Qantas has been celebrating its milestone 50 years of airport lounges
with a look back at the way things were, and how different they are
today.
Qantas opened the doors to its first international lounge in Sydney
half a century ago and recently announced a AU$100 million investment in
its lounge programme, including the development of a new First Lounge
at London Heathrow.
The airline’s famed ‘Kangaroo Route’ from Sydney to London via
Singapore launched in December 1947 on a Lockheed Constellation aircraft
named Charles Kingsford Smith with 38 seats, taking five days, stopping
at seven destinations including an overnight stop in Singapore, with a
total flying time of 58 hours.
In the first year of the Kangaroo Route’s operation, Qantas carried just over 7,500 passengers.
Fast forward to 2023 and the Australian national carrier now has a
network of 51 lounges in Australia and around the world including two
lounges at Singapore Changi Airport, the Qantas Business Lounge which
opened in 2013 and Qantas First Lounge which opened in December 2019.
Yuletide treats await during the festive season with the Singapore
lounges swerving the signature Qantas Christmas cocktail with vodka,
cherry brandy and house made strawberry syrup and traditional Christmas
fare, including glazed ham and turkey with all the trimmings.