Air New Zealand Sydney Lounge Review

Ratings:
Seating: 6/10
Food: 7/10
Beverages: 7/10
Family facilities: 8/10

Overall: 7/10

Note: the lounge is currently temporary and reduced in size whilst they are renovating. The below review is from travel in August 2014.

Velocity Gold and Platinum frequent flyers heading across the Tasman on Air New Zealand or Virgin Australia can enjoy the Sydney departure lounge before departure. This lounge is located upstairs after customs and immigration, near gate 51. The lounge is currently fitted out in the older teal and brown branding of Air NZ, it doesn’t feel quite as chic as the Melbourne lounge where the dark grey tones feel more modern and luxe.

The lounge is expansive with a seating capacity of 250 and there is a large central bar and buffet area overlooking several gates which provides great views of various aircraft on the tarmac.

The bar is stocked with the usual beverages and the sparkling water on tap was nicely received by this reviewer as are the excellent New Zealand beers and wines. The major drawback was the lack of barista and the automatic coffee machine was terrible.

A nice selection of food is laid out, when we were road testing it there were good hot and cold options for breakfast. Adding a sense of whimsy was a retro hot dog cart, great for kids and teenagers in particular.

Located to the right of the check in desk is a quiet zone which has additional seating for those not needing to be on a mobile phone. This area doesn’t see a lot of traffic and feels nicer than the high traffic area near the buffet.

Also, towards the back of the lounge is a fantastic kids area great for those with kids to keep them entertained and for those without to keep the kids in a nice quiet area. Our toddler had an great time there and the inclusion of a high chair was a nice touch when most lounges don’t cater for the little ones.

All in all the lounge does the job nicely but is in need for an upgrade and refresh in the not too distant future.