Qantas customers travelling from Los Angeles are set to
experience a new standard of luxury from this holiday season,
following the unveiling of an all-new Qantas First Lounge.
The new spacious and luxurious lounge is based on the flagship
multi-award winning Qantas First Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne,
providing seating for more than 200 customers and different zones
to dine, relax, work and socialise.
It is the first overseas Qantas First lounge to be designed by
renowned Australian industrial designer, Marc Newson.
Speaking at a launch event in Los Angeles, Qantas Group CEO Alan
Joyce said the newest Qantas First Lounge offers what he believes
is the best on-ground First class experience in North America.
“The new lounge is more than triple the size of the previous
space, and the design and service is equal to the world’s best
five-star hotels and restaurants,” said Mr Joyce.
“Lounges are important to our international customers’ journey,
which is why we have drawn on the knowledge of world-leading
experts like Marc Newson and Qantas Chef Neil Perry to deliver the
most luxurious experience before people even step on board.
“This new lounge is symbolic of our continued investment in our
customers and commitment to the US market. We are the only airline
to operate non-stop A380 services between the United States and
Australia, we’ve recently introduced the A380 on services between
Dallas/Fort Worth and Sydney and opened a new Business Lounge in LA
in June,” added Mr Joyce.
Qantas Creative Designer Marc Newson said he was proud to design
Qantas’ First Lounge in Los Angeles.
“The new Qantas First Lounge will give Qantas travellers a
beautiful, calm oasis to rest, work or dine, prior to their
flight,” said Mr Newson.
Features of the lounge include Californian Knoll furniture
selected by Marc Newson, with superior lounge finishes including
American oak walls, Tuscan Carrara marbled floors and 48 foot-long
bar, and Tai Ping wool carpets from Hong Kong featuring the
renowned Qantas First Lounge hex design.
Similar to the flagship First Lounge in Sydney, the new Qantas
First Lounge in Los Angeles features a new 74-seat restaurant and
bar where customers can dine from a Neil Perry Rockpool designed a
la carte menu while enjoying a view of the open-style kitchen.
“We are proud to bring the first Neil Perry restaurant to LA and
offer our customers some of their favourite dishes from Neil’s
impressive repertoire,” said Mr Joyce.
The new menu will be updated seasonally to take advantage of the
best available produce and will offer a mix of signature Rockpool
Bar and Grill dishes including Black Angus minute steak with
chipotle butter and lime, local LA-inspired cuisine including
Mexican, Korean and Italian, and favourites from the First Lounges
in Sydney and Melbourne such as the Salt and Pepper Squid.
Customers can also enjoy signature cocktails, such as the Mezcal
Margarita available at launch, premium Australian and Californian
wines, champagne, ice teas and a full barista service. Lounge hosts
will offer a selection of individually prepared small plates in the
lounge and bar area.
Qantas has partnered with Sofitel to offer a service experience
consistent with the standards across its First Lounges in Sydney
and Melbourne. Qantas First Hosts will also provide a personalised
service for customers traveling in First, which includes dedicated
check-in, fast-track immigration and dedicated boarding.
The new Qantas First Lounge also offers: faster WiFi, wireless
printing, cable television, two private work suites and seven
shower suites featuring Aurora Spa ASPAR products.
Qantas is the only carrier to operate A380 services between the
US and Australia. Qantas will boost services between Los Angeles
and Sydney to cater for increased demand over the holiday period,
operating an extra B747 service on 18, 19 and 20 December in
addition to the scheduled daily B747 and A380 service. From today,
Qantas will increase its Los Angeles to Melbourne service from a
daily service to ten per week. B747s on the Pacific route are
reconfigured, with similar interiors and inflight entertainment
found in the airline’s flagship A380 fleet.
About Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer and Qantas’
Creative Designer. He has been described as the most influential
designer of his generation. He has worked across a wide range of
disciplines, creating everything from furniture and household
objects to bicycles and cars, private and commercial aircraft,
yachts, various architectural commissions, and signature sculptural
pieces for clients across the globe.
Marc Newson’s work with Qantas began in 2003 when he designed
the first International Business Skybed on the B747 and
International A330 fleet. He’s since designed the Qantas A380 seats
and interiors, First, Business and Chairmans Lounges, Noritake
tableware inflight and Qantas’ Domestic Faster Smarter Check-in
including the bag drop facility and Q Bag Tag.
About Neil Perry
Neil Perry is one of Australia’s leading and most influential
chefs. Today he concentrates on his seven restaurants in Sydney,
Melbourne and Perth and the newly opened Burger Project in Sydney.
He is proud to lead Australia’s most awarded restaurant group with
15 Good Food Guide Chefs Hats across seven dining experiences, and
all are in Gourmet Traveller’s Top 50 Restaurant list.
Neil Perry has been consulting to Qantas for 17 years. Qantas’
relationship with Rockpool commenced with the development of First
Class in 1997 which led to a new way of cooking and serving Qantas
passengers.
Neil heads a team of seven consultants to Qantas Airways. Menus
in Qantas’ First and Business Lounges and in flight are developed
quarterly, with the team overseeing the implementation and
introduction to catering centres at key ports. The Rockpool
Consulting team is integral to the food and wine training for all
Business and First cabin crew.
Issued by Grayling on behalf of Qantas Corporate
CommunicationMedia Enquiries:Courtney Treak, (AUS) +61 409 069
498courtneytreak@qantas.com.auorMonica Caires, (US) +1 (323)
648-5426monica.caires@grayling.com