Sydney International First Lounge garden wall

The Sydney International First lounge is open and Nestor is back

Nestor, Qantas First International Lounge, Sydney

When the Qantas International First lounge in Sydney reopened in April, guests were delighted to find the familiar face of lounge Commissionaire, Nestor at the door. Nestor has been warmly welcoming guests to the lounge since it first opened its doors over 14 years ago.

With reduced international travel last year, Nestor found himself being able to spend a lot more time with his family. With his trademark positivity, he described how he was able to do the school runs for his two young children.

Even so, Nestor says he missed the lounge and his guests deeply. In fact, he was so excited to be returning to his 'second home', he was awake from midnight for his first 6am shift.

"It's like a big, big family. That's what I feel."

It seems that the lounge's regular guests missed him too. A couple of days after the grand re-opening, one frequent flyer ran up to Nestor and gave him a big hug.

"She told me how happy she was that I was still here," he says quietly.

Though he finds it trickier with the masks, Nestor still greets countless guests by name. Not surprising when you consider how often Platinum One members might be flying however, what’s truly impressive is when it comes to recognising guests returning to the lounge after months, if not years.

Nestor's infectious giggle bubbles up as he recalls one high profile guest even testing him by turning up with altered hair and clothes and, upon being instantly recognised, he questioned, "how do you do that?"

To Nestor, he's simply doing his job.

"My highest mission is the highest satisfaction of the guest. If you can make somebody happy once a day, that's priceless."

Over the years Nestor has built a warm rapport with innumerable Frequent Flyers that he says  'live in the sky'. They ask him for shopping advice and trust his food recommendations. They share their family photos and personal stories with him and it's not uncommon for Nestor to have to gently encourage a small build-up of friendly guests at the door to move through.

He’s also the subject of countless effusive compliments on feedback forms and passenger forums with hashtags that include #Nestorrocks! and #Humblelegends. One of his regulars even bakes cookies for him, leaving them at the desk when he's not rostered.

With a proud smile, Nestor says it just inspires him to do more.

"I love doing my job."