Upgraded Qantas Club and business domestic lounges at Melbourne Airport fully opened

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Upgraded Qantas Club and business domestic lounges at Melbourne Airport fully opened

By Craig Platt
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Qantas has fully opened its upgraded domestic lounges at Melbourne Airport, increasing passenger capacity and introducing new design elements.

Combined, the two lounges will now offer seating for close to 900 passengers, with more than 40 per cent more room in the business class lounge and 10 per cent more in the Qantas Club.

The 12-month project has seen the lounges open gradually in phases, with Thursday's official opening marking the completion of the upgrade.

"Melbourne is one of the busiest ports in our network, and with the demand for premium travel on the rise, it's the right time to be investing in bigger and better lounges," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said.

Qantas flyers will welcome the news as the project has caused some disruption over the past year, with limits on the number of passengers able to enter the lounges and restrictions on members bringing in guests.

The upgraded business lounge features a new "Spice Bar" serving Asian dishes, including noodle soups, char siu pork and Sichuan eggplant. The menu from Neil Perry is inspired by the chef's own Spice Temple restaurant.

Existing features such as barista-made coffee and free Wi-Fi remain and the redesign has seen an increase in the number of charging stations for devices. Joyce said more than 16,000 coffees are served per week in the Qantas lounges, with the most popular style a piccolo latte.

This week's opening comes after Qantas announced a multimillion-dollar project to open a new first class lounge and expand its business class lounge at Singapore's Changi Airport.

The airline has 53 lounges worldwide and says it has built, upgraded or refreshed 85 per cent of these over the past five years.

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Virgin Australia passengers received access to seven new international lounges across Australia and New Zealand last month, through a new partnership with British lounge operator No1 Lounges. The new Australian lounges, shared with Etihad Airways, can also be accessed by the general public for a $72 entry fee.

Take a look inside the upgraded lounges in the gallery above.

See also: How to get into airport lounges when you're not flying business or first class

See also: Inside the secret, invitation only Qantas lounge for high-flyers

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