Frequent flyers on Australia’s east-coast shuttle routes woke up to a big operational change this morning: Virgin Australia has permanently closed its dedicated Premium Entry channel at Sydney’s Terminal 2 and will mothball the equivalent facility in Brisbane from 19 December. In their place, the airline has launched a network of ‘Priority Screening’ lanes located within the main security halls at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. The new lanes went live on 15 December and, according to the carrier, "double access to fast-track screening for eligible guests."
Eligibility is broadly unchanged: Virgin business-class passengers, Velocity Gold and Platinum members, Lifetime Lounge card-holders and equivalent elites from partner airlines such as Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines will be waved through. The difference is scale and opening hours. In Sydney and Melbourne the lanes now operate 05:00-10:00 and 14:00-19:00 on weekdays, mirroring peak corporate-travel periods, while Brisbane and Perth offer all-day service. Sydney’s Premium Entry door had dwindled to a three-hour morning window; the airline says the switch brings consistency and leverages new CT scanners that no longer require passengers to remove laptops or liquids.
For mobility managers the change is largely positive. Travellers no longer need to detour to a sometimes-closed side entrance and can stay on the most direct path from kerb to gate, reducing missed connections when schedules are tight. However, some platinum members lament the loss of the "kerb-to-club" experience—especially in Sydney, where Premium Entry deposited customers steps from the lounge. Virgin argues that the re-allocation of staff and equipment frees resources to open more lanes for longer, benefitting a larger cohort.
![Virgin Australia doubles priority security lanes and scraps Premium Entry at major hubs]()
If your employees are suddenly booking different flights or transiting new hubs, VisaHQ can help keep the paperwork simple. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) provides instant guidance on Australian visa and ETA rules, consolidates requirements for onward destinations, and lets travel managers track applications in one dashboard—an easy way to align documentation with updated air-travel policies.
At an infrastructure level the move aligns with broader airport-redevelopment plans. Sydney Airport is preparing to merge domestic and international security standards ahead of Western Sydney Airport’s opening in 2026, while Brisbane is upgrading its mezzanine screening zone. Virgin’s decision means it will not need to fund duplicate screening equipment once new layouts are finalised.
Travellers booked over the Christmas peak should be notified of the new process via email and app push alerts. Mobility teams should update air-travel policies and itineraries, reminding staff that Premium Entry passes issued earlier in the year will no longer scan. Those holding early-morning meetings should still arrive at least 90 minutes before departure until throughput speeds have been proven over the busy holiday period.
Eligibility is broadly unchanged: Virgin business-class passengers, Velocity Gold and Platinum members, Lifetime Lounge card-holders and equivalent elites from partner airlines such as Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines will be waved through. The difference is scale and opening hours. In Sydney and Melbourne the lanes now operate 05:00-10:00 and 14:00-19:00 on weekdays, mirroring peak corporate-travel periods, while Brisbane and Perth offer all-day service. Sydney’s Premium Entry door had dwindled to a three-hour morning window; the airline says the switch brings consistency and leverages new CT scanners that no longer require passengers to remove laptops or liquids.
For mobility managers the change is largely positive. Travellers no longer need to detour to a sometimes-closed side entrance and can stay on the most direct path from kerb to gate, reducing missed connections when schedules are tight. However, some platinum members lament the loss of the "kerb-to-club" experience—especially in Sydney, where Premium Entry deposited customers steps from the lounge. Virgin argues that the re-allocation of staff and equipment frees resources to open more lanes for longer, benefitting a larger cohort.
If your employees are suddenly booking different flights or transiting new hubs, VisaHQ can help keep the paperwork simple. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) provides instant guidance on Australian visa and ETA rules, consolidates requirements for onward destinations, and lets travel managers track applications in one dashboard—an easy way to align documentation with updated air-travel policies.
At an infrastructure level the move aligns with broader airport-redevelopment plans. Sydney Airport is preparing to merge domestic and international security standards ahead of Western Sydney Airport’s opening in 2026, while Brisbane is upgrading its mezzanine screening zone. Virgin’s decision means it will not need to fund duplicate screening equipment once new layouts are finalised.
Travellers booked over the Christmas peak should be notified of the new process via email and app push alerts. Mobility teams should update air-travel policies and itineraries, reminding staff that Premium Entry passes issued earlier in the year will no longer scan. Those holding early-morning meetings should still arrive at least 90 minutes before departure until throughput speeds have been proven over the busy holiday period.
