Qantas LAX Business Lounge - Qantas Club Review The Qantas International Business Lounge/Qantas Club at The Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has recently undergone significant renovations as part of the multi-billion dollar upgrade to the terminal. Also serving as the business lounge for the Oneworld alliance for British Airways and Cathy Pacific, the improvements have raised the quality and comfort of this lounge in-line with Qantas's reputation for having world class premium lounges for its loyal customers. Location The Qantas/British Airways/Cathay Pacific Oneworld lounge is located on the 5th floor after the North concourse security check point which is next to the Qantas check-in counters. If you arriving at The Bradley Terminal from Sydney or Melbourne with an onward flight, you will need to grab your bags and drop them at the transit point. This is well signed at there will be Qantas uniformed staff to guide you. Then walk to the security point at the north end of the terminal. If you are arriving at Terminal 4, you will need to either catch the free shuttle bus to TBIT or undertake the short walk to the terminal and then proceed to the security point. Once you have cleared the security checkpoint, it's a simple case of walking straight ahead for about 10 metres to a signed lift and proceeding up to the 5th floor. Once out of the lift, the Business lounge as well as the separate 1st class lounge will be directly in front of you. Access To The Lounge Complimentary access to the lounge and all facilities and items inside is limited to the following groups of people, as long as they are flying with Qantas, or one of the other members of the OneWorld Alliance (British Airways, American Airlines, Cathy Pacific) Business class travellers; Qantas club members, flying in any class Gold and platinum Qantas frequent flyers, flying in any class OneWorld Emerald and Sapphire frequent flyers, fling in any class Food and Drinks The lounge is significantly smaller then the equivalent business lounge in Sydney, but is large enough to handle the normal levels of travellers comfortably. The lounge has one large food bar area, serving at breakfast, the traditional Qantas offerings of continental breakfast and assorted pastries. A stand alone coffee machine makes produces surprisingly decent coffee and tea facilities are available. During the day, cold finger food such as cheese, biscuits and small cakes are available all day. Lunch usually consists of pre-made sandwiches or bread rolls and dinner consists of hot food of the sort that would normally be found on the plane. A mixture of Australian premium beers is offered along with international beers like Heineken and Corona and an assortment of local beers. Wine buffs are catered for with a solid selection of red and
white wines and self pour spirits are readily available. For a softer option, over a dozen soft drinks are available from a post mix machine plus multiple types of sparkling water and a variety of juices. Facilities The lounge is a long, relatively thin room Seating is predominantly single seat couches with high arm rests, with a splattering of larger couches and single seat stools, with coffee tables shared between every 4 seats. Power points available at various places throughout the lounge to charge personal electronic equipment and the reception staff have a small number of universal power adaptors if you have left yours in your checked in luggage. The shower facilities in Qantas lounges are always of a high standard, but at the Business Lounge/Qantas Club at LAX, they can only be defined as palatial. After a 13 hour flight from Australia, being given a fresh towel and toiletries and then stepping foot into individual self contained bathrooms that were bigger than the hotel room we stayed at in Sydney the night before, is a true joy. A premium range of shampoo, conditioners and body washes are provided complimentarily, along with tooth brushes and hair dryers. The water was piping hot and the whole bathroom is so large it's almost impossible to not ease some travelling aches and pains by taking a long and pronounced stretch. The business traveller or the active tourist looking for internet connectivity is well catered for. A suite of complimentary PC's are offered, with Internet connections, word processing and printing facilitates. Free WI-FI is available throughout the lounge and unlike a lot of other airline lounges, there is no password that needs to be retrieved from reception, it's just connect and surf. A dedicated service desk is available to handle any flight questions or changes and flights are called for boarding over the PA system within the lounge. One criticism is that there are no departure screens within the main lounge itself, forcing patrons to leave the lounge area and return back to the Qantas Lounge Lobby to view the departure screens for any flight changes. The lounge itself is tastefully decorated in a modern style, with an open plan style, neutral colours and strong lines and is generally impeccably clean, with plenty of staff cleaning tables and ensuring the general cleanliness of the entire lounge. Conclusion The improvements to the Qantas LAX International Business Lounge/Qantas Club, has seen Qantas continue their tradition of providing quality clean and quite lounge facilities for the travelling public. Although the food offerings will never be rated above adequate, taking advantage of the sanctuary offered within the lounge, its palatial shower and toilet facilities to east the aches of long haul travel, Internet access, power to recharge electronic equipment and a comfy seat to enjoy a quite beer or wine far beats waiting with the crowds at the departure gate.
If you enjoyed this article, please read my review of flying Qantas Business Class between Sydney to New York via Los Angeles, my review of the Qantas Business Class Lounge/Qantas Club at Sydney International Airport or my overview of Australian Domestic Airlines