Qantas' Inconsistent Lounge Dress Code

Dress codes almost always end up being discriminatory.

Ban bare feet, but toss the rest of the rules.

I’ve started to wear “athleisure” (Nike or Lululemon joggers, hoodies or zip ups, etc) on overnight business class redeyes. Technically this would be in violation of the dress code but I see more and more people wear that kind of outfit in lounges and on planes. The dress code is outdated

The hi-vis uniform exception is likely for the mining workers who seemed to be 75% of the passengers in several Western Australia airports the last time I was there.

Yeah, this doesn't make a lot of sense to me. On long haul flights I wear head to toe lululemon. Would that be forbidden? People about to board a 15 hour flight want to be comfortable. Don't really understand the point of this.

I do have to say I find her outfit inappropriate. I also do think there's a different between what she's wearing, and then what her husband is wearing. If he were in skin-tight shorts, then yes, they'd be equally inappropriately dressed. He isn't, though.

However, she's right that both are in violation of the dress code. I don't really understand what her issue is, still. Other people speeding doesn't mean I get to speed.

Hello from the Icare Lounge at Orly, where the proud parents of a screaming newborn infant were here and fortunately left.

No dress codes, no age codes, no public behavior codes for lounges = lounges becoming just like McDonald's

@Sam - I believe the dress code is only for their domestic lounges, and due to the fact that there basically aren't any redeye domestic flights in Australia this isn't really an issue. In their international lounges I believe you can wear anything, I would assume so people can wear comfortable clothes for a long haul flight.

So that leaves out most of Australia then lol

Yes & No. But, I guess you either have one or you don't. Wonder if the rule would have been enforced if the lady was a major media figure/celebrity. I do support the ban on bare feet. Once that is allowed, you then get the bare feet up on tables, chairs & couches & people clipping/picking at their nails. Would this lady have been allowed in the UA,DL, NZ, AA biz lounge?

That’s a huge difference, absolutely - he is wearing shorts and a T-shirt, that’s it. Not some kind of tracksuit onesie.

Steven M,

Are you saying that parents should be able to silence a newborn, a child with no other means of communication and who is understood, legally and culturally, to be entirely dependent on their parents? Or are you suggesting that families and individuals with children should be banned from any place you are at, because you seem to hate children? You know what I hate in lounges when I go with my family? Business and sales people holding loud video conference calls with others, their too large for a carry on carry on getting in the way, and them demanding a 5th Amstel Light at the bar at 8 in the morning.

They should have both been banned.

She would've been let in if she wore something "ambiguously" athletic like a Nike t-shirt and gym shorts, which the guy wore. She went the route of something that can only be interpreted as a violation of dress code.

The point is they want a professional ambience and experience which I fully respect
They don’t want slobby looking folks in their pajamas ,torn up shabby clothing or in disruptive outfits no matter how bad or good they look
Change your outfit if you land and want to be comfortable for your flight in something else
Not everyone wants to see you in your dirty sweatpants or spandex revealing body suit etc
I’d like to see this policy applied to hotel executive lounges too
And imho he shouldn’t have been allowed in either.Qantas lounges are also jam packed so this rule is even more important for everyone’s benefit
I’m tired of passengers and their bizarre Inappropriate behavior ,attire ,fake support animals and unruly steaming out of control kids
Roam around the terminal if you can’t clean up and put on some decent upscale casual or business attire for a.profesional business class lounge
It’s not the local ymca or beach
Thank you Qantas well done

@ Dwondermeant -- I'm curious, do you consider the guy's outfit to be what one would expect in a "professional ambience?"

He looks way sloppier than she does. I wouldn't ever wear a crop top sweatshirt to the gym, personally. Her outfit looks more athleisure than true gym attire (I might wear that to/from the gym.)

Ben, I appreciate your fight here, and I'd usually be with you all the way. However, as a dual citizen American, I have to say there's a different understanding of leggings in America vs. Rest of World.

In Europe, for example, her outfit would be offensive and very inappropriate in most places. His is casual, but at least there aren't any genitals on display. She's not back home in the States, and a little cultural sensitivity might be in order here. Alas, I have a feeling this lady is fresh out of empathy for other people's cultural norms and/or access rules.

