Qantas First Lounge

On FlyerTalk, frequent flyers call this the best lounge at LAX

Terminal B’s Qantas First Lounge sits above the main TBIT check-in area, past security, signed as /TBIT Qantas First Lounge/. Access is for oneworld international first passengers and oneworld Emeralds, including BA and AA elites starting in terminals 4–8 who walk or tunnel over to B. Regulars openly say they will pick this over AA Flagship at T4 every time if their status and itinerary allow it.

The dining is the headline: a full restaurant service with a printed a la carte menu instead of a buffet line. Frequent flyers plan around /meal periods/ so they can sit down for a proper starter, main, and dessert rather than just grab a snack. Compared with eating onboard, many report doing their main meal here and then sleeping straight after departure, especially on overnight flights to SYD or MEL.

Hours run across the Qantas long-haul departure bank, so late afternoon and evening departures from TBIT are covered, but early-morning traffic out of LAX B may find the lounge closed. The bar backs that dining program with a solid Australian-leaning wine list and made-to-order cocktails, which FlyerTalk BA forum regulars say justify the extra walking time from terminals 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. If you hold oneworld Emerald through BAEC or AAdvantage, you do not need to buy a /oneworld Emerald access/ day pass; status is the ticket.

Common complaint: the walk. From T4 you are looking at roughly 10–15 minutes via the airside connector to B, and it can be closer to 20 from T6–7 if you are not rushing. Threads on both BA and Qantas boards say it is still worth it, but factor the walk plus security if you decide to clear directly into TBIT instead of your departure terminal. Build the buffer; this is not a dash-in, dash-out lounge.

What regulars do: oneworld Emeralds routinely book 3–4 hour layovers at LAX just to spend a long session in this space, often skipping the main course onboard entirely. BA elites on West Coast–London routings write that they will clear security in B instead of T5 or T6 purely to maximize Qantas First time before heading to a BA gate in TBIT. One practical tip: if you land domestically into T4–8, follow signs for the airside connector as soon as you exit your arrival gate and walk straight to B before you get tempted by closer but weaker lounges.