I was honest when I was checking into the Qantas Lounge Heathrow in Terminal 3, I was curious about the Qantas OneWorld lounge and I was in search of dessert (did they even have authentic Tim Tams?) and Australian wine. The girl laughed and the guy didn’t even crack a smile. As an OneWorld Sapphire member, I get lounge access in the OneWorld network due to my British Airways Silver status so for my American Airlines flight from Terminal 3, I decided to visit the other lounges to see what they had to offer. [Note: Flying on AA business class also gave me access to OneWorld business class lounges]. I did secretly wish I was flying Qantas from London to Sydney because Australia! I love Australia and have visits a few times using my points for amazing awards – see posts from the recent trip to Melbourne, Sydney and Tasmania. Prior visits ticked off Perth, Rottnest Island, Cairns and always Sydney.
Qantas Lounge Heathrow T3
When I checked in, I was told the lounge was quiet as the Qantas flights had just departed. As I walked in, I felt like I was walking into a design magazine shoot. The space was stunning and the design nothing like any other lounge I’ve experienced before. Organized over two floors (there’s stairs and also an elevator), your eyes will be wandering to all the options to eat, drink and relax on both floors.
The highlight of the ground floor was the Gin Bar (they do love their Gin in London! The bar had 14 types of gin available) which was the centerpiece surrounded by bar seating as well as dining seating for the ala carte menu (not on offer during my visit in between flights and meal service change from breakfast to lunch) and a counter with the candy jar (filled with caramels). The first floor is primarily for food and drink, whereas upstairs on the second level there are multiple seating options to relax, work or hide (behind tall wall of seats).
Upstairs has more functional spaces – shower rooms, bathrooms, a plethora of seating options and a small kids play area along with the circular marble bar where the barista will make your coffee. Australians love their coffee so no self-serve coffee here. You can prepare your tea on your own with massive choices of flavors and pretty china for tea time.
I made my way to the back of the second floor where the buffet food station was flipping meal service. Sadly, no Tim Tams to be found (I would find at my local Target in the US!) but the dessert options were much more indulgent with a salted caramel cheesecake (oh my!) along with gooey chocolate brownies. Brownies and Australia wine for morning snack before lunch seemed like a fabulous idea.
Qantas Lounge Heathrow Lunch
The lovely food set up was in the process of change over from breakfast to lunch. There would be a beef stew type option, rice, soup and a salad bar. Freshly baked breads were placed out on the bar next to the gorgeous vegetables and salads – all so colorful.
The drinks included infused flavored water at the Quench bar, a nice selection of teas and tea pots and a water dispenser for flat and fizzy water. I found the options plentiful, fresh and just varied enough for folks to find something of interest.
I hid behind the tall chairs and a server still found me to remove my plate after devouring my brownie and banana.
Overall Thoughts – Qantas Lounge Heathrow T3
Since this was just a drive by of the lounge, it was quite lovely and of all four OneWorld lounges in London Heathrow’s Terminal 3 (Cathay, Qantas, American Airlines Lounge Heathrow and British Airlines) this to me was the nicest of them all. It was newly opened in 2017 so it’s fresh design and thoughtful touches in the comfortable seating options that resembled a boutique hotel lobby. Now to be fair, the Qantas Lounge was empty with about 10 guests so I’m not sure what it’s like when full but with enough G&T and brownies do you care? As long as you can eat, drink and relax before your long journey to Australia begins. On my way out, I had to stop at the candy jar and take a few caramels with me to end on a sweet note while I dreamed of being back in Australia.
