The Perth Aspire Lounge is a “Pay Per Use” lounge located at Perth International T1. The lounge is located above the departure area and is accessed by stairs or elevators located between gate 53 and gate 54.
The lounge features a number of facilities that you would expect in an airport departure lounge. These include a variety of seating options, charging stations, shower facilities, together with dining and bar options.
Access to the Perth Aspire Lounge
Paid Access
As a pay per use lounge, you can simply pay for entry into the lounge. This is available in 3-hour blocks, and you can book online for $75 per person. If you wait until you get to the airport, you can still enter, however walk-ins pay $82.50.
However, that is not the only way to get into the lounge.
Airline Access
Some airlines also use it as their contract lounge in Perth. Since the Qantas lounge closed, there has not been a oneworld lounge at the airport. As a result, oneworld airlines, such as Malaysia Airlines and Cathay Pacific, send their eligible customers here (for example Malaysia Airlines and Cathay Pacific).
In my case, I gained access as I was flying out of Perth on Malaysia Airlines. I could use my oneworld status (via Qantas) to access the lounge.
Subscription programs and cards
The lounge participates in the Priority Pass program. You may have complimentary access if you have a Priority Pass membership, either paid or through a premium credit card. This will depend on your specific membership and whether you have used your annual allowance.
Perth Aspire Lounge Overview
As with most lounges these days, the Perth Aspire Lounge consists of several zones. These zones are designed with different activities in mind, such as eating, socialising, or trying to catch up on work.
Seating Areas
There are a number of different seating style around the lounge. These cater to the different activities that you might undertake while in the lounge.
There is a business/work area with workbenches and power points. If you want to get some work done, then you can set up your laptop on one of the workbenches.
Moving down the lounge, there are comfy seats if you are socialising, and looking out across the tarmac.
If you are enjoying a bite to eat, you might try the diner style booths
Moving further down the lounge we pass the bar area. Here you can sit on a stool and look out over the tarmac.
On the other hand, if you’re just enjoying a beverage, then maybe a coffee table will do
Toward the end of the lounge, we reach a sign pointing up toward ‘The Viewing Deck’.
A short set of stairs brings you to the Viewing Deck, where you can enjoy views out over the tarmac. It was a bright afternoon when I was there, and the brightness somewhat overwhelmed my camera. There is a tarmac out there!
For me, this was something of the highlight of the lounge. If you like the goings on at an airport, you can view planes taking off and landing. On top of that, you’ll get to see some of the action on the tarmac.
Food and Beverage
The lounge features a bar and dining area, and they are beside each other. From a food perspective, there is a small buffet with both hot and cold options. The salad bar is on one side of the area
While on the other side, you can find the hot options. On the day I was passing through, there was a Kung Pao Chicken option, together with a stir-fried noodle option.
The lounge also has a proper full-service bar. By that I mean you get served by a person behind a bar. Quite unlike a number of other lounges that just have a fridge filled with a few beers and soft drinks. You’ll find a selection of local and international beers and wines, as well as liquor and spirits. Ok, maybe not top-shelf stuff, but a reasonable selection, nonetheless.
Ordinarily, you can get a barista made coffee – unfortunately, on the day I was there, the machine was in pieces. A technician, together with manuals in hand, was hard at work on it!
Facilities
The Aspire Lounge offers the usual facilities that you would expect in a lounge. For example, there is no need to exit the lounge in search of a rest room. In addition, there are features 3 shower suites to help you freshen up for the journey ahead.
Final Words
Overall, I found the Perth Aspire Lounge to be a creditable business-level lounge. It was up there with some of the better pay-for-use lounges I have previously been to
