Stephanie Holmes visits the Qantas Club lounge, at Auckland International Airport.
The greeting:
Like a morning frost, it took a little while to thaw. It was partly my fault — travelling with Fiji Airways, I apparently should have picked up my lounge invitation when I checked in. I just assumed there would be a list at the door.
(Flashbacks to my nightclubbing days perhaps?) When I suggested this to the immaculately presented Qantas staff member on the front desk, she spluttered: "We can't check! You're flying with Fiji Airways! We have no way of checking!" Turns out, there was a way of checking ... she just needed to phone down to the check-in desk. Once she did that, and found out I was actually on the list, we were fine.
First impression: The lounge is spacious and filled with natural light, with framed artworks on the walls and plenty of comfortable seating in different designated areas. I was initially worried I'd have to sit near the two huge TV screens showing the Super Bowl, but luckily there was plenty of space in the quiet zone.
What's there: TV area, dining area, business centre, two walls of magazine/newspaper racks, bar and food station.
Who's there: There was an eclectic range of people present during my visit, from young families, to older businesspeople, Brits travelling long-haul, Americans just coming off a cruise, and the Illawarra Hawks NBL team. Queuing up at the bar next to these guys is not good for your self-esteem (I've never felt so short).
Anything for the kids? Nothing specific, so bring iPads and jump on the free Wi-Fi.
Parents, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that.
Tech stuff: The free Wi-Fi is accessible without the need for a password; there didn't seem to be an abundance of charging ports available.
Magazine selection: Qantas' excellent in-flight magazine, Woman's Day and Woman's Weekly, Time, M2, Eye magazine.
The view: Although it had plenty of windows and natural light, the view is of buildings and construction work; not of runways or gates. Plane geeks might be disappointed.
Eating and drinking: Not a huge area dedicated to food and drink, but there's definitely more than enough to keep you satisfied, no matter how long you have to wait. It was lunchtime on my visit, so there was soup, sandwiches, cheese and crackers, vegetable sticks, olives, lamb curry and rice, quiche and pie, with vegetarian and gluten-free options. The bar had a choice of Australian or New Zealand wines and beers, as well as hard liquor, and soft drinks. Disappointingly there's no barista service — coffee comes out of a machine.
The bathrooms: Clean and roomy. Showers are in a separate room, which I didn't use.
The lounge atmosphere: It was pumping — with a lot of Americans in the lounge, the Super Bowl screening was getting a lot of interest — and very vocal interest at that. In the quiet zone, not everyone was observing the "no mobile phone" signs. I debated being that person and asking them to move, but decided to just sip my bubbles (Seppelt The Drive chardonnay pinot noir, since you asked) and get over it.
Fun fact: There's a "secret" extension to the left as you walk in the main door. Famous folk and First Class flyers seek refuge in there.
The bottom line: An excellent option for some calm and kai — or sports-based adrenalin — before you hit the skies
