It’s time to leave Brisbane and go back to Sydney and as for the outbound flight, it will be on Virgin Australia. Traveling in Economy I don’t have access to the airline’s lounges, or so I thought. I had realized, but too late, during my Sydney-Brisbane trip that the Virgin Australia lounges were accessible to Amex Platinum holders.
The Domestic terminal in Brisbane not having any Priority Pass lounge, this was a good news for me.
You will find at the bottom of the page all the articles related to this trip to Australia.
Location of the Virgin Australia lounge in Brisbane
It is located shortly after the security checkpoints and is therefore easy to access.
Who has access to the Virgin Australia lounge in Brisbane?
It is logically accessible to Virgin Australia business class passengers as well as Gold and Platinum members of its Velocity loyalty program and partner airline programs, provided they are traveling on a Virgin Australia operated flight.
Non-business Virgin Australia customers can also purchase an annual lounge pass.
Any passenger can also purchase access at the lounge entrance.
And finally, it is accessible to American Express Platinum or Centurion holders (not co-branded of course).
Note that Virgin Australia lounges are also available on arrival for 60 minutes, not just on departure.
As for me, I showed my American Express with my ticket at the reception. The flight attendant scans my boarding pass, looks at my Amex card and says “Hello and Welcome Bertrand”.
The layout of the Virgin Australia lounge in Brisbane
The lounge is large and airy.
There are small, somewhat private areas.
A large central area with the buffet and, all around, spaces to sit and eat.
And of course work spaces.
In fact, there is a wide variety of layouts and furniture for everyone to choose from.
The overall impression is positive: there is a lot of space, various configurations and it is visually quite modern and pretty.
Catering at the Virgin Australia lounge in Brisbane
First of all, there is a very large buffet with cold dishes, a pancake station and two hot dishes.
Rarely enough to be noticed: there are always people behind the buffet to help a customer or to restock. In quality of service it is excellent, but it is less convenient to take pictures quietly.
There is also a real station for coffee service with two baristas on duty.
Tea/coffee stations are scattered throughout the lounge.
As far as cold drinks are concerned there are all the usual softs, in terms of alcohol I only saw a beer tap. It seems that there is also wine but I did not see it, or did not look hard enough.
Services at the Virgin Australia lounge in Brisbane
There are self-service showers in the restrooms which are remarkably clean.
There is a very active service desk where we not only welcome people but also assist them.
Of course, you will find all the usual business services of a lounge.
Finally, there are agents throughout the lounge at all times to answer customers’ questions and assist them. This is rare enough to be noted!
Bottom line
This lounge is a real good surprise and makes me regret even more not having tested the one in Sydney.
It’s a very nice and pleasant place but apart from any aesthetic considerations or the food one thing stood out to me: the customer service.
Behind the buffet, in the lounge, at the desk, Virgin Australia agents are everywhere, visible and available to customers. I’ve never seen this before and it’s a change from the airlines where the staff hides behind the counter or is dedicated to the reception without providing any assistance.
A very pleasant experience.
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