Review: Virgin Australia Domestic Lounge Brisbane (BNE)

Australian Open Series

by Anthony
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a plate of pastries and a drink on a table

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Introduction

My last leg to Melbourne was a domestic flight from Brisbane (BNE) on Virgin Australia (VA). Once I landed in the International Terminal, passengers continuing domestically needed to take a free inter-terminal bus to the Domestic BNE Terminal. With an 8-hour layover, I had plenty of time to navigate to the Virgin Australia Domestic Lounge.

My journey from Canada to Australia;

YYZ ā€“> SFO (4 hr layover) ā€“> BNE (8 hour layover) ā€“> MEL

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Location and Access

Virgin Australia Domestic Lounge in BNE is located across from Gate 41 after security. My flight departed down the hall from the lounge at Gate D45. Conveniently, there is also a McDonald’s right before the lounge.

a yellow sign with numbers on it

a glass door in a building

Virgin Australia Domestic Lounge BNE

A Qantas Lounge is also on the opposite end of this domestic terminal. It’s worth noting that Priority Pass has no lounge access at this BNE Domestic Terminal. However, they do have a few options in the International Terminal.

Layout, Seating, and Amenities

As you enter, there is more than ample space for seating. The lounge has a white motif, with the ceilings and the floor all in marble white. There are also a few red accents throughout the lounge, like red lounge chairs, which are the Virgin Australia colours of red and white.

a man standing at a reception desk in a lobby

Reception Desk in Lounge

people in a lobby

Lounge Entrance – Seating

a group of people sitting in chairs in a lobby

More Seating

Upon entering, you’ll find red couches in front. Then, as you make a left, you head towards the buffet station. To the right of the buffet station is the coffee bar, where they can make you any caffeinated beverage. I asked them for a menu, and they asked me, “What would you like? We’ll make it for you.” So, after a 14-hour flight, I got my caffeine fix here.

Also, before the buffet station, if you make a left, there are showers for men and women. You can get towels at the reception desk to freshen up, which I did. The bathrooms were immaculately cleaned throughout my 8-hour stay, which was impressive!

people standing behind a counter

Virgin Australia Domestic Lounge – Coffee Bar

a counter in a building

Behind the coffee bar is even more seating with high-top chairs and a tabletop. All the chairs were Aussie Plus, and all your devices had USB plug chargers. There’s no shortage of USB charging stations at this lounge. (Of note, Australia does have different plug points to North America, so don’t forget your international adaptors.)

The lounge offered more comfortable couches in the back. There are no views of the tarmac or any planes from any windows in this lounge. The views are more of the express train and tram and the street. Nothing special.

people sitting in a room with a large window

More Lounge Seating

people sitting at a counter

Work Desks

a group of people sitting at tables in a room with large windows

Couch seating

Occupancy when I came into the VA lounge was 50% full, but there was more than enough food and no line-ups at the coffee bar. They make announcements about the Virgin Australia flights as they leave. There are more than enough screens across the lounge, so depending on where you sit, you’ll always have a view of flight information for VA flights.

Food and Drinks

When I came here, they switched from breakfast to lunch, so there were breakfast and lunch items. They had self-serve pancakes and a brioche bun with a poached egg, spinach, and hollandaise sauce (an Aussie spin on an Egg muffin).

a plate of sandwiches on a table

Brioche Bun with Poached Eggs

When lunchtime arrived, there was also Thai chicken soup, chicken biryani, and a fusilli pasta dish. Later, cheese and spinach pastries, sausage rolls, mini beef pies (my favourite) were served, pre-prepared creamy herbed chicken sandwiches, a cold salad bar, and crackers and cheese. I thought the food selection was good for a domestic lounge.

a tray of food on a counter

Sandwich and Salad Station

a dish of pasta in a container

Lunch Options

a plate of food with a lid open

More lunch options

The bar had a selection of primarily Australian beers, ciders, and sparkling wine. No spirits.

a group of wine bottles on a table

Wine and Beer station

a plate of pastries and a drink on a table

Local brew and snacks

a cup of coffee on a white table

Caffine Fix

Takeaway

Overall, the lounge space was good, and I appreciated the rotating menu during my 8-hour stay. I would give this Virgin Australia Domestic Lounge in BNE a 7.5/10. For a domestic lounge, I would put it in the same class as the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in the domestic terminal at YYZ.

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