I would prefer lounges be occupied only with very civilized people with excellent manners. I would prefer not to be disturbed. But I'm not The Decider and they're as entitled to enjoy the environment as I am. How do we compromise? After banning open footwear, I propose:

I'll abandon all my concerns about others' appearance and clothing. In exchange, I'll require that other visitors:
- never take a picture with any part of me in it
- never occupy more than one seat per human bottom
- never speak loudly enough (to people or to devices) for me to hear the words
- never do anything more disturbing / distracting than I do
- behave as if they actually comprehend (they don't) that people read books in lounges

I'll shut up about the ridiculous vulgar clothing. I won't even roll my eyes.

@ James S
“Ban bare feet, but toss the rest of the rules.”

I take it you’ve never been invited to a Boots Party, then?

Hell is other people. Then some commenters wonder why freaks like me prefer J class cubicles offering privacy...

DenB

You must be real fun at parties.

I don’t think the Idea of a dress code is outdated. I believe the problem is that more and more people are dressing downright slovenly these days. I applaud QANTAS for at least trying to enforce some standard, flawed that it may be.

@Steven M For me it's much more disgusting a fat ugly business man drinking alcohol with the red nose... Just an attire is not enough to reject people
Besides a Qantas lounge is not that exciting, we are not talking about a Privee in Knightsbridge.

The big difference is the concept of "revealing". The lady reveals everything while the man is not. Qantas clearly states this as part of their dress code. I am sure if the man wore "gym tights" revealing his penis, he would have been banned too.

In my book, Qantas was correct to do so.

I would really have enjoyed seeing her in the lounge. A very nice distraction for a long flight.

I really hope she took that humble brag picture prior to not being allowed in. Way to flaunt your idiotwear. If he was wearing the male version of the same outfit (presumably a looser fit) he too wouldn’t have been permitted. This is NOT a gender issue, and she is NOT a victim.

Also, she’s likely whining for visibility...

Dress code would be unnecessary if people had any common sense and/or basic manners left in them. Since this is not the case, Qantas has every right to have rules in place. I would not let either one of them in.
They should also spare everyone their indignation. This is just a perfect opportunity to gain publicity and they are using it.

I think the issue with dress codes is that they either have to be very prescriptive or they become an invitation for the enforcers to impose their own judgement. For example, you could demand "business casual," except this has various interpretations that often depend on one's own workplace. "Head-to-toe gym wear" is a useless description without details on what, exactly, Qantas considers "gym wear." I kinda agree that her husband looks like he's wearing head-to-toe gym wear, but when it's 100 degrees out (like in Melbourne earlier this week), men often wear that as a normal, casual outfit. Either they need to simply ban shorts and lycra or give up on the gym wear thing.

You can disagree with their dress code, but the dress code they have was correctly applied in this case. I would go further and suggest that if the man had been wearing spandex tights, he would have been disallowed and if the woman had been wearing loose shorts, she would have been allowed. There is no double standard here, the same clothing on either gender would have been allowed and disallowed. And I absolutely agree with @Matt Fortini, the view of spandex is very different in the rest of the world from what it is in Canada and the US. Just as topless/nude sunbathers from France should expect they will get some grief in the US, Americans and Canadians should not expect that their standards for dress should be universally acceptable around the world.

@Sean S
Party, Lounge, same thing, right?

i was allowed into the first class lounge in Sydney in joggers and a sweatshirt and my wife had leggings, a sweatshirt, and sneakers on just a month ago. Not sure why the enforce it sometimes but not others.

For everyone saying leggings are not acceptable as everyday wear in Australia, they had a hand in starting the 'leggings everywhere' trend. From a 2014 article about leggings in the Sydney Morning Herald:

"It's become socially acceptable to wear leggings away from the gym and as a result the designs, shapes and styles have developed and are better than ever before. Consumers are investing in leggings because they serve as a dual purpose product, not only can they be worn for working out but as weekend wear as well."

Interesting. I consistently walk into lounges in a Nike shirt, Nike shorts/Nike track pants, and flip flops. Don’t even care either and nobody has said anything so far. As others have said, I want to be comfortable before a long flight. Especially if it’s an airline that doesn’t provide PJs in J.

The dress sense of many travelling in business and first has taken a huge decline, in my opinion.
Most people expect champagne, 5 star service, Michelin star cuisine when flying, and to be treated as a god.
But they are not prepared to meet the service staff and crew (who must wear a tidy uniform and ooze a professional presence) half way.
Change into something more leisurely and comfortable by all means once you are on the plane. Until then....show some respect to the situation.

Stuff like this is amusing because it brings out the typical responses.

