The Bizarre Reason Qantas Cancelled Its London First Lounge
Qantas' newest lounge is available exclusively in press releases
Three years ago, Qantas announced that it would be constructing a new First Class Lounge at London Heathrow Airport. There would be premium dining, luxurious furnishings and even direct access to the boarding gates for Qantas First Class passengers departing London.
What there wouldn't be, it turns out, was a lounge. Qantas has now quietly mothballed the project, and it appears the airline never even secured a location to build it in the first place.
When plans were unveiled for London First Lounge in 2023, Qantas confidently mentioned the space would open in 2025. That's a remarkably specific timeline for a lounge that likely didn't have a location.
Qantas Cancels London First Lounge Project
London was set to be the fifth destination to offer a Qantas First Lounge, alongside Los Angeles, Melbourne, Singapore, and Sydney. It was something to be excited for, as the rest of Qantas’ First Class Lounges are exceptional.
The project was unveiled in February 2023, as part of a $100-million network-wide lounge upgrade program. But Qantas didn't just announce a new lounge, they provided a remarkably detailed description of what passengers could expect. The airline went as far as saying the new London First Lounge would “feature direct access to boarding gates, sweeping views of the airfield, a focus on wellbeing features and an unrivalled dining experience.”
But in the latest update, reported by Executive Traveller, Qantas has canceled construction of its London First Lounge altogether. After all the fanfare and years of delays, it seems that the reason there won't be a First Class Lounge in London isn't because of blown out budgets, it's not because there was no plan, it's simply because there's no space at Heathrow for Qantas.
At the launch, then Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said, “London is one of the most important destinations on our network and it’s the perfect location for a First Lounge, especially with our direct Project Sunrise flights on the way.”
To be fair, Qantas did mention that construction of their London First Class Lounge would be subject to agreement with Heathrow Airport and UK regulators. But it didn’t mention that no space had been locked in.
Qantas Had The Brochure Before The Building
All of this raises an obvious question: had Qantas secured a location when launching in 2023?
How do you know a lounge will have sweeping airfield views if you don't yet know where it will be built? The quality of the view generally depends on where the windows are, and to know where the windows are, you first need a room.
Likewise, how do you promise direct boarding gate access before securing a location? Heathrow isn't exactly an empty paddock. Whether a lounge can offer direct boarding depends entirely on where it sits within the terminal.
Qantas was similarly confident about timing. The airline said the London First Lounge would open in late 2025 to coincide with the launch of Project Sunrise flights between Australia and the United Kingdom. Fast forward three years and the entire project has been shelved, and Project Sunrise has also slipped by several years. The first non-stop Sydney to London flight is now scheduled to depart in October 2027.
So No First Lounge - What’s Actually Happening?
While the London First Lounge appears to be dead, Qantas isn't abandoning its Heathrow lounge ambitions altogether.
Instead, the airline is proceeding with a major refurbishment of its existing London Lounge in Terminal 3. The revamped space is expected to open by the end of 2026, and will be upgraded in stages to ensure minimal disruption.
As well as increasing capacity, the refreshed Qantas London Lounge will add a premium dining room. This will be similar to the recently-opened Auckland lounge, with access presumably for Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers, as well as First Class passengers.
Summing Up: My Take
London Heathrow is a very busy airport, and I'm sure it's incredibly challenging and expensive to secure a space of any kind. But how can you announce plans for a lounge that include design details, premium features and an opening date when you don't actually have anywhere to put it?
This would be a non-story if Qantas had originally been transparent about still searching for a suitable location. Heck, if the project had been delayed while the airline tried to secure space at one of the world's most congested airports, I don't think many people would have blamed them.
But that's not how it was presented. Instead, Qantas unveiled the London First Lounge as though it was a committed project, complete with details and an opening date. Three years later, it turns out the biggest challenge wasn't building the lounge. It was finding somewhere for it to exist.
