Trip Report: Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney Airport Review

Besides flying Qantas First Class on the A380 (which turned out to be a really disappointing experience), I was super excited to visit the Qantas First Class Lounge in Sydney, given that I had heard it was one of the best airport lounges in the world. While I didn’t get to try the complimentary spa services (which have been shortened over time) since I was at the lounge after the spa had closed, the parts of the lounge that I did try were very good.

My first order of business was to eat some food. The Qantas First Class Lounge has a proper dining area with table service. They have a pretty extensive seasonal menu, and I may or may not have gone slightly overboard with ordering (essentially, I said yes to everything that the server recommended).

I tried the grilled sesame tuna, the cobia sashimi, the salt and pepper squid, and the fettucine with soft egg (minus the bacon). For dessert, I had the chocolate croissant bread and butter pudding and the pavlova.

The food was good–easily some of the best food I’ve eaten at an airport. I think I still prefer the food at the JAL First Class Lounge at Narita, but then again, I’m Asian (obvi). I think most people will find some things that they’ll enjoy a lot.

The decor of the lounge is pretty cool. It’s one long, curved room with large windows that provide some fun airplane viewing. There’s plenty of seating, and lots of areas to get work done, have some privacy, or talk to others. The majority of people were in the dining area when I was there, so that area did get a bit crowded, but the lounge is spacious.

The service in the dining area was good, but I’m not sure if there’s much service outside of the dining area to speak of. No one seemed to be going around to check on people or offer drinks, but perhaps that was because it was late at night and most passengers were in the dining area.

Overall, this is a great lounge. While Qantas’s onboard product left me underwhelmed, the First Class Lounge in Sydney is a great airport lounge.