You have the uptight religious people who fear seeing any skin or any outline of the female shape.

You have the old timers who think you should wear a jacket and a tie when you are out.

You have people who say it is no ones business what they wear.

If it is clean and doesn't have some nasty message (and that is another can of worms) on it, let it go.

In her case she is an attractive lady but if she was someone who wasn't in such good shape I think you'd have another set of comments.

Throwback to the 60s.
People actually dressed up for air travel.

Now QF is quite lame and have badly informed dragons. The lounge denied access in AKL while flying business on CX.

I still make my kids "dress up" (collared shirt and khakis or the girls' equivalent) to get on a plane. They think I'm nuts. Frankly I probably am. I can remember being on Pan Am flights in the 80s where people dressed just as badly as they do today (plus, they stunk like cigarettes). Dressing up on planes really hasn't been a thing in my lifetime, and I'm almost 50.

They should add a ban on annoying narcissists Instagrammers like Eva Marie to the list.

Eva Marie's clothing reveals her mid-drift. As such, she is in violation as her clothes is revealing. I think this applies to males, as well. If your clothing is designed to reveal part of your torso it is inappropriate.

I don't care if it as a fit woman or a good looking guy wearing a lacrosse jersey. If I can see your torso you do not belong in the lounge.

@LMcK77

I expect to be leisurely and comfortable from the moment I leave home. I should not have to go through security and busy terminal in a suit to please anyone. Is your business meeting on the plane? No? then by all means change into dress clothes once you have reached the hotel.

This all started during the height of the mining boom a few years ago when a lot of mine workers where “fly in, fly out “ and therefore gaining status. It was snobbery that the “wrong” type of person was gaining access to the lounge. That was why the dress code was brought it, and why hi-vis is specifically mentioned.

They're BOTH inappropriately dressed for a "business" lounge, however, her outfit is more easily identifiable as against the dress code. I am more perturbed at her minimization of actual gender discrimination - she has no idea - and it's insulting to actual victims.

@Staradmiral - then you are exactly the type of passenger I’m referring to.
Your business clients/colleagues are deserving of seeing you dressed appropriately? Why not the hard working crew and staff before you change into something more comfortable for your flight?

Some people on this board should just move to the Middle East and put their women in Burqas. Or as the kids today say.... OK Boomers!

The dress code IS frustrating- my regular routes are ASP/DRW-[east coast]-XXX, the lounges in Darwin and Alice allow thongs as footwear, they are regular business attire up here and frankly, I have footwear on, how much are people bothered by a smartly dressed woman wearing sandals?! However EVERY time I get to the east coast and try to go to the lounge it sparks a debate about what material the sandals are made of- if they’re leather apparently it’s ok, but not if rubber? But how can you demonstrate that without taking off your shoes, standing there in your bare feet and showing them the “leather” symbol? If that doesn’t scream “business class experience”, I don’t know what does!

Besides, the east coast lounges are all absolutely filthy (whereas the bogan NT lounges are always clean and tidy) so if qantas wants to talk standards and prejudices perhaps they should be addressing their own first...

We in Melbourne love to work black (seriously) - so I am guessing if her leggings etc were darker she might have got through. There are many theories on why we wear black! I was at the QF bus lounge in Brisbane yesterday and lots of people in shorts and tshirts. I just wish the staff would talk to people who are listening to music, tv shows, movies, playing games etc - REALLY loudly without headphones.

Honestly, if someone is wearing something that offends your delicate sensibilities, then just be a grown up & ignore them. Yes, maybe publish some rules like "No swimwear, no exposed feet" because people are horrible and need to be reminded of such things... but aside from that, if a 350lb man wants to wear a tube top, let him do him. As long as he doesn't stink and isn't being annoying.

Aside from covering your feet and genitals, all you really need to do is:
Be clean (not a sight thing, but I don't want to feel gross using a seat after you get up)
Be polite & mindful of your surroundings (if there's a big game on and you're at the bar and folks are into it, get into it, but if you're in the business section don't be loud and annoying)
Keep your brood under control (put them in the play closet if there is one)

@Steven M, so you're saying that babies shouldn't be allowed in lounges? For all intents and purposes, babies could be considered disabled as that is essentially what they are and what others have said, crying is the only communication they have. Hope you're not in any lounge I visit.

Well I guess i'll make one consideration to the fat man in a tube top analogy 🙂

People should try to limit how much their sweaty, gross skin touches surfaces like chairs... lets keep it to forearms and calves. Don't need upper thighs or armpits in tank tops rubbing all over stuff.

