Best Flights: Qantas/oneworld Lounge Review Business Class

Location:

Level 5, Tom Bradley International Terminal. After Qantas business class check-in, it's a short walk to the security check, and once you clear security there's an elevator right in front which takes you up to level 5.

Overview:

This lounge opened in 2007 after existing lounges were demolished at Tom Bradley and it’s one of a handful of “alliance” lounges and this one serves Qantas, British Airways and Cathay Pacific jointly as oneworld partners.

Comfort & Layout:

The lounge is quite spacious and has modern contemporary furnishings and perhaps the feature is the sports bar with a couple of large screen TV’s is at the far end of the lounge. There are a few different types of seating including bar stools along a window overlooking departures, deep comfy chairs, office chairs with the computer terminals, and bench seating in the sports bar area. There are also showers.

Food & Drinks:

One of the big improvements over the old lounges is that there is a far better food selection with prepared meals including the likes of Asian style chicken and tomatoes, braised beef, vegetarian noodles and rice. There’s also a good range of snacks and a continental selection of meats, cheeses and breads. There’s also a self-serve coffee machine which is okay. Another improvement is the complimentary bar - no more vouchers - and there were three decent beers on tap and the bubbly was a Piper Sonoma Brut along with a good selection of Californian reds and whites.

Internet & Newspapers:

There’s a bank of about 20 computers and there’s also Wi-Fi for those with their own laptops. The newspapers included The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald and the Financial Review along with a small selection of US papers. The magazine selection is small but there’s a good mix of reading material.

Business Centre:

This is pretty much a bank of computers and chairs and you can recharge your gizmos and print material out if you need to.

Who Can Use It?

Business and First Class passengers on Qantas, BA and Cathay along with members of the Marco Polo Club (silver tier or above), oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members and Cargo Clan Elite members.

The Verdict:

This is a massive improvement on the old lounges in Tom Bradley and it now resembles a facility befitting these premium airlines. It pays to check in early for your flight as it does get very busy in here especially when all three airlines have flights departing in the evening. We checked in at 7pm for a 10pm flight and found a seat in the Sports Bar easily. By 9pm the late arrivals were struggling to find somewhere to sit down. The good news is that there are plans in place to expand the lounge to about three times its current size within the next 12 to 18 months.

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