After less than 24 hours on the ground in Perth, it was time to head back home. My return flight was with Virgin Australia which gave me the opportunity to spend sometime at their lounge in Terminal 1.
Hours of Operations
The lounge is open 7 days a week from 60 minutes prior to the 1st departure until the last Virgin Australia flight is called for boarding.
Location
The lounge is located inside Terminal 1 from where majority of Virgin Australia flights operate. It’s worth pointing out that Virgin operates a number of regional flights from Terminal 2, where they also have a small lounge, so this is not to be confused with that other facility.
After checking-in for your flight on Ground level, take the escalator up to departures. Once you have cleared security and come out on the other side, the lounge is immediately to the left.
External view of Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Lounge Entrance & Seating
As I came in through the automatic glass doors, the reception was to my left and a small sitting/waiting area on the right.
Reception, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Reception Waiting Area, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Stepping further in, I was suitably impressed by the vast open spaces and abundant seating options. In terms of square footage, this would have to be one of the biggest of Virgin’s domestic lounges, if not the biggest.
Broad view of Virgin Australia Lounge, Perth Airport
First up, there is small section with high-top seating and small bar-tables, perfect if you want to have a quick drink and send that last important email before jumping on the plane.
Seating, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Seating, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Seating, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Just behind this area, there is a visually striking coffee bar which wasn’t functional at the time of my visit.
Coffee Bar, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Coffee Bar, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
The central part of the lounge has lots of communal working/dining tables and office style chairs. Regular Virgin Australia Flyers and lounge members will be familiar with the design and layout of these tables, as they are commonly seen across all of its domestic lounges.
Communal Tables, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Communal Tables, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
A wooden strip runs through the middle of these tables and are dotted with power and USB outlets, so you will never need to get into a mad scramble with other guests to charge your devices or set up your laptop.
Power & USB Outlet, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
While this section is adequate if you wanted to combine work with a bit of chi-chat, there is another, more formal work-area dubbed ‘business zone‘, tucked away in the rear corner for those seeking higher levels of privacy.
Directions to the business zone, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Here you will find a few desktop computers, printers and photo-copiers
Business Zone, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
as well as couple of meeting rooms for hire.
Meeting Rooms, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Did you note the walls adorned in framed Eagles and Dockers jumpers? 😂😂😂
Further down, and occupying the remainder of the seating area, there are dozens of leather tub chairs and tables, some closer to, others right alongside the large windows. These would be ideal for those with a bit of time on their hands, wanting to laze around the facility sipping a glass of red or downing a schooner or three.
Seating, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Seating, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Seating, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Seating, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
The apron and runway views across from the windows will delight the plane spotters.
Apron and runway views, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Apron and runway views, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Food and Beverages
Virgin Australia’s trademark white & purple coloured buffet stations are set up back near the entrance.
Dining Area, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
There was a selection of tea and cold drinks on one of the stations.
Hot and Cold Beverages, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Hot and Cold Beverages, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
The salad bar probably forms the centre-piece of the dining rendezvous with all kinds of options such as cheese, cold-cuts, eggs, sliced fruits, yogurts, spreads and so-on.
Fruits and Salad, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Then you had a DIY pancake maker, sliced breads and few different types of breakfast cereals.
The hot breakfast on this morning was scrambled eggs and beef chipolatas. It looked decidedly unappetising and was rightly ignored by patrons.
Hot Breakfast, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
I swear I stood there and observed for a good minute or two, as hoards of hungry diners walked right past it, without even as much as giving it a cursory glance. It looked awful.
Hot Breakfast, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Truth be told, dining experience at Virgin Australia lounges for a long time, if not forever, has been rather mediocre. It doesn’t seem like the airline considers this part of its offering significant enough to put some thought and time into improving it.
Anyhow, the last station at the end was the coffee bar, which, to me personally is the best feature of any Virgin Lounge.
Coffee Station, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Coffee Station, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
I ordered a cappuccino which was served in under 2 minutes. It was absolutely divine, and to some extent made up for the substandard dining options on offer.
Happiness in a cup 🙂
The lounge also serves alcoholic beverages, although the bar wasn’t open at the time of my visit.
Downsides of morning flights 🙁
The bottled beers, ciders and pre-mixed drinks are stored inside the see-thru refrigerators behind the buffet stands, where as tap beer, juice, wine and bubbly are usually in the form of self-pour bottles, out at the front.
Alcoholic Drinks, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Overall though, if you have an early morning flight out of Perth, it’s probably best you don’t rely on the lounge for breakfast.
Other Lounge Amenities
The bathroom is located near the entrance, just after the waiting area. Like all Virgin Australia lounges, the one in Perth too offers separate male and female toilets and showers.
Bathroom, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Shower & Toilet, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
I have always found them to be squeaky clean and well maintained, and this was no exception.
There are electronic flight display boards and bookshelves scattered all-around the facility. Although Virgin Australia make regular boarding announcements inside their lounges, this may come handy for those who prefer to keep their headphones on at all times.
Flight Display Board and Book Shelves, Virgin Australia Lounge – Perth Airport
Lastly, there is wifi inside the lounge and Virgin proudly display the password at several places throughout the facility.
However, due to my past experience with frustratingly slow speeds, on this occasion, I stayed on my 4G connection and did not bother to switch over to the lounge wifi. In that sense, expect dial-up rather than nbn.
In Conclusion
The Virgin Australia lounge at Terminal 1, Perth airport is a very nice facility. It is conveniently located just past the security and is also close to the departure gates. The lounge is typified by wide open spaces, lots of natural light and tonnes of seating. The poor dining options though, take some of the sheen away.
If you have plans to spend time here at some stage, I would recommend you grab a cuppa from the espresso bar and make yourself comfortable at one of the many window seats. Just make sure you have eaten beforehand 😁
Have you visited the Virgin Australia Lounge at Perth, Terminal 1? Leave a comment below.
