Virgin Australia Gets New Lounges at Perth and Darwin

6th Sep 2014

Virgin Australia's loyal customers and business travelers passing through Darwin and Perth Airports have something to look forward to by next year as the airline will open a new lounge at these airports.

Darwin Airport will be the first to see its new lounge up by March 2015, according to the CEO John Borghetti. The new airport lounge is part of the $60 million rehabilitation project of the Darwin International Airport.

The new lounge can seat up to 150 guests at a time which roughly the same size as its Gold Coast sister.

The airline executive, however, is more excited about the opening of its new lounge at Perth which is tentatively scheduled to be launched sometime in the second quarter of next year when the airline moves its operations to the new terminal.

Perth Airport will hold a special place in the airline's heart, as it will not only host to a flagship lounge along with Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne, but also the first airport to host the airline's new check-in facility.

The new lounge at Perth is an integral part of the Perth Airport's overall plan, which also includes new domestic terminals, a third runway and an international pier.

The airline is also planning to double the size of its lounge at Brisbane Airport along with the addition of a Premium Entry facility which will speed up the entry process of Virgin passengers straight from the kerbside to the lounge without passing through the main terminal.

Though this facility is designed for passengers with only a hand luggage in tow, other passengers with checked-in baggage may use it as well after completing the traditional drop luggage processes.

Melbourne lounge too will have its own Premium Exit facility by mid-September, which is a mirrored version of Sydney's Premium Entry. Currently, premium travelers need to exit the lounge, pass through the terminal before heading to the regular screening area.

Travelers to and from Hobart will have to wait a little bit longer as the airline has no definite time table for its opening despite Borghetti's announcement in 2012 that Hobart will see its lounge open by 2013. That too, had slipped and pushed back to this year but until now no date was set for its scheduled opening.