THE ALVIATOR'S VERDICT
A spectacular lounge and a treat for Oneworld business class and Emerald passengers, featuring very good food and beverages as well as a-la-carte dining at certain hours |
5.0
|
In June 2025 I visited the Qantas Lounge at London Heathrow’s Terminal 3. Heathrow’s Terminal 3 has a plethora of fantastic Oneworld lounges, which are far better than comparable British Airways lounges at the neighbouring Terminal 5. My British Airways Club Europe flight to Stuttgart was one of the prized flights departing from Heathrow’s Terminal 3, so I was sure to spend plenty of time visiting all of the Oneworld lounges within the terminal.
The Qantas Lounge at London Heathrow opened in 2017, in response to the airline launching direct flights between London and Perth, Australia. While I’ve visited the lounge a couple of times before, I was keen this time to do a revisit of the lounge, especially since I’d be there around the time that they’d start serving food from their a-la-carte menu.
Qantas’ outstation lounges are spectacular, and this one was no exception. Not only is this one of the two best Oneworld lounges at Heathrow (typing with Cathay Pacific), but I also consider this lounge to be better than Qantas’ own hub business class lounge in Sydney.
Qantas Lounge London Opening Hours and Entry Requirements
The Qantas Lounge at London Heathrow is open from 6 AM to 9 PM, covering most Oneworld departures out of Heathrow’s Terminal 3. While Qantas currently only has two flights departing out of London Heathrow at present (QF2 to Singapore leaves at 7:30 PM and QF10 to Perth leaves at 11:55 AM), the lounge also serves Finnair passengers, well as other Oneworld departures out of Heathrow T3. It’s worth noting that the lounge’s restaurant is only open from 2.5 hours before each of the Qantas flights, though anybody with lounge access can dine there during those times.
The lounge is open to all Oneworld business class passengers, as well as Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members flying a Oneworld airline. In this case, I gained access through my British Airways Club Europe ticket, which is such a great deal.
Qantas Lounge London Heathrow Location
Most of Heathrow T3’s lounges are located in a common area, not far from gate 11. The Qantas Lounge is one of these lounges – specifically, it’s Lounge B, which is the lounge located closest to gate 11.
I personally find the signage at Heathrow T3 to be poor – I still struggle to navigate the terminal, despite having been there countless times before. That being said, once you find the “Lounges B-H” sign at Terminal 3, it’s easy to locate the Qantas lounge from there.
Heathrow Terminal 3 Qantas Lounge Signage
Apart from Qantas, Finnair also directs their passengers to this lounge. Don’t be deceived, though – you will be able to enter the lounge without flying either of these airlines.
Qantas Lounge London Entrance
I got to the lounge just before 3 PM on a Friday afternoon, so the lounge’s restaurant wasn’t open yet (it’s open from 9:25 AM to 11:55 AM, and 5 PM to 8:30 PM). While the gin bar is open at this time, I was directed upstairs by friendly lounge attendants to the main area of the lounge.
Qantas Lounge London Stairs to Upper Level
Qantas Lounge London Seating and Atmosphere
The Qantas Lounge London Heathrow is bright and airy, and the smart lighting options make up for the space’s inherent lack of natural light. The upper level of the lounge is one large rectangular room, with a pillar partitioning in between.
Right after heading up the stairs you’ll see the cocktail bar right in front of you, as well as some comfortable sofa seating.
Qantas Lounge London Bar and Seating
The lounge makes the most of its non-ideal location, especially one floor up. Some of the swivel chairs by the windows had great views of the tarmac, whereas others had…less great views of a grey interior wall (apologies for only photographing the ones facing a wall, since the ones facing the tarmac were occupied throughout the entire duration of my stay).
Qantas Lounge London Views (or lack thereof, in the case of these seats)
Apart from this, there’s also a wide range of seating at this lounge, and all of it is very comfortable. You’ll be able to find armchairs, padded chairs surrounding round tables, cushioned chairs, chairs surrounding square tables more apt for getting work done, etc.
