Qantas International Business Lounge, Los Angeles

Most Qantas lounges are wholly Qantas affairs. This one is not. The Los Angeles Business Lounge is co-owned by Qantas, British Airways and Cathay Pacific, with the three carriers splitting the considerable cost of floor space at LAX and Qantas taking responsibility for running the place.

It is also large. With seating for 600, it absorbs eligible oneworld passengers plus travellers from several partner airlines outside the alliance without feeling as pressed as its narrow floor plan might suggest.

Finding it

The lounge sits in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, on level five. After clearing departure or transit security, walk along the terminal's main concourse, find the nearest lift and head up.

Transit passengers often have an easier run. Most LAX terminals are connected airside, so arriving from a US domestic or Canadian Preclearance flight may mean you never have to clear security again. Connections from American Airlines are particularly straightforward: AA operates from Terminal 4, immediately adjacent, and the walk across to TBIT takes about ten minutes. If your bag is checked through, or you are travelling with carry-on only, there is nothing else to do.

The lounge opens at 6.30am daily and closes after the last Qantas, British Airways or Cathay Pacific departure.

Layout and seating

The floor plan is a hollow rectangle, wrapped like a picture frame around a central void hung with artwork. That brings some natural light into the space, but it also means there are no airfield views at all — a real loss in a lounge where plane-watching would otherwise pass the time.

The consequence of the shape is that much of the lounge feels narrow. Seating lines the windows to make use of the daylight, with more against the opposing wall and a walkway running between. What saves it is that the same layout creates a series of quieter pockets rather than one large room.

Turn left immediately after reception and you enter the least-travelled part of the lounge. That appears to be deliberate: many seats here come with ottomans, which suits a longer stay. Keep walking and you find nook after nook of varied seating.

Eventually the path opens into the broadest and busiest section, which is unsurprisingly the area nearest the food. Dining tables are plentiful here, supplemented by communal high-top seating. Behind the dining area is a quiet zone that looks like a private room but is open to anyone — although it shares space with the children's area, so its quietness is not guaranteed. The bar, by contrast, is where you go for a little atmosphere and room to socialise.

Amenities

The signature feature sits next to the bar: a large ring of seating wrapped around a fireplace. It is a nod to Los Angeles, and it is a genuinely different thing to find in an airport lounge, though it is worth managing expectations. The fireplace is ornamental, so the seats around it are no warmer than anywhere else. The nearby Star Alliance Lounge does this better, with real fireplaces along an outdoor terrace.

For work, there are two purpose-built options. The quiet nook to the left of reception houses a full business centre with private workstations, desk-level power, printing facilities and laptop benches, with self-serve tea and coffee close by. The alternative is a long workbench along the back half of the rectangle, which gets better light and has easy access to power, but sits closer to the buffet and picks up more noise as a result.

Wi-Fi performance on a quiet weekday afternoon varied noticeably but stayed usable throughout, with download speeds ranging from roughly 40 to 114Mbps across repeated tests and uploads between about 32 and 47Mbps.

Sixteen private shower suites are available, which is generous for a Business Class lounge and useful given how many guests arrive here off long-haul sectors.

Food and drink

Barista-made coffee is the obvious strength, and it is the right call for an Australian airline's flagship US lounge. Ordering a skim latte works exactly as you would expect it to, which it does not in most of the rest of the country.

The bar is self-serve for beer and wine, with staff on hand as well. There is no Champagne — a Poema Cava is the sparkling option. The still wine list runs to six bottles, and the split is sensible for the location. Three are Australian: a Chardonnay and Shiraz from Fowles Farm to Table, and a 19 Crimes Cabernet Sauvignon. Two are Californian: a Sterling Pinot Noir and a Noble Wines Sauvignon Blanc. An Italian Pinot Grigio from Cavaliere d'Oro rounds it out.

Beer is the more interesting list, running to The Dudes IPA, Ayinger Pilsner, Estrella Damm Lager and Ayinger Hefeweizen.

The buffet covers snacks, salads, vegetables, a curry with rice, and desserts. Measured against most lounges in the United States, that is a comprehensive spread that will suit most tastes and will certainly fill you up. Measured against expectations, it is unexciting. Curry with rice as the headline hot dish is close to what Qantas serves in its domestic Business lounges, and a lounge of this size and prominence could stretch further.

