Plaza Premium puts A$20 million into Australia: a Brisbane rebuild, Sydney T2 and a Cairns lounge
Ten years after its first Australian lounge, Plaza Premium says it will spend A$20 million on new domestic lounges and upgrades, starting with Sydney T2 in December and Cairns in early 2027.
Plaza Premium Group says it will spend A$20 million on airport lounges in Australia, its biggest push in the country since it arrived a decade ago. The announcement, dated October 29 in Sydney, covers new domestic lounges, a full rebuild in Brisbane and more projects to come in 2027.
For travelers, the most useful part is the focus on domestic terminals. Most Australian domestic lounges belong to Qantas or Virgin Australia and are open only to their members and premium passengers. Plaza Premium lounges work differently. Anyone flying out of the terminal can pay to get in, whatever airline or fare they hold, and many cardholders can enter through programs like Priority Pass.
What Plaza Premium is building
| Airport | Project | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney (T2 Domestic) | New 113-seat lounge | Early December 2026 |
| Brisbane (International) | Full rebuild and redesign | Under way |
| Cairns (Domestic) | New lounge | Early 2027 |
| Others | Not yet named | Mid to late 2027 |
Sydney. The new T2 Domestic lounge covers 545 square meters and seats 113. Plaza Premium and Sydney Airport say it will be the first independent, pay-per-use lounge in the domestic precinct. Entry starts at A$54, booked ahead on Plaza Premium's website or as a walk-in. It is timed to open with the end of Sydney Airport's A$200 million T2 redevelopment. We covered the lounge itself in more detail in our earlier story on Sydney T2.
Brisbane. Plaza Premium says it is fully rebuilding and redesigning its lounge in Brisbane's international terminal. The company points to Brisbane Airport's own forecast that passenger numbers will climb from about 25 million to almost 35 million by 2032. The current Brisbane lounge, near gate 77, is closed for the work. Plaza Premium's own site lists a reopening date of December 21, 2026, and sends guests to the Windmill Café near gate 81 in the meantime. If you are flying out of Brisbane before Christmas, check before you plan on a lounge visit.
Cairns. A new independent domestic lounge is planned for early 2027. Plaza Premium has not yet given a size, location in the terminal, or price.
The group says more Australian projects will follow from mid to late 2027. It did not name the airports.
How this fits the network
Plaza Premium opened its first Australian lounge in Brisbane in 2016. Its other lounges in the country include two in Adelaide. The Adelaide domestic lounge opened in November 2025, and the Sydney and Cairns lounges follow the same idea of a paid lounge on the domestic side. The international lounge is one of the best-rated lounges in our Australian listings.
In Sydney, Plaza Premium already runs the international departures lounge and the SkyTeam Lounge in T1. The T2 lounge will be its first on the domestic side of the airport.
The company also used the announcement to point to its recent awards. Skytrax named it the World's Best Airport Lounge Group in 2026, and its Adelaide lounge won a 2026 World Travel Awards title for Oceania.
Who can get in
Plaza Premium lounges are open to anyone who pays, which makes them a fallback for travelers on budget fares or airlines without their own lounge. Many are also part of Priority Pass, DragonPass and LoungeKey, so a premium credit card may get you in for free. Plaza Premium has not yet said which of these programs will cover the new Sydney T2 and Cairns lounges. Check your card's lounge app before you go.
Prices vary by airport and length of stay. The Sydney T2 rate starts at A$54, according to the announcement.