Qantas Lounge London Seating
Further back behind the lounge is some higher-backed bench seating, suitable for families and larger groups.
Qantas Lounge London Seating
Since Finnair flights leave Heathrow quite often (and the lounge also isn’t exactly a secret anymore for other Oneworld passengers), I always found there to be quite a bit of activity in the lounge. WiFi at the lounge measured 9.68 Mbps down, and 6.62 Mbps up.
This is a great space, and despite the lack of natural light, I felt like the area was well-lit and airy. I especially appreciated the wide range of seating options, depending on what you wanted to do (eat, work, or rest), and options for all group sizes.
Qantas Lounge London All Day Dining Buffet
The Qantas Lounge features an all day dining buffet on the upper floor, and while the contents of the buffet vary over the course of the day, the buffet is available throughout the lounge’s opening hours. The spread is great if you’re at the lounge outside of the restaurant’s opening hours, and the food is quite substantial as well (perhaps more so than you can get from the restaurant downstairs).
I was there at around 3 PM, and food options included a range of salads, orange chicken, a delicious mac and cheese, and a couple of dessert options. I always find Qantas lounges to have a small selection of very high-quality food, and this one was no exception.
Qantas Lounge London Food Spread
Qantas Lounge London Bar
If you’re looking for a drink, the Qantas Lounge bar serves as the lounge’s centerpiece. The bar serves beer and wine, cocktails, and barista coffee – what more could you ask for? I also found the bartender to be very friendly over the course of my stay.
Qantas Lounge London Bar
The drinks menu featured wines across Australia, Italy and Spain, South Africa, Argentina and Chile. The cocktail list isn’t the most exciting I’ve ever seen, though featured some fun options.
Qantas Lounge London Bar Menu
I wanted to try the barista coffee and a cocktail, so opted for a flat white and a Sky High Spritz. Both of these were great, especially the coffee.
Qantas Lounge London Bar Coffee and Cocktail
Across the buffet and bar, Qantas’ lounge features great food and beverage options, even if visiting over the course of the day. This is a great place to grab a drink and a bite to eat before a flight.
The neighbouring Cathay Pacific lounge (which I’ll be reviewing next) also has great food options, though – I’d consider these to be comparable. I’d say that the Qantas lounge has a stronger selection of hot options overall and a much better beverage selection, though Cathay Pacific has made-to-order food options round the clock.
Qantas Lounge London Restaurant Dining
One of the highlights of the Qantas Lounge is that it has a restaurant, which is open between 9:25 AM and 11:55 AM, and between 5 PM and 7:30 PM ahead of the airline’s two longhaul Qantas flights. While I’ve been to this lounge before, today was my first time trying out dining at the Qantas lounge, which I enjoyed before my 6 PM flight.
The restaurant itself features lots of table seating as well as a gin bar (which I’ll be covering separately, and is open even when the restaurant is closed).
Qantas Lounge London Restaurant Seating
There’s even a great view of the tarmac and runway in the background. In this case I had a view of two British Airways A319s.
Qantas Lounge London view of British Airways planes
As I was dining at 5 PM, I had access to the evening menu. The actual made-to-order food menu is not massive at this lounge, and the options aren’t particularly substantial. This is by design, as Qantas expects passengers to have a full dining experience onboard their planes.
The made to order selection included a corn soup and watermelon appetiser, chicken kofta, smoked aubergine salad, and salmon with pea puree, as well as the airline’s signature salt and pepper squid. There was also a basil panna cotta available for dessert.
Qantas Lounge London Menu
I let the lounge staff know that my flight was boarding at 5:20 PM (I knew this wouldn’t be on the dot, but wanted to get to the gate early and try and review the flight properly). The friendly staff assured me that they’d be able to make my order quite quickly. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to order the signature salt and pepper squid, which was crunchy and delicious, though I found the green chilli sauce to be surprisingly less flavourful than expected.
