- Introduction: An Aria Suite Adventure To Hong Kong
- Review: Capital One Landing Washington National Airport (DCA)
- Review: Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: Etihad & Chase Sapphire Lounge Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: Lufthansa Business Lounge Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: British Airways Club Suites Business Class Boeing 777 (IAD-LHR)
- Review: Qantas Lounge London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
During my Aria Suite Adventure to Hong Kong, I had an extended layover at London Heathrow Terminal 3, as I was arriving in British Airways business class, and connecting to Cathay Pacific business class. During my time at the airport I checked out some lounges, starting with the Qantas Lounge.
London Heathrow Terminal 3 is an amazing place for oneworld lounges, and I’m a fan of the Qantas Lounge. It has nice decor, excellent coffee, and a restaurant area with a la carte dining. It’s definitely worth stopping in here, though personally, I have a slight preference for the Cathay Pacific First & Business Lounge, which I’ll be reviewing next.
In this post:
Qantas Lounge London Heathrow location
The Qantas Lounge London Heathrow is located in Terminal 3. Once you clear security, walk through the duty free “maze” and follow the “Flight Connection” route in the direction of the “Lounge B” area. It’s only a few minutes walk from the security checkpoint.
It’s hard to miss the entrance to the Qantas Lounge, as it’s along the main corridor connecting the various parts of the terminal. The entrance to the lounge is located on the same level as the main part of the concourse.
Qantas Lounge London Heathrow hours
The Qantas Lounge London Heathrow is currently open daily from 6AM until 9PM, though you can expect that the schedule will vary over time, so check the Qantas and oneworld websites for full details. This lounge isn’t just intended to serve Qantas passengers, but also those on other oneworld airlines. Note that the bar area and restaurant dining area are only open over certain hours.
Qantas Lounge London Heathrow entry requirements
The Qantas Lounge London Heathrow follows standard oneworld lounge access rules, and is a shared first and business class lounge. The lounge is open to all departing oneworld first and business class passengers, as well as to oneworld Emerald and oneworld Sapphire members. Everyone can bring one guest with them, with the exception of those accessing on account of flying business class, who can’t bring any guests.
There’s no dedicated Qantas First Lounge at London Heathrow, unlike in Los Angeles, Singapore, Sydney, etc. There’s supposed to be one opening here this year. I asked about this during my visit, and the lounge staff advised me that this project has been postponed. I’ve been reaching out to Qantas corporate communications for weeks to get an official statement, but haven’t gotten one.
Qantas Lounge London Heathrow layout & seating
The Qantas Lounge London Heathrow is roughly 1,200 square meters (13,000 square feet), and can accommodate up to 250 guests, so it’s quite a large space, especially for an outstation lounge.
The lounge is spread across two floors — you enter on the ground floor, which is the restaurant area. Then there are stairs and elevators leading up a level, which is the main part of the lounge.
While you can theoretically sit in the restaurant any time, there’s only food and service down here over peak hours. During my visit the lounge opened at 6AM, while the restaurant area only opened at 9:30AM.
Anyway, the restaurant area is a pretty spiffy space, with plenty of dining tables and both bar and counter seating, so you have no shortage of options for where to sit.
There’s then a grand staircase leading up a level…
The first thing you’ll see on the second floor is the circular bar, which is where barista coffee and most alcoholic drinks are available.
There’s seating along both sides of the bar, with a variety of couches and chairs, including a row of seats facing the windows.
The lounge then goes pretty “deep” with all kinds of clusters of seating, plus rows of seats along the walls.
Aside from the restaurant downstairs, there’s a buffet in the back of the second level, which is the only place where food is available all day.
This space also has over a dozen dining tables, couches, and even some communal workstations.
All-in-all, I like the lounge’s design. The only disappointment is the lack of views. There are only a few windows near the bar area, and even those aren’t great. So this isn’t a lounge you’ll want to come to for the plane views. That’s quite a contrast to the Cathay Pacific Lounge next door.
Qantas Lounge London Heathrow food & drinks
Above, I hinted at the various food and beverage options at the Qantas Lounge London Heathrow, but let’s take a closer look. First, you have the main bar right as you arrive on the second floor. As a coffee lover, I very much appreciate the exceptional coffee available here, and I enjoyed a flat white. Note that the bar only opens at 8AM, two hours after the lounge opens.
Beyond that, there’s also a selection of wine, cocktails, and beer. Champagne is only available to select premium Qantas customers (first class passengers, and some elite members), while others are only offered sparkling wine.
Then the lounge has the all-day dining buffet at the back of the second floor. I visited over breakfast hours, and found the selection to be small but high quality. You can find the menu below.
As you can see, there’s fruit, several types of muesli and yogurt, pastries and bread, cereal, scrambled eggs, sausage, mushrooms, baked beans, etc.
There’s also an espresso machine here, plus a tea selection from Dilmah. This machine is your only coffee option from 6AM until 8AM, when the bar opens.
The downstairs dining area opens at 9:30AM, and during my visit, there was a brunch menu you could order off of. The selection is limited, with just five items you can order.
Fortunately the carrier’s legendary salt and pepper squid is among the options, so I ordered that.
There’s also a small buffet downstairs, similar to the cold options that you’ll find at the buffet upstairs.
Qantas Lounge London Heathrow bathrooms & showers
The Qantas Lounge London Heathrow has bathrooms on both the first and second floor. Most of the bathrooms are on the second floor, and they’re all individual, gender-neutral bathrooms. I always appreciate lounges with individual toilets, and Qantas does a good job with that at several of its lounges.
The lounge also has six shower suites, each with a sink, a walk-in shower with a glass shield, and a toilet.
Bottom line
The Qantas Lounge London Heathrow is a lovely facility, especially for business class and oneworld Sapphire level flyers. The lounge has an elegant design, and I love the barista coffee and the (limited) a la carte dining.
Personally, I still prefer the Cathay Pacific Lounge next door, especially in terms of design and views, plus there being a dedicated oneworld Emerald facility. But still, this lounge is worth visiting, and it just shows the high standard of oneworld lounges in the terminal. I’d take this any day over the British Airways Galleries Lounge in Terminal 5.
What’s your take on the Qantas Lounge London Heathrow?
I visited this lounge recently in the early morning on a trip to Osaka flying Finnair. It was relaxing and peaceful, but got busier by the time I left. Good breakfast selection. Managed to secure one of the window seats. Agree with you that the Cathay lounge is the better option. Brighter, with big windows and views. Overall it’s one of the minor perks of having to endure T3.
It is incredible how GOOD their LHR lounge is and how BAD their 'flagship' Business Class lounge is in SYD. I believe part of this is down to the LHR lounge being a hybrid First-Business Class facility.
Will be interesting to see if the high levels of catering and service continue next year when QF opens a new separate First Class lounge at LHR.
Has this lounge been remodeled? It looks nicer than I recall from my visit 5-6 years ago.
@ uldguy -- Best I could tell, nothing has changed compared to pre-pandemic, so I don't think there have been changes. I could be mistaken, though.