Review : Qantas First Lounge - Singapore Airport

Rohit

22/11/2022

After flying in on Batik Air from Jakarta which landed at Terminal 3, I took the Skytrain to Terminal 1 which is where the Qantas First Lounge is located.

Relevant Reading

Location

If you are not already at the airport, after clearing customs in Terminal 1, turn right and walk until you see the Hermes shop on the right. Hop on the escalator to the top and the Qantas First lounge is straight up, not too far from the rather mediocre Marhaba Lounge.

Escalator to Qantas First Lounge, Singapore

Qantas First Lounge, Singapore

Inside the Lounge

As you make your way through the frosty doors, there is a small reception desk on the right. I was greeted by the friendly staff who scanned my boarding pass and welcomed me into the facility.

A few steps down from reception, a long corridor runs the length of the lounge unveiling its full glory. First up you have the formal seating area on the right which takes up about a quarter of the real estate. Occupancy at the time would have been North of 50% which meant that I couldn’t get a clear shot of this space.

Qantas First Lounge, Singapore

Seating, Qantas First Lounge – Singapore

There is a dedicated work space on the right just after the reception desk. It was quite busy and there was no opportunity to take pictures. Power outlets and USB ports are spread throughout the seating area and the work zone where you could set up your laptop or other electronics and get going.

Outlets, Qantas First Lounge – Singapore

The dining space follows the seating area. Here, you will find some high-top seating;

Dining Area, Qantas First Lounge – Singapore

plus dozens of tables and chairs laid-out in a restaurant style set-up.

Dining Area, Qantas First Lounge – Singapore

Dining Area, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

Dining Area, Qantas First Lounge – Singapore

There is another, smaller dining space on the left with darker tones. This section contains a small number of stand-alone tables and chairs as well as a wrap-around, padded bench exuding a casual vibe.

Dining Area, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

Then towards the end of the hallway, you have the LIVE kitchen where you can watch the chefs go through their routine and rustle up mouth-watering dishes which Qantas loyalists have come to adore over the years.

There’s also a limited number of bar-stools where you can take up a seat if the main dining section was at capacity or if you simply wanted some solitude.

Kitchen, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

Dining Area, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

Food & Drinks

The catering at the lounge is of exceptional quality. As I approached the dining area, I was met by one of the many immaculately dressed staff who escorted me to my table.

Within a couple of minutes of taking my seat, a chilled towel and a small serve of mixed olives dipped in olive oil were brought out.

Chilled Towel & Olives, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

A combined drinks and dining menu was presented. I wasn’t very hungry at the time so just ordered the Ginger and Lemon Kombucha.

Dining Menu, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

Kombucha, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

The Kombucha was alright but I wanted something smoother. So I flagged down one of the servers and queried what champagne they were serving. The options were Joseph Perrier or Taittinger, I settled for the latter.

Champagne, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

I paired it up with a cheese plate & crackers which interacted nicely with the delicate bubbles in champagne.

Cheese Plate, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

Cheese Plate & Champagne, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

After an hour and so and many champagne glasses later I ordered the signature laksa. While the humble laksa is most commonly thought of as an inexpensive street food served with chicken or prawn, here at the lounge they have put a little of bit of Singaporean flare to it by serving it with crayfish.

Crayfish Laksa, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

It was delicious with just the right amount of heat and I made sure I scooped-up every last little drop of that flavourful broth. The portion size was rather tiny, but ok given my appetite on the day. On another day however, I will more than likely ask for seconds.

I skipped on the desserts since I was extremely full by the time I finished my laksa.

Other Amenities

The Male & Female toilets and showers are located back near the entrance. There are 6 toilets in total, each contained within its own spacious cubicle and supplied with a full size sink and toiletries.

Toilets, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

Toilet, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

Coming to Showers, there are 9 unisex shower suites in total. A unique feature of these suites are that they are fitted with skylights (partially visible in the picture below) which could be dimmed or brightened depending on your mood.

Not having flown it, I can only imagine how deeply this will be valued by passengers, particularly those coming off or about to jump onboard for the 14 hr Singapore – London sector.

Shower Suite, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

Like the toilets, there is a private sink and towels. Bath products are supplied by LaGaia Unedited, the same brand you would find at Qantas First Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne.

Shower Suite, Qantas First Lounge Singapore

A limited number of showers are reserved for First Class and Platinum One elites transiting on the Sydney – Singapore flight, which is understandable.

Lastly, high speed wifi is available throughout the lounge. Although I did not run a speed test, I spent over an hour working on my laptop and found the connection to be stable and had no issues with the speeds.

Access Rules

Surprisingly, access rules for a lounge of such calibre is quite lenient. While many airlines restrict access to their most premium lounges to everyone except passengers flying First Class on their own metal, Qantas doesn’t believe in such high handedness.

Qantas First Lounge at Singapore welcomes;

Passengers flying First Class on Qantas or other OneWorld airlines.
Qantas Frequent Flyers with Platinum status or higher flying Qantas or another OneWorld member airline in any cabin class.
OneWorld emerald elites flying a member airline in any cabin class.

In Conclusion

Qantas First Lounge at Singapore sets the standard for other First Class lounges worldwide. It offers everything discerning frequent flyers expect from their pre-departure experience, or when in-transit.

It will be unfair to compare it with Qantas First Lounge at Sydney or Melbourne, but being an outstation lounge, it more than hold its own and is easily amongst the best (if not the best) lounges at Changi Airport.

If there can be any criticism, it would perhaps be that the lounge does not get any natural light and there are no views of any kind. But that’s not unusual for Changi where even Singapore Airlines’ own lounges suffer from this predicament.

If you are passing through Singapore and have the right credentials to access the lounge, I highly recommend you check it out.

Have you visited the Qantas First Lounge at Singapore? Leave a comment below.

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