This Review of the Qantas First Class Lounge at Los Angeles LAX's TBIT (Tom Bradley International Terminal) is part of a new trip report including Cathay Pacific First Class and luxury hotel stays in Asia. My husband reviewed the Qantas First Class Lounge at LAX earlier this year, but since his visit was in the morning, this review will cover both an evening and a morning visit as I visited the lounge twice on this trip.
For the prior posts, please see:
Review: The Centurion Lounge New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
Review: American Airlines Old A321 First Class with Recliner Seats
Qantas First Class Lounge LAX Location, Hours and Access
The Qantas First Class Lounge at LAX is located in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), level 5, after security. If you're walking from Terminal 4, as I was, you'll round the corner and the lounge will be on your right. I initially walked right past it. The lounge is open daily from 6:30am-11:30pm.
Who can access the Qantas First Class Lounge? Not just Qantas First Class passengers; here's who has access:
- Qantas First Class departing passengers; one guest allowed and must be traveling on the same flight
- International First Class oneworld passengers departing on a oneworld operated and marketed flight; one guest allowed and must be traveling on a oneworld operated and marketed flight
- Qantas Platinum One Frequent Flyer, departing on a Qantas, Emirates, Jetstar or oneworld operated and marketed flight; one guest allowed and must be traveling with member on the same flight
- Qantas Platinum Frequent Flyer departing on a Qantas, Jetstar or oneworld operated and marketed flight; one guest allowed and must be traveling with member on the same flight
- Oneworld Emerald Frequent Flyer departing on a oneworld operated and marketed flight; one guest allowed and must be traveling on a oneworld operated and marketed flight
Note that if you're arriving in the late afternoon or early evening, the lounge is likely to be quite crowded. Here was the line when I was checking in:
Qantas First Class Lounge LAX Amenities
The main amenities in the Qantas First Class Lounge at LAX are:
- Choice of seating
- WiFi
- Shower Rooms
- A la carte dining
- Bar
- Kids' play area
WiFi placards are dotted about the lounge, and at the time of my visit, the password was flyqantas. The WiFi worked well for my purposes of client emails and small file uploads.
The Qantas First Class Lounge has a number of different seating area and seating types, but is essentially one large room, apart from the individual shower suites. The color scheme is red, white and black, corresponding to Qantas colors.
Here are some of the black seats near the entrance:
And some of the white seats and sofa:
My favorite were the magenta relaxation chairs. Since there are no real day beds, these are your best bet if you're trying to take a little nap:
One of the lounge features I most appreciate is a shower room, as apart from a nap, there's nothing like a good shower to help you feel refreshed while traveling. While there are several shower rooms, both times I had to wait for a shower room to become available. During my evening visit, it was about 45 minutes, so I had dinner while waiting. On my morning visit the wait was shorter, about 15-20 minutes, although it took time for a shower attendant to appear as the desk was unmanned.
The shower room is simple and spartan, but has most everything you need (don't forget to collect a comb and/or razor if you need one at the desk).
Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel are by Aspar, for Qantas:
The only thing I didn't care for my first time was the towel, which was fraying at th end and really should have been replaced. On my second visit the towel was newer and in better condition.
I was also amused by the typo on the sign (“you convenience” instead of “your convenience”).
Qantas First Class Lounge Menu and Food
My first visit, there was a wait for the dining room area, but fortunately there's the bar, as well as self-service wine on offer:
During my evening visit I was happy to see some great selections on the Autumn Menu:
Drink-wise, I chose an Esk Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2015, which paired nicely with my dishes:
I started off with the Tuna Tartare with Wakame appetizer, and it was fresh and delicious. I liked that the portion was between an amuse bouche and appetizer portion and quite small, which left plenty of room for other dishes.
The other small plate I ordered was the Salt & Pepper Squid with Green Chile sauce, and this was perfectly executed: crisp exterior and tender squid (not overcooked, which is a frequent liability with squid) and a no holds barred spicy green chile sauce.
Since I wanted to try a main for purposes of the review but didn't feel up to something too heavy, I tried the Seared Striped Bass, and while this was plainer, it was also very fresh and perfectly cooked. This is a good choice if you're looking for a lighter meal and don't want anything spicy.
I wrapped up with the Gingerbread dessert with Roasted Pear and Hazelnuts. While I've had better gingerbread, I loved the roasted pear and hazelnut adornments, and the cinnamon cream added a welcome creamy accompaniment.
My return visit to the lounge was in the morning, and was much different, with hardly any other guests in the lounge. I was the only one at breakfast at the time. Here's the Autumn Breakfast Menu; there were also a number of egg dishes offered.
I decided to order the Waffles with Bacon, but asked if it could come with roasted pears (from the yoghurt dish) as well, which the kitchen was willing to do, after the server checked. It may be off menu, but I thought the combination worked extremely well: crisp waffle and salty bacon with slightly spicy and sweet roasted pear. Pure maple syrup was provided in a couple of jars.
The Verdict
I had a better experience of the Qantas First Class Lounge than my husband did, mostly related to having dinner at the lounge on my first visit and the better dining room service then, depsite how busy the lounge was. While I certainly enjoyed my waffle with pears and bacon, it didn't showcase the kitchen's talents the way the Tuna Tartare and Salt & Pepper Squid did for my dinner visit.
It was a far more relaxed lounge experience during my morning visit, since there were very few other guests, so that is a great time to come if you're actually hoping to nap or relax, or have a shorter wait for a shower.
While I'd love to see a complimentary spa massage experience or completely flat day beds offered, this is one of the better international lounges in the U.S., especially from a dining standpoint. And while the lounge can be accessed by oneworld First Class passengers and oneworld Emerald elites, it maintains a distinctly Qantas feel, not only through its color scheme but also the Australian accents of several of the staff.
If you've recently visited the Qantas First Class Lounge at LAX, what was your experience?
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