Qantas is opening new lounges dedicated to Business Class passengers and Platinum Frequent Flyers in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. The Brisbane and Sydney lounges have already opened and Melbourne will be available from the end of this month.

The large Sydney lounge is expected to reduce congestion in the often-crowded Qantas Club. Other business friendly moves will include deployment of SMS and e-mail connectivity on all Perth flights from the East Coast, with a rollout on A330-200 and Boeing 767 aircraft starting this November. Customers are also being teased with a “brand new check-in experience” from mid-2009. By then, Frequent Flyers who check in on-line will be able to self-select their seats, and the carrier will also redesign its domestic terminals, starting off with Melbourne, to improve the flow of passengers and make the process of check-in and bag drop faster and easier.