Well, it seems like a small majority of people here are in favor of allowing the type of clothing found at the Folsom Street Fair as proper attire for an airline lounge.

To provide some context with the high-vis being allowed, workers must wear these when they arrive to site, so they don't really have a choice.
In this case, I think it's wrong what Qantas did here. Either they're both in or both out.

Interesting comments. The reality is:

Lounges are a privilege and not a right. They won't let you in, you also don't have to patronise them it really is that simple.

Quote By Ben
"@ Dwondermeant — I’m curious, do you consider the guy’s outfit to be what one would expect in a “professional ambience? "

Not in an airline club with any true class.
If I was a Qantas Club agent would I have let him in likely.
And Club agents typically have the final say on dress code or even if the lounge is too crowded and you cant come in.
When I go somewhere I always ask what is the preferred dress policy especially a restaurant or night club I am unfamiliar with.One can be extremely casual and still dress nicely
I was asked to leave by the doorman for wearing sneakers in Dublin!!
I still have to respect their decision regardless if I agree or not.It was a dive bar for gosh sakes
As a society we have become far to lax in letting people show up in hospital gowns and whatever else they think is just fine.

One of my favorite restaurant groups in The US is the Hillstone Group
Houston's Gulfstream Bandera Grill etc
They do upscale causal dining.Their CEO is brilliant and much like Alan Joyce they want an upscale causal restaurant with nicely dressed patron in a club like ambience
So You can't come in wearing a hat of any kind and you can't wear a tank top or any short without sleeves.
Of course this drives some patrons crazy.

Dress Code (from the Hillstone website and well said)
Guest attire can elevate or diminish the experience of others. We consider hats, tank tops, flip flops, and team athletic attire too casual for our restaurants. Our staff takes pride in their appearance and we ask our guests to respect our attire guidelines.

I feel the gentleman's attire is a bit to casual but hers was way over the line and physically suggestive.I get that she has a great bod and all but I'm not a policy maker
If he was strutting around in spandex shorts than def not
but rethinking my original statement I'm more neutral on him as i have family members that wear tee shirts and running shorts most everywhere.But I bark at them when they are just to casual.And at the end of the day in my company you reflect on me when we are together
Its respectful for all parties.Instead of a tee shirt how about a nice polo shirt for example ?

But thinking perhaps like Qantas they want an upscale casual to dressy business professional crowd as much as possible.All that other stuff is what you should be getting into when you are at the gym pool ,beach ,lounging at hone,backyard swingers club,casual spot etc
I'm sure someone is ready to shoot at me for not saying anything should go in clothing or lack of clothing 😉 My two cents 🙂

The guy shouldn't been allowed in either. but his clothes were not skin tight. As for her "business" no way would I do business with her unless I was at a gym. People need to take pride in their appearance.

Wow. I had no idea. I nearly always wear my flip-flops and shorts when traveling so that I'll be comfortable. I've been in 4 Qantas lounges in the past 12 months and nobody said a thing.

I take issue with her comment “Qantas expects her to wear a dress”. This is a lie designed to attract attention - which is precisely her choice of clothing for the lounge and her Twitter post. Qantas is wrong in letting her husband in, which is very poor form, although maybe they didn’t notice him because they were distracted by his wife.

Once again, it’s not about wearing a dress and this has to be clearly refuted.

What's really funny is how many people on here think "Business Class Lounge" is actually related "Professionals and Business" travellers and that you're supposed to, for some weird reason dress professionally while in there... No... it's for ANYONE who PAYS MORE MONEY for their plane seat! I still see examples of companies that force their employees to dress up for plane flights as an outdated ritual from the 1950's.. that's idiotic at best.

I just want to say a few commenters are losing the plot here. Women are indeed discriminated against on a daily basis. It's not the issue here. The issue is if she's been a victim of sexism. To answer 'yes' is to diminish the struggle for equality, IMHO.

The woman breached the Qantas Airways dress code, so should be banned from entering the lounge. People should take a little pride in the way they dress prior to entering a Business Lounge.

Meanwhile thousands of Australians are flat out finding any clothing to wear because of the current bushfires. Instead of a story about a couple of privileged wankers prattling on about not being allowed into a Qantas Lounge ( oh boo hoo hoo ) maybe all take a moment to reflect that you have clothing because your houses weren't burnt down.

