Qantas First Class Lounge on Domestic Flights

11th Jun 2013

Is it possible to access Qantas' airport lounges in Melbourne and Sydney reserved for its first class passengers even while on domestic flights?

The airline's two airport lounges are reserved for its first class passengers flying on long-haul international flights. Both lounges offer top-notch service such as a relaxed ambiance while enjoying good food from the Rockpool-inspired menu and a treatment spa.

With a little extra effort, savvy travelers on domestic flights can find a way to enjoy it as well.

Look for a Jetstar flight JQ1 departing from Sydney to Honolulu. Though JQ1 is an international flight, it usually stops at Melbourne Airport before continuing on to Honolulu for its final leg. Simply book the Sydney-Melbourne domestic leg of the international flight.

If you depart from Melbourne, simply do just the same. Before the JQ3 completes its journey to Honolulu, it also makes a stop-over at Sydney Airport.

How to spot that certain flight on the airline's timetable?

It's not really hard to spot if you care to look at the fine details accompanying each info appearing on the timetable. A mouse-over will help you spot the flight you are hunting for as details of each flight will show on the pop-up menu box.

You will find your luck if the flight departs from Sydney's T1 or Melbourne's T2 as it appears on the pop-up menu box. A majority of Jetstar flights depart from domestic terminals of both airports.

The following Jetstar flights depart from international terminals of both airports.

Sydney to Melbourne: JQ1 (1300 hrs), JQ28 (1155 hrs), JQ29 (1005 hrs) and JQ35 (1500 hrs).

Melbourne to Sydney: JQ36 (0900 hrs), JQ30(1200 hrs), JQ3 (1415 hrs) and JQ2 (1740 hrs).

Jetstar fares usually don't include checked baggage which doesn't matter at all to most business travelers.

As a member of the Qantas Frequent Flyer mileage program, the only thing that you will surely miss in a Jetstar cheapest fare is the absence of the opportunity to earn points and status credits. However, you can fix that if you don't mind forking out an extra $19 each way for Jetstar's Plus package.

Getting your luck sometimes requires some form of patience and a bit of flexibility on your schedule. These flights don't depart on a regular or daily basis.

Your chance is high if you try to plot your flight schedule on certain days of the week such as Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. Try Saturday, for example, to catch the flight JQ28 on a Sydney-Melbourne leg or Tuesday for flights JQ28, JQ29 and JQ35. Monday, on the other hand, would yield a better result with flights JQ3 and JQ36 on a Melbourne-Sydney leg while flights JQ2 and JQ36 depart on Wednesday.

Since these flight depart from international terminal, you need to abide by the rules with regards to hand-carried luggage. Furthermore, you can't use the check-in counter reserved for business class passengers with you Qantas Frequent Flyer Platinum card.

Turn up at the airport at least three hours ahead of your flight schedule to make the most of your time at the lounge.