The international lounges in Australia will be in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, while in New Zealand, they will be found in Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington.
The airline is collaborating with award-winning British lounge specialist, No1 Lounges, on the Australian lounges to create a unique experience for Virgin Australia guests.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring guests have the best travel experience with Virgin Australia,” Virgin Australia Airlines Group Executive, Rob Sharp, said.
“Together with our partners, we fly to more than 400 international destinations and we know our guests are going to bedelighted by these lounges, which will feature stylish new design aesthetics and service enhancements.
“Our international strategy continues to grow and in recent months we’ve launched our Sydney to Hong Kong route and announced three new services into New Zealand, so guests are going to really benefit from the international lounge network which will be available in the next month.”
Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO Karl Schuster said the news was particularly exciting for the airline’s loyalty members.
“For the first time, eligible guests will have access to international lounges with a Virgin Australia flair,” he said.
“We’re focused on providing great benefits to our Velocity members and this is just another way we can ensure their travel overseas is even more enjoyable.”
Here’s the low-down on the new lounges:
Australia
The brand new ‘My Lounge’ will be the home of Virgin Australia at Brisbane’s international terminal.
Specially designed in the style of a loft apartment, ‘My Lounge’ provides social lounging spaces within a relaxed, contemporary environment, with a games room and seating for more than 100 guests. The lounge will offer a grazing menu of healthy and indulgent choices, barista coffee and a bar.
The Melbourne and Sydney international lounges will be part of No1 Lounges’ new international brand, ‘The House’.
‘The House’ collection, created in collaboration with Etihad Airways, will be the home of Virgin Australia in these locations.
The lounge will provide a choice of self-service and as well as a la carte dining throughout the day.
The fully tended bar will offer everything from freshly prepared juices and smoothies, a range of coffee options from around the world, cocktails, champagne and a selection of great Australian wines. Over the next year, both lounges will be refurbished and see the introduction of new reading rooms.
‘The House’ in Sydney will be reconfigured and expanded to create a new entrance, private room and lounge area, increasing capacity by over 50 per cent.
New Zealand
Eligible Virgin Australia guests flying to Australia from Queenstown and Christchurch will be welcome to use the Manaia Lounge, and guests flying from Auckland to Australia and the Pacific Islands can visit the award-winning Strata Lounge.
The shared lounges include self-service dining with hot and cold items, a self-service bar with spirits and high-speed Wi-Fi.
A Virgin Australia lounge will also be opening in Wellington in the next few months.
