Qantas Wellington International Business Lounge

To supports its direct flights from Wellington to three major Australian capitals, Qantas operates its own lounge at Wellington Airport. Those cities – Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – match Air New Zealand’s own Wellington-based international network. Once you also factor in Jetstar’s direct Wellington-Gold Coast flights, it gives the Qantas Group the largest overall international network from New Zealand’s national capital.

But what’s the lounge experience like in Wellington for those flying Qantas up front, or with shiny status? Let’s take a look.

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Location, layout and seating

The Qantas Wellington International Business Lounge resides after all of the airport formalities. Once you’re done with security and passport control, you don’t have to walk far. The international departures nook here is rather cosy, so just keep your eyes peeled for the usual signs.

Seating is split into a few distinct areas. But most passengers are catered for in the ‘lounge room’. There’s a mix of sofas, banquettes a few tables for dining. For a quick bite or pit stop, you can also perch yourself at a bench, which is conveniently adjacent to the buffet.

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Take one last glimpse of New Zealand before you board.

Look for the dark wall after you get through passport control.

This isn’t Qantas’ newest lounge, but it’s still maintained well.

After the lounge starts to fill up, these seats become popular with travelling families.

Look to the back corner if you just want to relax with a little TV.

Transparent glass panels divide the space, which helps to avoid a boxed-in feeling.

I wouldn’t recommend these seats for a longer stay, but they’re great for a quick pop-in.

These desks are great for some focused laptop work.

Take one last glimpse of New Zealand before you board.

Look for the dark wall after you get through passport control.

Those more curious might also take a separate corridor just past reception. This leads into what would have previously been the lounge’s computer zone. But now that computers are gone from Qantas lounges, it serves as a private and quiet place to work on a laptop. There are no airport views in this wing, but you can enjoy those from the main space.

Opening hours here revolve around Qantas-operated flights and those of its partner, Fiji Airways. At the time of writing, current opening hours are:

• Mondays and Saturdays: 4 am to 7:45 am. Then 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm.
• Tuesdays and Thursdays: 4 am to 6 am, and 12:30 pm until 4:30 pm.
• Wednesdays and Sundays: 4 am until 6am, plus noon until 4:30 pm.
• Fridays: 4 am to 7:45 am, along with noon until 4:30 pm.

For eligible passengers flying internationally on Jetstar, those timings allow for around an hour in the lounge before the 1:35 pm flight to the Gold Coast. That service, JQ168, runs on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, when the lounge fortuitously opens slightly earlier at noon.

Food and beverage in the Qantas Wellington International Business Lounge

The hospitality offering in the Qantas Wellington International Business Lounge sits on the lower end of the spectrum compared to other Qantas lounges. To set a few expectations up front, don’t expect to find barista coffee here. Or a staffed bar. Or much in the way of hot food.

My visit today coincides with lunchtime. Hot options include spinach and feta mini quiches, and ‘Memphis chicken bites’ – a.k.a., chicken nuggets. Everything else comes from the chilled buffet, but there’s plenty to choose from. Select from pre-made sandwich bites, salads, fruit, meat, cheese, and a slice for dessert.

Everything that’s portioned is particularly small – the sliver of cake, for instance. It’s one way to help avoid filling up before the meal you’ll soon be devouring on board. Of course, if you’re more peckish here, you can just help yourself to more.

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Help yourself to a bottle or can.

Wine is self-serve.

This is Qantas’ full menu of hot food today. It’s not particularly substantial.

The snack bites are quite tasty, nonetheless.

While the selections aren’t vast, I appreciate the effort that the staff put into how the sandwiches are presented.

There’s no denying it, the selections here are relatively slim, and the salads are duplicated on each side.

A little bit of cheese goes well with the various crackers.

This isn’t quite on-par with the lattes in Qantas’ Melbourne lounges…

There’s enough here to make a gin and tonic, but as an international Business Class lounge, that vodka could do with an upgrade.

Help yourself to a bottle or can.

Wine is self-serve.

I try the hot bites – both are nice – and otherwise just construct a cheese plate. I’m always mindful not to overeat in lounges, conscious that there’ll be food waiting for me on board. In this case, I know there’ll be even more food aboard a same-day connecting flight, and again in another lounge before that connection. In a way, I’m glad that the Wellington lounge isn’t filled with hot food options, but I might feel differently if today’s flight were whisking me directly to my final destination.

