Lounge Review: Virgin Australia Sydney

Location: The Virgin Australia Sydney lounge is located within the multi user domestic terminal at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport and is probably one of the easiest lounges to find when arriving at the airport with its unique curb side entry. That’s right, get out of your taxi, walk through the dedicated curb side entry complete with its own security screening and you’re directly in the lounge; no muss no fuss.

If you’re connecting between flights it’s a little harder to find with a small elevator door the main access from near the main food/shopping court. Previously there was an escalator also available however since the renovations have started that access seems to have disappeared.

Entry: Access to Virgin’s lounge is open to Velocity Gold and Platinum frequent flyers as well as those of Virgin’s partner airlines holding similar status. Business class passengers also get complimentary access as do some government fares (a smart move by Virgin to snatch some of the government travel spend, especially out of Canberra). If you’re a really special person you might be lucky enough to have access to Virgin Australia’s exclusive VIP lounge which you can catch a glimpse of if you look at the windows above the main lounge. If you can get in there you’ll know how to get in.

Space & Comfort: This edition of the Sydney Lounge has only recently been reopened after renovations and is a huge improvement. The entry leads into the main food and beverage service area which is centrally located within the lounge. Low seating is provided around the service are which gives the place an open feel without it becoming a mini food court hall.

Surrounding each side of the service area are several zoned seating areas with higher bars and TV’s showing sport/news in which Virgin have installed bars that are practical this time (unlike Melbourne) with legroom and both power and USB charging points. These areas looked popular and felt more like an airport bar than a lounge.

The remainder of the lounge is complete with lower tables and chairs, some of which look a little high tech but are still comfortable once you get into them. With quite a few semi separate areas available there’s plenty of options for either a quiet relaxing coffee before your flight home or a few drinks with the guys while watching the latest game.

Food & Beverages: Arriving in the evening tonight the bar was open offering beers and wine (unfortunately Virgin don’t offer spirits in their lounges) as well as barista coffee service, Madam Flavour teas and soft drinks. I’m not a huge drinker lately however Virgin offer a choice of bottled beers or Peroni on tap as well as a small selection of wines.

The food options were limited with soup, sausage rolls, some cheese, biscuits and a selection of cold meats and antipasto snacks. Additionally the toasters and sandwich presses were still available if you wanted to whip up a quick sandwich. A sausage roll and a beer was my choice for his relatively short visit between flights.

Staff Service: Although it was a saturday night there seemed to be a fair few staff members around the lounge, however the service level was extremely poor and unprofessional with several staff spending more time in the lounge watching the football than serving customers. The bar was regularly unattended while staff watched the TV’s or chatted to each other in other parts of the lounge. I think there is a balancing act between being friendly and making the lounge feel relaxing and offering a professional service. unfortunately on this visit the lounge catering staff did not provide either. The exception to this was the front desk staff who were friendly and helpful as I tried to track down a photo booth within the terminal (turns out they don’t have them anymore).

Airport Views: The views of the Tarmac are somewhat limited due to the roof of the food court below blocking much of the activity. You can see planes going past in the distance but its not one of the best airport views you’ll find. The windows appear to have a tint on them too which makes it hard to take sny photos. I’m sure those lucky few upstairs in the Club have a much better airport view!

Amenities: The bathrooms are located near the entry and come with premium hand wash, hand cream and are generally of a high standard of design and cleanliness. Showers are also available.

Business Facilities: WiFi is available within the lounge with passwords displayed throughout. I was able to connect however the speed was a little disappointing with 3.2mbps download speed not exactly as fast as you’d get on a 4G smartphone. There are a few computers tucked away in a quiet corner if you didn’t bring your own and need to connect.

Overall: I was really  impressed with the design of this Virgin Australia lounge. They have taken the overall design concept of the previous round of their lounges and added practical features which makes the lounge both stylish and useable. The staff were an extreme let down on my visit which was hopefully an isolated issue. The addition of a hot meal (other than sausage rolls) would be nice around the dinner and lunch periods as would adding basic spirits to the bar however overall the food quality (and quantity) is gradually I providing across the Virgin Australia lounge network.