I recently flew American Airlines first class between Los Angeles and Sydney with my family. We used the Qantas first class lounges in both cities. I’ve been to both many times, and reviewed them both, so I’ll write about them here together. That makes for a nice opportunity to compare.

As an American AAdvantage Executive Platinum I’d have had access to both lounges regardless of the class of service I was flying, but with only one guest. We were a party of four (which was great as half of the American Airlines first class cabin) and so our tickets are what we used to access both lounges.

Qantas First Class Lounge LAX

There was a time that the Qantas first class lounge at LAX in the Tom Bradley International Terminal was the best airport lounge in the United States. It is still… fine, but it has been surpassed many times by what has come since.

The lounge is a level above the TBIT terminal, and you pass by it walking over from terminal four where I did Flagship check-in.

They still offer cooked to order food, and it’s reasonably good. But the lounge doesn’t really have any other ‘plus’ features. I can’t visit the lounge without trying the signature salt and pepper squid. The minute steak is… ok but the fries came out great. I greatly appreciate that the wine list includes Australian options, and the Shiraz was a nice accompaniment.

The design is dated, but similar to the first class lounge in Sydney. The biggest drawback is low ceilings and no windows. They are currently renovating a portion of the lounge, though, so it’ll be interesting to see how that comes out.

The Qantas First Class Lounge In Sydney

We arrived at the airport 2.5 hours before flight – we had to check bags, and that would involve waiting in line at the oversized bag drop off for car seats (my last trip departing Sydney in American Airlines first class we were escorted through that, but the outsourced agents there did not do that this time). We also wouldn’t be able to use e-gates for departing immigration with kids, and planned for a 10-minute walk to the gate.

The lounge is just past duty free once you clear departure immigration and security. We actually didn’t have much time in the Qantas lounge. It seemed like we had a bit of a reprieve from rushing when the flight initially showed a delay of about 20 minutes. Staff there assured that they would make an announcement in the lounge. But then the delay was cancelled and our departure time moved back up.

The Qantas first class lounge is lovely but somewhat overrun. There was a 25 minute projected wait for a table in the dining room, but you can get service anywhere in the lounge… if you chase down a staff member. We had a quick breakfast and headed off to the gate.

As an American Airlines first class passenger, or oneworld emerald, you aren’t likely to get a spa appointment. Flying Qantas first class you can reserve one the day prior to travel. And I’ve always found their 20 minute massages in a dedicated treatment room relaxing and a great start to a long haul journey.

However the food here is quite good, and the service is too but it just couldn’t really keep up with the volume of passengers. Nonetheless, I feel like they continue to do a great job after all these years and it would be a revelation having this lounge in the United States. It’s also primarily so much better than the LAX version not just because the food is better (it is) but because the lounge itself is so much brighter and airier.