefully designed with what our customers have told us they want most,” reflects Qantas Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Catriona Larritt.

By way of example, Larritt says, “we’ve added more charging outlets for business customers and a variety of lounge spaces for leisure travellers to relax ahead of their flight.”

Visitors to the new Adelaide Qantas Club may notice some finishing touches being made at the far end of the lounge, but the airline says it was eager to welcome travellers, especially with the summer school holiays holidays soon to start.

Up next: the Adelaide Qantas Business Lounge

Meanwhile, work on the all-new Qantas Business Lounge is stepping up, with a targetted opening date of mid-2025.

The lack of a business class lounge has made The City of Churches a noticeable exception in the Qantas domestic lounge network, as the mainland’s only state capital without a dedicated Qantas Business Lounge.

The Adelaide Qantas Business Lounge will have a capacity of almost 200 travellers, with a design “which takes inspiration from Kangaroo Island’s Flinders Chase National Park.”

The all-new Qantas Adelaide Business Lounge.
The all-new Qantas Adelaide Business Lounge.

Concept images shared with Executive Traveller reveal a spacious open-plan footprint featuring an oversized near-circular bar flanked by high work benches on one side and a series of lounges on the other.

The all-new Qantas Adelaide Business Lounge.
The all-new Qantas Adelaide Business Lounge.

As with the neighbouring Qantas Club, it’s all about drawing inspiration from the local area to give the lounge not only a sense of place but its own unique identity – a marked change from decades ago, when all lounges had to share the same design in the name of brand consistency.

Concurrent with work on the Qantas Business Lounge is an upgrade of the Adelaide Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.

All three lounges will form what the airline terms its “Qantas Adelaide lounge precinct”, which will be finalised in Q3 2025 with a formal entry area and reception.

The entry to the new Qantas Adelaide Lounge precinct.
The entry to the new Qantas Adelaide Lounge precinct.

However, as previously reported, the necessary construction work will create a short-term capacity crunch, which in turn will see Qantas lounge passes not accepted until the middle of next year.

As the airline puts it: “The Qantas Club Adelaide lounge will be operating at reduced capacity as we work to reopen an exciting new Qantas Lounge precinct in mid-2025.”

“The use of Complimentary Lounge Invitations and Qantas Lounge Passes will be unavailable during this time. Our normal lounge access policy will apply subject to capacity.”

As for that “normal lounge access policy” which “will apply subject to capacity,” this includes bringing guests into the Qantas lounges – those guests could also be turned away during the morning and afternoon peak travel periods.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

26 Sep 2022

Total posts 8

This looks great.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

14 Oct 2016

Total posts 67

With the new QC now open, do we know if they are still going to be sending Platinum's (and above) and business PAX into the chairman's lounge space?

19 May 2023

Total posts 2

Chairmans also closed for renovations, all pax to QC for now

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

26 Sep 2022

Total posts 8

Every time I went through Adelaide as Platinum I never got invited into the Chairman's, was that normal practice? 

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

14 Oct 2016

Total posts 67

During the first stage of work (Mid-June to Nov 24) the seating in the QC was effectively halved. So they were diverting Platinum's into the Chairman's lounge to help mitigate against overcrowding. If you were flying out of ADL during that period you should have been escorted into the lounge.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

09 Feb 2015

Total posts 387

Hopefully the food can improve like the overall lounge has based on these images. 

It looks great.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

31 Aug 2012

Total posts 212

Agree that catering needs improvement.

Current all-day-snacking arrangement is abysmal.

JD1
JD1

03 Aug 2020

Total posts 22

Looks very impressive. Wonder if and when Sydney domestic might see a new or refurbished lounge

MrT
MrT

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

28 Aug 2015

Total posts 39

Travelled through Adelaide this afternoon and it was a light, fresh and calming space, except for the large number of guests crammed in and barely any free seating

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

09 Feb 2015

Total posts 387

How was the food offering MrT ?

MrT
MrT

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

28 Aug 2015

Total posts 39

I was there mid afternoon and it was the usual fare; toasties, soup, crudités etc. The standard QF all day buffet. 

Didn’t have a drink but the alcohol offering also looked fairly typical.

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

24 Jan 2018

Total posts 768

So, leaving aside the cost differential, would it be fair to say that there was better F&B available in the public areas/food court (albeit at a co$t) or would that be too harsh? 

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

18 Oct 2012

Total posts 135

WOW ! Go SA ! Looks quite impressive.

22 Mar 2013

Total posts 10

As Virgin tries to pretend their FF program offers as much as Qantas by making it arguably even more difficult than the Roo to earn status...and as a frequent flyer to ADL...jeez this looks a tempting way to alter my allegiances...

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

25 Feb 2017

Total posts 18

True.  I do like the Virgin lounge in ADL though.  It's pretty funky and has great coffee.

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

24 Jan 2018

Total posts 768

Sorry (sort of), but are you asking a question (for others to respond) or is this just a QFF-loyalist having a swipe at the opposition?  

17 Nov 2023

Total posts 45

It's all about the food for me.  Enough Neil Perry BS.  Time to get with the program Qantas and bring back quality fare filled with plenty of RED MEAT!

25 Feb 2015

Total posts 68

I wandered in to take a quick look yesterday. It is a nice space. Only thing I think they have missed the mark on is the lighting. It’s far too bright. The whole space could look a lot nicer with a bit more restrained and thoughtful lighting.

08 Jun 2024

Total posts 1

That will be adjusted in time. Would much rather have it bright, then gloomy like Melbourne. 

31 May 2013

Total posts 29

Good to see - looking forward to trying it. 

Pretty happy with a toastie myself- so no complaints on food in the club. 

Syd Q-club always amazes me, wouldn’t require too much money to bring it up to date especially as a hub port!! Hopefully next inline now all domestics are done.

Be good to see an update on SYD/MEL/AKL - big announcements little progress 

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

10 Apr 2012

Total posts 319

Am curious to know whether there has been any increase in floorspace and seating, or did they just cut the old Qantas Club into 2 sections, to now replace with a dedicated QF Club and QF Domestic lounge?  The old Qantas Club was fairly full at certain times, be interesting to know how to pans out being split into 2 sections.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

15 May 2019

Total posts 32

It's really quite disappointing that these upgrades have been allowed to proceed in a provincial airport when the Sydney Business Lounge is a relic of the early 1990s. It is overcrowded and shabby despite being in the most important domestic airport in the whole of the Qantas network. 


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