Aussies rip into lacklustre menu in invitation-only Qantas Chairman's Lounge: 'It's like a bad RSL'

Published: 06:39, 17 April 2026 | Updated: 06:39, 17 April 2026 Aussies have likened an exclusive, invitation-only Qantas lounge to a 'bad RSL' after a photo of its food and drink menu went viral this week. Celebrated chef Neil Perry's menu, served in the Qantas Chairman's Lounge in Sydney Airport, showed a range of offerings including a club sandwich, salt and pepper squid, a pepperoni pizza and soup of the day.  'Neil Perry AM is one of Australia's leading and most influential chefs, committed to using quality produce and the best of local ingredients, both in the air and on the ground,' a statement at the top of the menu read. 'Conceived in 1997, Neil's partnership with Qantas is the longest of its kind in aviation history; we invite you to enjoy Neil's dishes from the menus along your journey.' A selection of basic wines, beers and cider were also on offer to guests.  It wasn't long before the Qantas offerings were compared to those served in a pub or RSL club, rather than a lounge for Australia's political and corporate elite. 'Suddenly I don't care about ever getting invited there. Dirty, folded edges and a menu that makes your local RSL look sophisticated. What is Qantas on? They are running it in to the ground faster than US private equity,' one person wrote online.  'It's like a bad RSL with an X-ray security check on entry,' a second wrote.  Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce reportedly described the Chairman's Lounge as 'probably the most exclusive club in the country' (pictured is the Chairman's Lounge in Sydney) One traveller who'd visited the lounge before described the BLT sandwich as 'underwhelming' The menu, which was served at Sydney Airport on Sunday, showed varied offerings including a club sandwich, salt and pepper squid, a pepperoni pizza and the soup of the day '"Conceived in 1997, Neil's partnership with Qantas is the longest in aviation history"- I think Neil might still be living in 1997 if he thinks this is a classy menu,' another said.  'They are uninspired for what's supposed to be high society!' a fourth agreed. However others came to the airline's defence and said people in the lounge were there to be seen and to mingle, rather than wolf down a meal prior to boarding. 'It's definitely better than the other domestic options [in my opinion]. A lot less crowded and showers available in Sydney at least,' one person said. 'I've always assumed it exist so VIPs didn't have to mix (be seen mixing) with the rest of us. [The] offerings do seem pretty pedestrian but people are hardly going for a 10-course degustation,' a second agreed.  Another commented: 'I've been in a couple of Chairman's Lounges as a guest. The food wasn't particularly special - the booze was a couple of grades up. 'The furniture was nicer and they were super quiet. The service level was something else though if you'd never had any experience of that.' When asked by the Daily Mail how often the Qantas Chairman's Lounge updates its menu, a Qantas spokesperson said: 'We don't comment on Chairman's Lounge'.  Pictured is a pork schnitzel served to a member of the Chairman's Lounge this month Celebrity chef Neil Perry (pictured) created the menu at the Qantas Chairmans Lounge Does the quality of VIP lounges reflect what Australia’s elites truly value in travel experiences? What's your view?The existence of the exclusive hideaway for the country’s movers and shakers burst into the public eye in 2007.  Back then, the fact that Qantas spent hundreds of thousands of dollars wining and dining the nation's political elite in ultra-exclusive VIP lounges was relatively unknown.  The lounge's exclusive membership of around 6,000 is said to include prominent figures like Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, other federal politicians, corporate executives, media personalities, celebrities and sporting stars. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.