Virgin Australia Lounge – Brisbane Domestic Airport

One of the best perks of flying business class or having high airline status is lounge access. Free food and drinks in a nice seating – compared to the main terminal. It is a much nicer wait to wait for your flight, it may even pay to get their early if you are going to a luxury lounge like Singapore Airlines’ Private Room.

The Virgin Australia lounge at Brisbane domestic airport is a pretty standard lounge for domestic flights and offers all the amenities you would expect. This Brisbane lounge is probably the second best Virgin Australia lounge, I think I prefer the lounge in Melbourne.

Access

There are a number of ways to gain access to Virgin Australia’s lounges, you need to have one of the below as well as a valid onward ticket with Virgin Australia. Additionally, access is generally only granted 3 hours prior to your flight.

• Passengers traveling in business class on their next Virgin Australia flight.
• Virgin Australia lounge members who have purchased an annual plan.
• Velocity silver members get 2 lounge access passes per year they retain silver status.
• Velocity gold & platinum members get unlimited lounge access while they retain their status.
• Some credit cards offer free lounges pass every year you hold the card. Some examples are – Virgin Money High Flyer Card & ANZ Travel Rewards Adventures.
• AMEX Platinum Charge Card gives unlimited access to all Virgin Australia lounges.

Guest Access

• Velocity gold members are able to bring one guest with them if they also have an onward ticket with Virgin Australia. In addition, they can also bring in two children between three and 12.
• Velocity platinum members can bring three guests with them if they also have an onward ticket with Virgin Australia. In addition, they can also bring in two children between three and 12.
• AMEX Platinum Charge Card holders can bring in one guest who also has an onward ticket with Virgin Australia

Full access information can be found on Virgin Australia’s website.

Arrivals Access

Virgin Australia offers arrival lounge access to its Velocity Gold and platinum members for one hour after their flight arrived. I have used this benefit in both the Brisbane and Melbourne airports. It is a much appreciated perk to have when flying with Virgin Australia.

Premium entry

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The Brisbane lounge is the only other lounge except for Sydney that has a premium entry. This entry allows gold and platinum Velocity members to expedite their entrance into the airport and lounge. There is a dedicated valet and security lane to allow to spend even more time in the lounge. I have used this entrance a number of times and it has always been super quick. In addition it makes you feel like a VIP using a special entrance.

Food and drinks

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The lounge caters what I would call a standard fare in Australian domestic lounges. There is the classic salad and toastie bar with fresh salads and deli meats. They will also have a hot meal on offer which is generally some sort of pasta or rice dish. There will also be a soup for some added variety to your meal. They also have a range of snacks including: pretzels, chips, popcorn etc for those who just want a snack. Most times they will also have some cookies to have with your coffee or as dessert. Occasionally, they will have special products on promotion; in the past I have gotten kombucha, olives, mints, chocolates and ice cream.

On the drinks front the lounge generally offers about 10 varieties of beer including some on tap. For wines they will have 3-4 red varietals, 3-4 white varietals and a sparkling wine. These choices stay the same for months as I imagine they have large buy orders for these brands. No spirits are offered in the Virgin Australia lounges unfortunately for those spirits drinkers.

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If you are not into alcohol they also offer water, sparkling water (on tap generally) and soft drink, all self serve. In the morning through to the afternoon their is also barista made coffee in the centre of the lounge. The brews are quite reasonable, about what you would expect from a decent coffee shop although that likely depends on your barista. There is also self serve coffee and tea for some more choice.

Seating

There are many different types of seating in the Brisbane lounge. Ranging from low lounging seats with coffee tables to high stools and tables. Towards the back of the lounge there are some tables with some bench seats.

Lounge extras

In addition to the toilets offered by the lounge there are two showers in the bathroom. I have not had any need to use them here but they looked clean and nice to use.

Occasionally, this lounge has had a shoe shining stand on offer. I had never seen it manned so I must’ve been accessing the lounge at the wrong times but it seems like a cool concept for people heading to meeting or event straight after a flight.

The lounge also provides plenty of reading material in the form of magazines and newspapers. They seem to have all the main newspapers and magazine titles along with their own magazine.

Power points

There are a number of power points near the bench seats towards the back of the lounge and along the wall. So pick your seats carefully if you require some power for your devices.

Summary

Overall, the Virgin Australia Brisbane lounge is solid offering for a domestic lounge and is what I have come to expect from domestic lounges. It is not on the same level as international lounges and might be not as great as the refurbished QANTAS lounges. However it i a huge step up compared to waiting in the terminal and paying exorbitant prices for food and beverages. Overall, I would give this lounge a 6/10, of course this may change as I experience other lounges in my travels.