Review: the iconic Qantas First Class lounge, Sydney Airport

This is our review of Qantas’ flagship First Class lounge at its home in Sydney Airport Terminal 1.

This lounge is often regarded as one of the best in the world – up there with Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First – so I was keen to see how it compared on my first-ever visit in June 2025.

Over the coming days we are publishing reviews from the second half of my big Qantas trip, when I flew from London to Perth, to Sydney and back via Singapore. Before we took an August break we published the following reviews:

• Qantas London Lounge review at Heathrow T3
• Qantas 787 business class review from London to Perth
• Qantas Perth International Transit lounge review

In this second half we’ll be looking at the Sydney First Class lounge, premium economy on the A380 from Sydney to Singapore and the fantastic Singapore lounges.

Qantas Sydney First Class lounge access requirements

The good news is that this isn’t just a lounge for those flying in First Class (like BA’s Concorde Room). It’s also open to those with status, making it relatively accessible. Here are the full lounge access rules:

• Those travelling in First Class on Qantas or another oneworld airline
• Those with oneworld Emerald status travelling on Qantas or another oneworld airline

The lounge is open from 5am until 10pm.

Where is the Qantas Sydney First Class lounge?

Let’s start with the basics. The lounge is situated in Terminal 1, the international terminal of Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport. If you’re flying domestically you’re out of luck, with the sole exception of those flights starting in Sydney, transiting in Perth and then heading on to Europe such as the Sydney – Perth – Paris flight.

Terminal 1 is relatively compact and it’s only a short walk from where you exit security to the lounge itself. You want to keep walking in a straight line, past the duty free shop and towards the escalators at the far end:

Take the escalators up to the upper floor and you’ll see the First Class lounge directly in front of you. The business class lounge is a short walk along the balcony to the left.

Inside the Qantas First Class Lounge in Sydney

First impressions of the lounge are incredible. It has something few lounges do: architectural pizazz. This isn’t just an empty floor of the terminal turned into lounge space but a purpose-built UFO-shaped facility perched on top of the terminal building. Here is a photo I took from the plane:

The result is an iconic lounge with panoramic views of the airport where the timber-clad frame has become a signature feature:

Entry to the lounge is via a lush curving green wall:

…. which leads to set of escalators from the lower floor that rise up through a circular cut out in the floor:

Marc Newson designed and opened the lounge in 2007. As far as I know it remains relatively unchanged, which is a good thing because it possesses an air of timelessness. (Compare it, for example, to BA’s Terminal 5 lounges – opened in 2008 – which now look very out of date.)

The open frame supports handily break up this space into rooms; some are designed for lounging whilst others are designed for dining with a roughly 50/50 split.

Glossy bright red bars punctuate the palette of neutrals, reminding you that this is a Qantas lounge.

By and large Marc Newsom has let the materials speak for themselves – European oak for the seating areas and white marble for the rear walkway and bars.

There are big retro (but fully functional) split flap displays highlighting the departures:

The showers are clad in the same thick-cut marble:

…. and feature Lagaia Unedited toiletries as part of a First Class collaboration with the brand both on board and in lounges:

Also in the lounge is a spa offering complimentary 20-minute treatments, although I couldn’t work out how to make a booking and the spa itself is not manned.

The large panoramic windows don’t just offer a view of the airport itself but also the Sydney skyline:

Dining in the Qantas Sydney First Class lounge

One of the highlights of the First Class lounge is undoubtedly the dining, with not a buffet in sight. Yes, all food here is cooked to order with table service throughout.

Dining is popular and despite the dining areas taking up almost half of the ‘rooms’ you still need to wait at busy times. It’s well worth it, however.

All the food served in the lounge is curated in collaboration with Neil Perry as part of his partnership with Qantas. The menu changes seasonally and I caught the last few days of Autumn before it changed to Winter.

Some items, such as the iconic salt and pepper squid, are available all year round. Here it is with the buffalo mozzarella salad and crispy spiced duck:

Main courses range from tofu and king mushroom stir fry to Neil’s pappardelle bolognese, slow cooked lamb and more. Here is the steamed snapper with Jiangxi sauce, radish and cabbage pickles and jasmine rice:

This is restaurant-quality dining. No wonder it’s so popular!

It doesn’t stop there, either. The lounge also serves a range of premium drinks, from the Lallier Reflexion R.020 NV champagne to a range of cocktails, Australian wines, beers and more.

Unfortunately it was a bit early for me to have more than a glass or two!

Conclusion

The Qantas First Class Lounge in Sydney manages to combine both style and substance.

The lounge may be almost 20 years old but you wouldn’t know it. This is a spectacular space that leans into the luxurious retro-aesthetic of flying in the same timeless way that you’ll find in the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport. It is really, really classy.

In fact, in some ways the lounge is a victim of its own success: during my mid-day visit it was pretty busy. Whilst there was still some seating left you’d struggle to sit together as a family of four.

Nevertheless, this is a fantastic lounge that can rightfully take its place in the pantheon as one of the best.