Who can get in

Access here is the most complicated of any lounge in the Qantas network. The rules shift depending on whether you are flying domestically or internationally, on your connection, your status, your membership and the flight number on your ticket — and several non-oneworld airlines use the lounge under their own rules. The table below covers the main routes in, setting aside top-tier and First Class passengers who would instead use the Qantas International First Lounge at LAX.

Route in Detail
Business Class ticket Aer Lingus, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, El Al, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LATAM, Qantas and Qatar Airways. Finnair 'Business Light' and Qatar 'Business Lite' fares are excluded unless eligible another way
American Airlines Flagship Business To destinations outside the US, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean; or on qualifying transcontinental routes such as New York JFK, or to Mexico City
oneworld connection rule Connecting from an eligible international oneworld flight over five hours to a oneworld US domestic flight, or another oneworld international flight under five hours — useful if arriving from Australia in Business and continuing in Economy
QF codeshare in Business Mainly relevant on Air Tahiti Nui and Fiji Airways booked on a QF number; those carriers otherwise use the Star Alliance Lounge
Qantas Gold Before all oneworld flights, including US domestic itineraries, and before any flight booked on a QF codeshare
Other oneworld Sapphire Before all oneworld flights regardless of destination, when booked and travelling on a oneworld carrier's flight number
American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum Before oneworld flights to destinations outside the US, Canada, Mexico (except Mexico City), the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean
Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold Before a oneworld flight to a destination outside the US, Canada or Mexico
Qantas Club Departing on a Qantas or American Airlines flight, on a QF or AA flight number. Annual Guest cards are valid; single-use Qantas lounge passes are not accepted at LAX
Alaska Lounge+ Departing on a Qantas-operated international flight
Japan Airlines fares Premium Economy passengers, and the top-priced 'Flex Y' Economy fare, before JAL flights only
Airline-specific status AerClub Silver and above before Aer Lingus flights; Matmid Gold and above before El Al flights; LATAM Pass Platinum and above before LATAM flights; Cathay Silver before Cathay flights

Two points are worth flagging. Aer Lingus, Air Tahiti Nui, El Al and LATAM are not oneworld members, and Fiji Airways is a oneworld Connect participant rather than a full member, so the connection rule does not apply on any of them — and access is not available when flying Air Tahiti Nui on a TN number or Fiji Airways on an FJ number.

Second, this lounge does not appear on American Airlines' list of partner locations for Admirals Club members. The LAX Admirals Club is about ten minutes' walk away inside security, and is open to members flying Alaska Airlines, American Airlines or Qantas.

Summing up

For all the three-airline ownership, this does not feel like a hybrid lounge. Beyond the British Airways and Cathay Pacific logos at the entrance, there is nothing here that signals either carrier's involvement. There is no noodle bar nodding to Cathay, and no Champagne on request as British Airways lounges often provide. What you get is a general buffet, sparkling wine and barista coffee — which is to say, a Qantas Business lounge, transplanted.

That is not a criticism so much as a description. It does the job, the coffee is good, the shower provision is strong and the quiet corners are genuinely quiet. But it is worth knowing that the American Airlines Flagship Lounge is an easy walk from here, and that most passengers who qualify for this lounge will also qualify for that one. Flagship offers floor-to-ceiling windows, a more comprehensive buffet, frequently a chef's station, and actual Champagne.

If you have time on a long transit, the sensible approach is to visit both and decide which suits you. If you have only an hour, this lounge will do the job without fuss.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Qantas Business Lounge at LAX? On level five of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. After security, walk along the main concourse and take the nearest lift up.

What are the opening hours? It opens at 6.30am every day and closes after the last Qantas, British Airways or Cathay Pacific departure.

Does the lounge have showers? Yes, sixteen private shower suites, which is generous for a Business Class lounge of this type.

Can Qantas Club members use this lounge? Yes, when departing on a Qantas or American Airlines flight booked on a QF or AA flight number. Annual Guest cards are valid, but single-use Qantas lounge passes are not accepted at LAX.

Is Champagne served in the lounge? No. A Poema Cava is the sparkling wine on offer. The nearby American Airlines Flagship Lounge does serve Champagne.

Can I connect from an American Airlines flight easily? Yes. American Airlines uses Terminal 4, immediately next to TBIT, and most LAX terminals are connected airside, so the walk takes around ten minutes without re-clearing security.

Images on This Page