Of course donations to help those are most welcome: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/volunteer/support-your-local-brigade

I won't expect those 2 to help of course. memememe@me.com LOL

A self-entitled DYKWIA (no I don't!) publicity seeking princess. Clearly fails at least one entry requirement (head to toe active/gym wear), and another~ Revealing; said gym-wear does not exactly meet in the middle, and some could argue that the skintight pant is also, umm, revealing.
Picture seems to suggest she's oozing attitude, which would not go down well either.
Boyfriend/husband just dressed as a regular dag in summertime.
I'm 100% with Qantas on this one.

The airline is 100% right to deny anyone they wish. This is not a free entry place and positively no one should be 'entitled' to enter. Wear proper clothing or get denied. Likely her husband slipped through without anyone really noticing. Unfortunate. Keep some form of standards good grief. Lounges are becoming worse than the main departure areas in some airports.

This is completely about someone feeling entitled to get something for nothing. I call it BS.

Her partner is wearing shorts & t-shirt; she’s wearing something that she had previously tweeted: “it feels like you are legit naked”.

I’m with Qantas.

I applaud Qantas for having a dress code, people need to pull it together and stop being so down right sloppy. Thanks for keeping it classy Qantas. Rightfully, they both should’ve been denied access.

Cry me a river, Mrs Badly Dressed Instagram Personality.

QANTAS may be 'inconsistent', according to some opinion. But at least QANTAS have dress standards to uphold.

It was the camel toe .

First of all, bravo Qantas for having a dress code. More and more people are becoming outright sloppy in public, and that should not be tolerated. Second, we do not know whether her husband was really admitted into the lounge or not. The photo seems to very conveniently be cropping out the surrounding, which makes me doubt the authenticity of he claim.

So sick of people on airplanes and business lounges like they are at home at night watching TV or worse. The US is the worse, but the rest of the world is catching up. Complete slobs, showing way too much, with way too much skin to furniture contact. It carries on the planes with stinking feet on the bulkhead , bare skin everywhere and totally inappropriate attire.

The worse I every experienced was a woman in the seat behind me in regular seat business class, propping her feet on the seatback of the seat in front of her, with her feet touching the head of that passenger. Luckily, that passenger in the seat ahead created a scene and the Flight Attendant intervened and told the offending passenger that was NOT permitted (the FA almost always don't intervene on most things like out of control kids running around, etc, etc).

Have fun flying.... people are totally inconsiderate, it's all about ME ME ME

I think she should have been denied access on account of her nappy disgusting hair.

Someone needs to lose his/her job at that lounge in Melbourne.

Please consider that some of the biggest liars, scammers, and con-artists walking around today are wearing suits everyday in public. And unlike some raggy dressed scammer on the street, these people's bad actions are affecting many, many people. Let that sink in for a minute. The guy who commented above that said he would not do business with her made me laugh. I don't know her, but there is a good chance she is more honest than most of the men and women in suits out there who are only care about themselves. A person wearing a suit or other "business" clothes doesn't mean a lot these days.

If you seen how many hi-vis wearing pax are in Perth domestic terminals 2 and 3 for FIFO work and how much revenue they would earn Qantas, tens of thousands of hi-vis workers have status there. It would be madness not to let them in

Agree totally with Qantas............ NO Camels in their lounges!! Toes that is! The only reason Eva wore what she did was to promote controversy, period. She is such an ego-minded Twitter Monger! The full-body joggers leave nothing to the imagination, braided horse tail hair, sunglasses, peace sign, etc. Come on, could you be asking for any more attention?? I agree that her husband should not have been allowed entry either, as he's less than respectfully dressed..... Grow up you both of you!!

What about the other 27 locations around Australia and overseas? Would she be fine to stroll in there?

What is the difference between Hobart and a place like Canberra?

I can understand some relaxation of policies in the tropical north, but Hobart, Launceston? LA, London?

Sorry to ruin this article but they were actually both denied entry for what they were wearing. At least she got a nice photo in front of the business sign and got some attention out of it

@ham

This is about one small incident where a woman breached dress standards at a lounge in Melbourne, Australia.

And from that singular minuscule incident lasting a few minutes, you somehow elevate it to a galactic crisis where humanity is being obliterated by a rapacious, end-of-days, horde of evil besuited monsters!?

Too much red cordial and sugar fizz for you today?. Better yet, go to Hollywood. You'll make millions.

