The Qantas First Lounge is the privileged part of the airport we all dream of accessing, but very few of us actually make it past the golden gates.
It’s reserved for the elite who can afford a First Class ticket or those frequent flyers with a prosperous Platinum status.
So… not the majority of us.
Just like any exclusive club, it has its regular active members, some happen to be very famous, and many secrets lie within – a decade’s worth to be exact.
You could probably fill a couple of dozen walk-in closets with the things Qantas’ staff and chefs have seen over the past 10 years since first launching the Sydney and Melbourne spaces, and they’re finally ready to spill some of the juicy deets.
So sit back, here are a few things you probably didn’t know went on inside the Qantas First Lounge:
No request is too weird, apparently
I’m embarrassed to ask flight attendants for more water in the air, but these high rollers have no qualms about requesting whatever they’re craving, even if it’s incredibly questionable.
One chef was once asked to make a platter of finely cut raw vegetables and another was asked to re-make a mac and cheese burger and serve it extra burnt.
Uhhh, tasty?
Then there was another traveller who wanted their burger and fries blended – guessing he or she either just got a gastric band or was on the world’s oddest juice diet.
Staff will rarely ever say no
‘I know it’s 6.00am and technically it’s breakfast, but I’m kind of in the mood for a steak dinner. Can you do that?’
Of course the answer is always yes.
Apparently it’s not unusual for customers to request breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast – must be a time zone thing.
Footy players are big eaters
I mean, I guess this isn’t too much of a shocker, but staff stay of all the footy players that pass through the lounge, The Qantas Wallabies have the biggest appetites.
Don’t take a regular flyer’s seat, ever
For some of these travellers, the Qantas First Lounge is practically their English classroom. They’re there so frequently that they’ve had to make it a second home by finding a seat they love and can claim as their own.
Staff say many of the regular flyers are also the same flyers that will eat the same dish meal each time.
A place to propose, elegantly
You’ve probably seen those airport marriage proposals that seem like they would have been a good idea until you watch footage of the grand gesture and realise just how over the top and tacky they are.
Well, it’s not quite like that when proposals take place in an intimate location like the Qantas First Lounge.
Qantas staff say they’ve helped organise a number of classy and romantic proposals as well as surprise birthday parties and family reunions.
You will probably spot an A-lister getting her beauty treatments at the spa
If you have a few hours to kill then why not take advantage of the Qantas First Lounge spa – I would.
An A-list actress feels the same, because Qantas says there’s one very famous face who gets her eyebrows waxed and shaped in the spa.
Speaking of the spa…
Guests travelling in the First cabin will receive a phone call from a Qantas First Host the day before to book in a spa treatment. The most popular spa treatment is the Destress Back Massage.
They’re drunks
I’m calling it, people in Qantas’ First Lounge are rich drunks!
The carrier goes through 200,000 bottles of champagne every year across the Sydney and Melbourne Lounges – that’s more champagne than anywhere else in Australia (per capita) on a weekday night.