No matter which cabin you’re in, flying on Qantas’ non-stop 17-hour service between London and Perth is quite an endurance test.
Recognising this, the Australian airline has introduced an incredible new lounge at its Perth Airport – the Perth International Transit Lounge – to help prepare passengers for the long journey ahead and to de-stress in-bound fliers.
Everything has been painstakingly designed with the aim of improving not just comfort but wellbeing by encouraging hydration and reducing the effects of jetlag with the likes of ‘light therapy’ showers, hydration menus and yoga classes.
The new Qantas lounge at Perth Airport, which has been designed especially to soothe passengers travelling on the ultra long haul non-stop flight to London, which takes 17 hours
The airline consulted with Australian chef Neil Perry for the food menu. Pictured is the buffet, where passengers can help themselves
Everything in the lounge has been painstakingly designed with the aim of improving not just comfort but well-being by encouraging hydration and reducing the effects of jet lag
Before taking a long flight to London, passengers can take a yoga class, which features calming and grounding exercises
The ‘light therapy’ showers – installed in 15 suites – help adjust the body clock. They contain a special light (pictured) that customers can activate, with the airline saying that 15-minute sessions can help body clocks adjust to the destination time zone, increase alertness and combat the effects of jetlag
The ‘light therapy’ showers – installed in 15 suites – help adjust the body clock.
They contain a special light that customers can activate, with the airline saying that 15-minute sessions can help body clocks adjust to the destination time zone, increase alertness and combat the effects of jetlag.
There’s also a timber-lined studio where stretching and breathing classes run by a yoga teacher are held every 15 minutes.
Classes are based on customers’ needs such as calming and grounding sequences for those departing on the flight to London and stretches to loosen and invigorate muscles for those arriving in Perth.
There is an outdoor terrace in the Qantas lounge at Perth Airport, where chefs barbecue gourmet sausages, mushrooms and corn on the cob
For those seeking a tipple, there’s a full service bar with premium Australian beer and wine, including from the Margaret River region
The airline consulted with Neil Perry for food, Australian industrial designer David Caon and SUMU design for the layout and decor, and the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre for sleep medicine expertise.
Charles Perkins Centre Professor of Sleep Medicine, Peter Cistulli, said the overarching goal was to enhance the passenger travel experience and optimise wellbeing.
‘We’ve worked with the University of Sydney’s School of Physics to create an airline-first bespoke body clock intervention using bright light to help kick start the adjustment of customers’ body clocks. Applying light at appropriate times helps reduce the effects of jet lag,’ Professor Cistulli said.
‘The lounge is just one aspect of our partnership with Qantas to improve the wellbeing of travellers. We’ve also worked together to influence the menu and timing of the food and drinks service on the Perth to London route, cabin lighting design and temperature in the 787 and we are interested in seeing how customers will respond.’
Natural light in the lounge floods in from an enclosed but breezy open-air terrace where chefs barbecue gourmet sausages, mushrooms and corn on the cob.
The Perry-devised in-flight trial menu for the Perth to London route is chock full of healthy, hydrating options such as poke bowls and probiotic juice shots, and buffet choices in the transit lounge are equally nutritious.
And before travellers begin their 17-hour haul, they’ll be encouraged to hydrate with herbal tea, and fruit-infused and sparkling water.
Qantas head of customer product and service, Philip Capps, said an emphasis on wellness in the lounge design was a whole new approach to long-haul travel
For those seeking a tipple, there’s a full service bar with premium Australian beer and wine, including from the Margaret River region.
The lounge is open to travellers going through Perth when travelling on QF9 from Melbourne to London and QF10 from London to Melbourne.
It is also open to customers beginning their journey in Perth to London.
Eligible customers include customers travelling in business, gold, platinum and platinum one Frequent Flyers, Oneworld emerald and sapphire customers, and Qantas Club members and their guests.
The timber-lined studio where stretching and breathing classes run by a yoga teacher are held every 15 minutes
Qantas head of customer product and service, Philip Capps, said an emphasis on wellness in the lounge design was a whole new approach to long-haul travel.
He explained: ‘We’ve brought together some of Australia’s best culinary, design and scientific minds to create a lounge experience that will help set our customers up to feel better throughout their journey.
‘This sophisticated lounge is the ideal space for customers to unwind in between flights. The design reflects the natural beauty of the WA landscape through natural light and colour choices, and offers some of the best local food and wine.’
The new lounge is open to business passengers as well as gold, platinum and platinum one Frequent Flyers, Oneworld emerald and sapphire customers, and Qantas Club members and their guests
The first Qantas non-stop flight from Perth to London took place on March 24 and landed at Heathrow airport following a gruelling 17 hours and 20 minutes, travelling 9,000 miles.
The aircraft used on the route is the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which is twice as fuel-efficient as the Boeing 747.
It boasts of a number of advantages over other models, including lower cabin noise, larger windows, improved air quality and technology to reduce turbulence.
The inaugural trip took off with more than 200 passengers and 16 crew members. The plane has 42 business class flat-bed seats, 28 premium economy seats and 166 economy seats.
The flight is 24 per cent further than the UK’s previous longest route, operated by Garuda Indonesia between Heathrow and Jakarta, which is a measly 7,275 miles in comparison.