Darwin Qantas Club Lounge

[Ryan N]

Has anyone been to the Qantas Club lounge in Darwin? Is it comparable to the ones in Sydney and Melbourne? I'm catching the red eye back to Sydney in a few months time so I have a few hours with nothing to do but hang around the airport.

[J Brown]

It's nothing on what Sydney/Melbourne offer, but still has all your basics you'd find in any lounge.

You've picked a good time to be in the lounge, as for the early afternoon departures it does get quite crowded.

[Justin L]

I've being in the Darwin Qantas Club Lounge twice, once before the Sydney red-eye and once early in the morning upon return on a Jetstar flight from Singapore awaiting my domestic QF connection.

It's not comparable to the Sydney or Adelaide Qantas Club, but is still pretty good and definitely a more relaxing environment than the smaller general departure lounge in the terminal.

[Ryan N]

Thanks! My flight is at 1:45am on a Monday and there isn't much to do in Darwin on a Sunday night. So the lounge would come in handy to get a couple of hours sleep before the flight. I was hoping to go to the airport after dinner but the lounge does not open until 11pm.

[Justin L]

Yeah, the hours for the Darwin Qantas Club are based on the QF schedule into the city.

[Ryan N]

Even though Qantas Club is not open at all times, are the check in counters open 24 hours a day?

[Justin L]

The last time I was there transferring from a QF domestic flight to a JQ international flight with a 6-7 hour connection, the JQ counters weren't open until 3 hours before the flight. I met up with friends from Darwin during my layover so it was no big deal for me though. DRW is a very quiet place in between flights, so don't think QF would be open either. QF website may have more details under Airport Information for DRW.

[Ryan N]

Just out of curiosity. Which side of the plane should I sit to get the best view on approach to Darwin? Also, a bit of a dumb question. Would I see the Katherine Gorge during the flight? It's my first trip to the Top End and I'm looking forward to it very much.

[Justin L]

When flying DRW-CNS in the past, I had a great view of the Darwin CBD from the left hand side of the plane.

[Ryan N]

But coming from the south, would I be flying to the right or left of Katherine?

[Gary Smith8]

Ryan,

I do the trip every couple of months and if you want to see the Gorge, sit on the Port side. With winds this time of year the Starboard side will give you the best view of the CBD before turning final.

[Ryan N]

Thanks Gary.