If you were expecting to spend some time in the Qantas Melbourne First Lounge over the next month, there’s a bit of bad news. Between 4 October and 3 November, Qantas will be closing the lounge for maintenance. During that time, eligible customers will be directed to a dedicated “premium” space in the Business Lounge.
The Temporary Alternative
As mentioned, Qantas is setting up a dedicated premium space in its current Melbourne International Business Lounge. If the question “Is that in the dungeon?” comes to mind, then yes – the Business Lounge is the one many refer to as the Dungeon (mostly because of its location).
Even though it is in that location, Qantas says “You’ll still be able to enjoy exceptional service, while you relax, dine or work before your flight.”
A cut down version of the usual menu will be on offer while they are using the temporary lounge. Sadly, the salt and pepper squid seems to have been cut from this menu. On the plus side, the pavlova with mango, passion-fruit and blueberries has made the cut.
The Maintenance
According to Qantas, the lounge is being closed for “scheduled maintenance”. That is to say that you shouldn’t see any obvious change when it reopens. Qantas has not specifically said what the maintenance is. However, I have been led to believe they are working on the air-conditioning ahead of the summer period.
If you have been in the lounge past over summers, you may have seen air coolers around the lounge. The coolers, reminiscent of a Dalek from Dr Who, were there to provide additional cooling. It is my understanding that Qantas is working to avoid that situation this summer.