Qantas Lounge London Restaurant Dining – Salt and Pepper Squid
I also opted for the luscious, creamy and refreshing basil panna cotta. This didn’t have the strongest hint of basil ever, though the texture was impeccable.
Qantas Lounge London Restaurant Dining – Basil Panna Cotta
In addition to the menu items, there’s also an all day dining spread downstairs from 5 PM, featuring similar food options to what’s available upstairs.
Qantas Lounge London Restaurant Downstairs Food Spread
I wasn’t the only person who partook in restaurant dining at this time, despite it being over 2.5h before takeoff, a few couples were seated in the restaurant by the time 5 PM hit. Lounge staff also clearly took pride in this offering, and were sure to engage in conversation with guests that were sat at tables.
While the food options aren’t particularly substantial, it’s great to have premium, high-quality made-to-order food items to indulge in. I really enjoyed both items I ordered, and the food was also served very quickly, which can be quite handy if your flight falls just within the restaurant’s opening windows.
While of course I wish this amenity was open round the clock, I appreciate that costs can add up quickly with made-to-order dining, and Qantas is further incentivised to provide this service their own guests. As far as I know, the morning spread is a bit more limited and features breakfast items such as eggs benedict and kedgeree, though the salt and pepper squid is still available.
If you’ve got a Oneworld flight leaving between 10 AM-12 PM or 6-8 PM from Heathrow T3 (even if it’s regional) and you have lounge access, you’re in for a treat. There’s no limit to how early you can come to the lounge in most cases (within the day), so you could come at 11:30 AM ahead of your 4 PM flight if you so desired.
Qantas Lounge London Gin Bar
While we’re downstairs, the Qantas Lounge also features a gin bar, showcasing the UK’s gin obsession. The bar specialises in a variety of gins, and is really more of a marketing addition, since you can order gin-based cocktails (or other cocktails, or wines) from either bar.
Qantas Lounge London Gin Bar Menu
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a gin. I asked for a recommendation, and was asked what flavour I’d like my gin with. I ended up going with a more orange-based gin and tonic, which was very nice.
Qantas Lounge London Gin Bar Gin and Tonic
Qantas Lounge London Bathrooms
The Qantas Lounge features individual bathroom cubicles, and featured toiletries from Australian brand Li’Tya.
Qantas Lounge London Bathroom Cubicles
Qantas Lounge London Shower Suites
In addition to the bathroom cubicles, the Qantas lounge also has six shower suites. I didn’t manage to snap a photo, as they were all occupied as I was leaving (I hadn’t asked earlier). However, based on a photo taken by Monkey Miles, the shower suites look nice, well-appointed, and well-stocked with Li’Tya toiletries.
Qantas Lounge London Heathrow Shower Rooms (credit: Monkey Miles)
Qantas Lounge London Service
Everyone I interacted with at the Qantas Lounge Heathrow was friendly, and clearly took pride in the quality of the lounge. To the airline’s credit, I find this to be the case across the board at Qantas lounges.
For example, at the bar, I spoke to the bartender about which passengers typically use the lounge, and the bartender was helpful to let me know the lounge’s main demographic, while keeping me topped up. At the restaurant, staff were keen for me to try some of the food offering before my 5:20 PM boarding time (20 minutes after the restaurant opened), and even came by to ask how the food was.
Conclusion: Qantas Lounge London Heathrow
Qantas has a great lounge at Heathrow’s T3. The lounge’s seating, food and beverages, and other facilities are splendid across the board. While the neighbouring Cathay Pacific lounge is similarly competitive in many ways, the two lounges blow other Oneworld options at the airport out of the water, such as the British Airways Galleries lounge and American Airlines Admirals Club.
The sweet spot for visiting the lounge is around the time where the restaurant is open, and it’s a particular plus when visiting before a shorthaul British Airways flight. Even outside of these hours, this is a great place to spend time before a flight, and I’d even recommend coming to the airport early if I had access.
Do you know if Emerald members are permitted to bring their immeadiate family in with them?
Good question! Only if on Qantas – if on another Oneworld carrier, only one guest allowed.