I previously reviewed Virgin Australia’s domestic lounge in Sydney, and here now is their offering at Perth’s domestic terminal.
The lounge entry is quite literally two paces straight ahead immediately after you clear security – you simply can’t miss it.
Passing through the glass doors, you enter a small lobby with a circular reception desk and a couple of chairs off to one side. My business class boarding pass was scanned and I was welcomed into the lounge without delay.
Directly past reception is the television seating area and a full-service coffee barista bar, which also offers a selection of complimentary wine and beer. Adjacent to the TV area are two “kiddie†tables (maybe as high as my knee cap) with power outlets where you sit on an ottoman-like cushion to plug in and rest your laptop on a communal table. I’m really not a fan of these tables and besides the business center, outlets are scarce in other areas of the lounge.
How's that for a mullet?!!
As Perth is a much smaller station for Virgin Australia, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of food. But they did have similar items as to what was found in Sydney, including sandwich fixings, soup (creamy Thai chicken), meatballs and pasta salad. Chips and other nibbles are also available at the bar.
The space itself is basically a huge rectangular room with multiple dining and casual seating areas, punctuated with columns throughout. Another set of kiddie/plug-in tables are also situated in the middle of the lounge.
A business center with eight computer workstations and a printer is in the far corner next to frosted windows running the length of one side of the lounge. Sadly, no tarmac views for this #avgeek.
Along that side of the lounge is a section of lounger sofas with coffee tables. One person was spread across one of the couches and while comfy looking, it was far too hot in that section for me, perhaps due to the additional layer of glass partitions separating it from the main area.
On one side of the barista bar, a very narrow hallway leads to two shower rooms and the restrooms. The other side of the barista bar leads to a children’s play area, as well as the entrance to two meeting rooms.
It’s a pleasant enough lounge, but nothing stellar. One thing I noted in particular was the floor. It felt thin, as if there is no layer between it and the concrete tarmac. I don’t know how to explain it better than that.
Boarding announcements for all flights are made and a nearby escalator outside of the lounge takes you up to the departures level. I left ahead of boarding to watch the inbound aircraft arrive and discovered to get back to the lounge, one needs to find a relatively hidden staircase that displays a sign “No Entry (except lounge guests).†There’s no down escalator and the only other exit when you’re upstairs is to baggage claim, which would require you to re-clear security to access the lounge.
Related posts:
Lounge Review: Virgin Australia, Sydney Domestic Terminal
Flight Review: Virgin Australia Business Class Sydney to Perth
Lounge Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt (Near B43)
Great to see a review of one of my local lounges! I was only there this morning before the commute to work. You picked a good time to visit – it has only recently been expanded significantly, with enough capacity to handle the early morning rush of flights headed to the mines in the north of the state.
As mentioned, not a huge amount or variety of food available, but still much better than what I’ve see in US domestic lounges.
It’s a shame Virgin have ended Any Time Access for Gold and Platinum customers – this was a great benefit.
@Drew: Thanks for stopping by! Glad to hear the lounge gets plenty of use in the mornings. It did end up filling up a bit more later during my early afternoon stay.
There is also a lift by gate 18 that will take you back down (which is used to take pax up after security who can’t use the escalator)
@Sam: Thanks for the info about the elevator!