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Tag: Catalina

QANTAS to Open Pop-up Transit Lounge at Darwin International Airport

Qantas will open a temporary lounge to cater for eligible customers travelling between Sydney and London via Darwin from next month.

It follows the recent announcement that Qantas’ flagship Australia to United Kingdom route would operate via Darwin once Australia’s international borders open on 1 November until at least April 2022 due to WA border closures.

Qantas will lease Darwin International Airport’s Catalina lounge, which will have space for approximately 100 guests utilising existing furniture and fittings. The offering will feature:

  • Service delivered by local Qantas lounge team members, including a signature welcome mocktail (Top End Lemonade) and refreshing cold towels.
  • Generous lounge and dining areas with a serviced buffet
  • Tailored menus for time of day, drawing on local culinary influences such as a Darwin markets inspired Asian style soup.
  • Premium Australian wines, beers and non-alcoholic drinks offered by a dedicated bar attendant
  • Power points through the space to recharge on the fly
  • Bathroom facilities

Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer, Stephanie Tully, said the national carrier is delighted to work with Darwin International Airport to ensure a comfortable transit experience for its top tier frequent flyers and customers travelling in Business Class.

Customers eligible to visit the Qantas Darwin International Transit Lounge include:

  • Platinum One, Platinum, Gold Qantas Frequent Flyers and Qantas Club members
  • Customers travelling in Business Class
  • Eligible oneworld partner members

Qantas will also reopen its Sydney International First Lounge from 1 November and its London and Los Angeles lounges in December.  In the interim few weeks of operation, eligible Qantas customers will be able to visit the British Airways T3 Lounge at London Heathrow and the Star Alliance Lounge at Tom Bradley International Terminal in LA.  Other international lounges will reopen to align with the return of further international routes.

Norway’s First P-8A Poseidon Rolls Out of Boeing Paint Shop

The first P-8A Poseidon aircraft for Norway today rolled out of the paint shop in Renton, in Royal Norwegian Air Force livery. Norway is one of eight nations to have acquired the P-8A as their new multimission maritime patrol aircraft.

Recently, the air force revealed the names of its five P-8A Poseidon aircraft: Vingtor, Viking, Ulabrand, Hugin and Munin. The names are inspired by Norse mythology and continue a tradition of almost 80 years that started when the names Vingtor, Viking and Ulabrand were used on Norway’s PBY-5 Catalina maritime patrol aircraft in 1942. Since then, other maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force have carried those names, including its current P-3 fleet, which will be replaced by the P-8. 

Norway’s first P-8A aircraft – Vingtor – will now return to the factory floor to be prepared for flight testing. First flight is scheduled for later this month, and mission systems will be installed on the aircraft after that.

First Norwegian P8 Paint Rollout