Air New Zealand Lounge — Local services in Melbourne

Most definitely one of the nicest airport lounges I have been to. Right when we entered and staff noticed that we were not on a NZ flight, they very respectfully reminded us that there won’t be announcements for boarding time, etc. Since there were still very very few people when we went, a member of the staff was going around chatting with people. This actually made for a very good experience and interaction with the airline, even getting a chance to know some fun facts anout Air New Zealand.

The food was amazing, and the Chicken Marbella served on that day was perhaps the best food we’ve had while on our trip in Australia. Depending on the time of day, the kind of food that’s available changes. There’s apparently a more colorful buffet during the daytime.

We went on a late night for an SQ flight to Singapore, and there were no more NZ flights but the lounge was still open for Star Alliance Gold members. You might eventually want to just skip the Krisflyer lounge and go here, for the vastly more abundant seating space, no waiting time for the shower rooms, great selection of alcohol, friendly staff and bright ambience...

The Air New Zealand lounge in the basement level 2, just follow the sign boards to reach there. Very quiet and organised. It was like pin drop silence.. very few people in there when I went. The food spread was amazing, the number of dishes in vegetarian for once outshined the dishes in non veg. There was only beef with wild mushrooms in non veg. From soup to salads to the variety of cheese .. I loved sweet potato mash and moussaka along with garlic crostini. There were plenty options in the drinks as well. From alcohol to non alcohol, great options to suit each one’s choice. Even the staff working there was so prompt and quiet and everything was cleared instantly. It was good to see even the chef coming forward to make a conversation and ask about how to food was.. compliments come naturally.. I only thing I felt ! There could have been one Or two more options in the dessert. Rest everything was just perfect.

The staff on the welcome counter seemed vigilant to make name calls as per the flight schedules so that one could move out of the lounge to catch it right on time. Must experience this ever you...

Great sized lounge for the number of passengers, and I’ve never had trouble finding a seat unlike Auckland International Airport. The food is impressively consistent (poor). Options haven’t changed in a few years, which is usually a lamb curry (almost every time without fail) and soup. Frustrating, as the flight to Auckland also serves lamb so it’s just a bit much.

The scones are inedible, hard, overcooked, and left untouched on plates by multiple passengers. Sadly, it’s not a one-off, AirNZ Melbourne simply cannot bake a decent scone and I’d avoid the coffee. Melbourne is known for world class coffee, but the lounge doesn’t quite reach Melbourne’s standard. Beyond the lamb, scones and coffee, the food and ambience are virtually identical to every other AirNZ lounge, but maybe time for a refresh Air...