As for the coffee here, the machine-made latte is rather average. If you’re a caffeine enthusiast, grab a barista-made brew out in the terminal. On the alcohol front, you’ll find a small selection of wine and beer, along with rather entry-level spirits (e.g. Smirnoff Red Vodka). The fridge is also well-stocked with common mixers, other soft drinks and juices.

Lounge amenities

Qantas’ Wellington International Business Lounge has a few other features up its sleeve. For one thing, there are restrooms and showers on-site. I appreciate that while the design of these areas may be a little dated by 2025 standards, you can still see the thought (and expense) that went into creating it. The contrast of wooden walls meeting darkened tile floors, against lighter tiled walls and patterned glass doors, is quite visually pleasing. I’d certainly prefer this older style of premium design to a cheaper looking ‘modern’ layout just for renovation’s sake.

The lounge instead keeps up with the times via its decent Wi-Fi offering. Speeds measured this visit allowed for 56Mbps down and 93Mbps up. That’s zippy enough for 4K video streaming and fast file backups. Printing and local fax facilities are available too.

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The corridor to the restrooms feels light and open, despite the age of the design.

If you need to print or send a fax, you’re covered.

The corridor to the restrooms feels light and open, despite the age of the design.

If you need to print or send a fax, you’re covered.

The corridor to the restrooms feels light and open, despite the age of the design.

If you need to print or send a fax, you’re covered.

Accessing the Qantas Wellington International Business Lounge

Here’s how you can qualify for access to the Qantas Wellington International Business Lounge.

• By cabin class:
  • Business Class passengers travelling with Qantas and Fiji Airways.
  • Per oneworld Alliance rules, passengers who are taking any international oneworld flight from Wellington of <5 hours in any cabin, where they are connecting further to a oneworld Business or First Class flight of 5+ hours. For example, flying Qantas to Australia in Economy, before taking Qantas or Cathay Pacific Business Class to Hong Kong. The onward premium cabin boarding pass must be presented here for lounge access.
• By frequent flyer status:
  • Qantas Gold, Platinum and Platinum One (+1 guest), along with Chairman’s Lounge (+2 guests). Available prior to Qantas, Jetstar and Fiji Airways flights. However, for status-based access flying Fiji Airways, oneworld Connect policies technically require travel to be on the QF codeshare flight number. (If you’re on the FJ flight number, perhaps, try your luck with a smile…)
  • Other oneworld Sapphire and Emerald frequent flyers, prior to Qantas flights (+1 guest).
  • Emirates Skywards Gold, Platinum and iO (+1 guest), when travelling with Qantas on a QF or EK flight number.
• Via airport lounge membership or lounge pass:
  • Qantas Club members departing on a QF flight number, or with Jetstar (+1 guest).
  • Fiji Airways Tabua Club and Tabua Club Plus members travelling with Fiji Airways (+1 guest, for Tabua Club Plus only).
  • Alaska Airlines Lounge+ cardholders prior to Qantas flights (+2 guests or immediate family).
  • American Airlines Admirals Club members taking a Qantas-operated flight (+2 guests or immediate family).
  • Travellers redeeming a single-use Qantas lounge pass for access when flying with Qantas, Jetstar, or on an eligible QF-coded flight. These passes are available to Qantas Silver members, or can also be obtained through selected co-branded credit cards.

The verdict

Overall, the Qantas Wellington International Business Lounge clearly isn’t one of the Roo’s current flagship facilities. Its design mimics Qantas’ brand feel of yesteryear. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Qantas’ previous international lounge offering in Brisbane, prior to Brisbane’s extensive three-storey renovation.

But having said that, I’d still classify the lounge as reasonably decent. There are places to work and places to relax. There’s plenty of natural light in the main space, where you can also take in the airport views. There’s usable Wi-Fi, an open bar and enough for a light lunch. It’s also very close to the gates used by Qantas, so you don’t need to hustle when your flight is called.

Is this on-par with Qantas’ Business-tier lounge offering at outstations like Hong Kong, Los Angeles or Singapore? Clearly not. But those lounges are also designed to serve passengers flying much farther. By comparison, everybody visiting the Wellington lounge is taking a flight of around four hours. In that context, it’s not bad – but a little improvement on the broadness of the food and beverage offering would be welcomed.

Also read: Road test: the digital Australia Travel Declaration replaces the handwritten arrivals card

All photography by Chris Chamberlin, who accessed the lounge using (earned) frequent flyer status when travelling at Point Hacks’ expense.