Whaaat Lucky? He is clearly wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

But more importantly, I think she looks very presentable and should have been admitted.

I have a simple solution for Qantas. Tell staff to use the following test - would they be comfortable refusing someone assuming they're quite well known and it might be viral - ie. are you confident that the large majority of the public would support your position.

Because let's face it, some people drag themselves into lounges/onboard - so activewear or any clothing can look dishevelled. But these two looked perfectly fine. And probably would have brightened up the lounge amongst all the aged men in their ill fitting suits.

Ryan
she very much likely dressed this way because she knew she wouldn't get admitted. For all we know the hubby was denied also. She is a social media whore and wanted the attention. As I have said if I was thinking of doing business with her and her came to the meeting looking like she did I would not do business with her. This appearance may get lots of media attention, but it is extremely unprofessional. The staff should not bend the rules because someone might be well known. The rules apply to all.

The issue I have is that people these days dress like slobs. Yes, I know that "comfort" is the new watchword, but man, could we please try dressing just a tiny bit nicely? I dressed in a nice shirt, a tie, and Allen Edmonds boots for my last trip. I was treated VERY differently by the folks at the United Lounge and by the gate and cabin crews than the more, um, casual set. In other words, when you dress nicely you also get treated nicely. That's human nature, I guess, but something that over my many years I've come to recognize.

For my business trips, which are always between SFO and Asia, I usually wear a pair of cargo shorts and a hoodie. Bcuz to me comfort on a long haul is more important than how some lounge snob views me. I also wear short ankle socks and slide sandles (i know.. the dreaded socks and sandles) as it allows me to get thorugh security faster and once again ... it's comfortable. And I always get treated nicely in the lounges and elsewhere...and here's my secret.. bcuz I treat people really nicely. I smile a lot. I make a point to tell the airline staff to have a great day and a great flight, I like to crack a joke with them... I like to high five them as it catches them off guard sometimes.. bcuz I know their job is difficult. I have even been upgraded from prem economy to biz class my last 4 trips..without asking! So I'm guessing they were not too offended with my "casual set" attire.. When you treat people nice... you get treated nicely... that's human nature. I do agree that she was probably doing this for pub ( I personelly hate IG "influencers"..aka attention whores).. but I also think that they should have held him to the same standard as her...

What he's wearing is normal for a hot day here (outside of the gym, I mean), what she was wearing isn't, simple as. As for high-vis, there are a significant number of status pax commuting from remote areas of the country for mine work etc. (FIFO), they'd be committing commercial suicide banning them from the lounges (to a point - not like they have any real competition on those routes).

Greg
I agree with you. Even though I haven't gotten upgraded, I am always polite to almost everyone. If I need help (like a seat change) I smile at the agent, and even if they can't help I always thank them for trying. I do crack jokes but don't high five.

@Richie

You hit the nail on the head. Dress nice and be polite (and just as importantly, do not expect anything!) and you'll get treated better than those who don't. It's not rocket science, just plain old human nature. I can't even recall the number of times I've received preferential treatment just because I prefer dressing well in general.

Here is just the most recent example to illustrate: coming off a flight at 2am on a biz class ticket. I'm wearing nice dark jeans and dress shoes, but just prior to landing I slip on a white shirt, tie and jacket. Everyone else (in business class) has leggings, t-shirts, hoodies, and even pajamas still on. Lineup was massive, about 300+ economy/business pax mixed in together for screening. I get pulled aside by security. Security: "Sir, you can use the First Class fast clearance lane". Me: "Oh, I'm flying Business Class, on my connecting flight, not First Class". Security: "That's fine, sir. Please use First Class clearance anyway." He says with a smile. I do so, and he does not invite anyone else, even though it's packed. I was done in under 2 minutes. At the lounge I get directed to the clearly marked 'First Class' section by 3 chirpy supervisors who compliment my appearance. Again, I plead "No, I'm flying Business Class today!". Supervisors: "That is fine, Mr. Y. You will enjoy First Class lounge better".

@ VitalyU
@Lucky ...... it might seem correct, what you say! IF it was really the case, as posted online by that lady.
BUT look closely, did you ever see a price tag on a buffet in a Business Lounge of an airline in Australia from QF?
Looks like it could only be to show the outfit of her husband, but did he really get into the Lounge?
PUBLICITY .... is all!
If that story is the TRUTH, then QF ..... you guys in MEL did a lousy job! NO DOUBT!