Business travellers and frequent flyers on Qantas' Sydney-San Francisco route can look forward to a somewhat improved lounge experience at San Francisco airport next month.
The Air France/KLM Lounge used by Qantas for its QF74 leg to Sydney is undergoing a refresh which will add more seats, more space and more places to plug in your laptop, tablet or smartphone for a pre-flight recharge.
"We are still finishing up the renovations but they are almost complete," Air France spokesman Thomas Walsh tells the US TravelSkills blog.
"We’ve replaced the darker, library look with a more bright, modern finishes with approximately 145 seats (previously 108)."
Additional seating has already been made available by opening up the section of the lounge formerly given over to desktop PCs.
"We’ve added a new granite work-top counter all the way around the lounge, where clients can take in the views, while using their laptop, enjoying a snack and sipping a glass of champagne. We will add a smaller footprint reception desk in a few weeks, as well."
"This week we will complete the addition of over 130 power and USB power outlets," Walsh explains.
As for the lounge's oft-criticised dining options, Walsh says "we continue to look to refresh the food items, mixing warmer comfort roasted vegetables and soups at night while also trying some passed hors d’oeuvres every hour."
A more substantial make-over of the lounge remains on the drawing board, although there's no word on when this will take place.
San Fran's British Airways lounge is also in line for renovations, and many frequent flyers are no doubt hoping that Qantas might eventually switch to the BA lounge, which the Red Roo previously used for its San Francisco flights before they were suspended in May 2011.
The lounge is currently split into first class and business class sections across two floors, with plans to add a mezzanine level as part of the rebuild.
It's tipped that the lounge could become a larger single-class facility but could also sport a new Concorde Bar for first class travellers and top-tier Executive Club frequent flyers holding a Concorde Room Card or the invitation-only black Premier card.
Read more: British Airways' first class Concorde Room spins off Concorde Bar concept
A spokesperson for British Airways was unable to shed any light on these plans, however, telling Australian Business Traveller that "Currently all options are being reviewed."
Read: Flying Qantas from San Francisco? Here's your airport lounge strategy...
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Jun 2015
Total posts 105
Sounds awesome.
Do you have any info on when next month this will be open? Flying on QF74 on the 8th July. I assume thats too much wishful thinking for it to be ready?
With the renovations going on does that mean the KLM lounge is closed or only part of it open?
Quantas
29 Jun 2016
Total posts 1
This lounge is a joke and is almost fraudulent. I visited this lounge 2 weeks ago after spending a whole day in San Francisco. Before embarking on the 14 hr flight to Oz and 2 hr wait and 3 1/2hr domestic flight I really wanted to have a shower. Well they dont have showers. They didnt have working wifi which severely restricted my ability to vent on Qantas facebook page. There was a few cans of beer in the mini fridge but these were soon gone. Seriously, Ive been in better doctor surgery waiting rooms. It was like a chicken coop and It is more intimate in a Tokyo cafe. I am seriously reconsidering all my loyalty membership as a result of this visit. Loyal Aussies that support Qantas are second class citizens in the world while passengers from developing nations are elite. Maybe I have to support airlines from developing nations>
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