Qantas today officially unveiled the expansion of the Qantas Club at Perth Airport, as part of a broader transformation of Western Australia’s main gateway.

The 400 square metre lounge expansion has increased the existing space by over 30 per cent, and can cater for an additional 140 people.

Visiting the new lounge, Qantas Loyalty Chief Executive Officer Lesley Grant said the increased lounge space would help contribute to Qantas’ status as best for business and premium travel.

“Qantas is committed to providing its customers with the best travel experience on the ground as well as in the air,” Ms Grant said.

“The Qantas Group services the vast majority of flights in and out of Perth Airport, so we have witnessed first-hand the huge growth in premium traffic as a result of the mining and resource sectors.

“To meet demand we have increased lounge capacity by almost a third, allowing for more seating, work areas, bar and meal spaces.

“Feedback from customers who have already used the new facilities has been fantastic.”

Ms Grant said Qantas is investing significantly in Perth Airport assets to meet market demand.

“The Qantas Group will obtain exclusive use of Terminals 3 and 4 as part of Perth Airport’s transformation. All Qantas Group Domestic and Regional services – Qantas, Jetstar, QantasLink and Network Aviation – will operate from the same precinct and will provide customers with a seamless airport experience,” she said.

Qantas has also recently introduced a number of other initiatives in Western Australia to improve customers’ experience and cater for growth including:

– Increased capacity to provide more flights, to more destinations at times when customers most want to fly;
– Deploying Qantas Airbus A330 aircraft on all weekday flights between Sydney-Perth and Melbourne-Perth and refreshed Boeing 767 aircraft with new interiors and iPads with in-flight entertainment on Brisbane-Perth services;
– Added security screening areas to speed up the processing of passengers;
– Introduced the award winning Faster, Smarter Check-In kiosks with automatic bag drop facilities which has reduced check-in times and eliminated queues; and
– Introduced Q Card Readers for Frequent Flyers which let Qantas customers check in within seconds with one simple swipe while acting as a permanent boarding pass.

Perth customers can also expect world class travel experiences as a result of the Qantas-Emirates partnership (subject to regulatory approvals). The joint network will give Perth passengers one-stop access to and from Europe, shorter travel times, and frequent flyer benefits.

Ms Grant was visiting Perth as part of a nation-wide road show to showcase new aspects of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. This includes the next generation Frequent Flyer member card, which will have inbuilt prepaid functionality called Qantas Cash. The new card will give customers the opportunity to earn and redeem points on the joint Qantas-Emirates network. The Frequent Flyer program recently reached 9 million members.