Review: Cathay Pacific Lounge London Heathrow Airport

The best lounge at T3? I'm not so sure. I transit through here frequently and often end up visiting all three of the F lounges. They improved the space in the past year by taking out the computers, but it still feels kind of small to me. I actually like the layout and furnishings of the business lounge better. That said, a lounge review is not really complete without a review of the showers and the CX lounge leaves a lot to be desired here. They are quite cramped and small, and, in my experience, the water temperature can be uneven. AA Flagship is best for showers, and BA First Class lounge is the most spacious. But I always visit CX anyway for the noodles.

Another small point you did not mention: they do not have universal power plugs, and you must request an adapter from the staff.

Hello Lucky

So I have an upcoming flight on BA with my wife LHR to ORD on a Saturday morning, I have been to the AA and flagship lounge at LHR but never to the CX lounge. My wife has never been to any of the lounges

I will be flying F so I can go to either lounge

Which one do you suggest I take her?

The quality of lounge will be definitely better if it is located in the country/place of origin.

Lucky-I never see lounges this empty. Your images seem to show plenty of empty ones. Is it the time you fly, do you use their images, or are you just working the room to get these shots?

I've never understood why airlines operate their own lounges in partners hubs.

CX lounge at LHR is my #1 choice. After 11 a.m., once the Hong Kong flight departs, it's empty for a few hours for the most part. Perfect.

@Carlos: I would go to the BA Galleries lounge...pretty good selection of food and drinks IMO.
Have a safe trip!

@Carlos are you on a codeshare flight operated by AA? If not and is a BA operated flight then you are going from Terminal 5 and there are only BA lounges.

You don't mention the made to order noodles/wonton window--always worthwhile--although the alcohol selection at BA is MUCH better.

@ Ray -- I was there right as the lounge opened at the crack of dawn, so it was still empty. 🙂

@ Carlos -- If you're flying on BA you'll be departing Terminal 5, and can use the Concorde Room. Enjoy your trip!

The food selection is laughable compared with BA First, where you can order off a menu (their warm goat cheese salad is great) and this is a tiny lounge which can get crowded and feel overwhelmed. BA First is miles better @T3, followed by Cathay (when not crowded) and the horrible AA/Qantas lounge.

Hi Lucky!

Thanks for the review. Didn't know there was a Cathay lounge at Heathrow.

Going to London for the first time in a couple of months, leaving JAL F from LHR to HND. Which lounge do I have access to and which would you recommend?

@ JimC -- They depart from T3, so you have access to any of the three oneworld lounges referenced in this post. I'd maybe check out the BA and CX lounges. Enjoy your flight!

Does CX have any good outstation lounges operated by them? I suppose one should also inquire if they have access to any decent outstation lounges period. I suppose the QF F lounge at LAX would be long on that list, what others should join them?

But the BA first lounge has self serve Johnnie Walker Blue... Literally the highlight of any lounge experience for me.

I can get $100 worth in an hour if I put my mind to it! 😉

@ Dan -- Yeah, unfortunately in terms of their own lounges, I don't find that they operate very many good ones, unfortunately.

Ben,

Is there a table service or are the tables there just for the buffet?

If there is a table service, is it restricted at certain hours to First and QFF Chairman's Lounge, BA Premier etc. guest? In the T3 BA First Lounge table service is restricted at certain hours to First pax and those status holders listed above.

Lastly, is there a noodle counter in the CX First Lounge at LHR T3?

@ TheRealBabushka -- I don't believe there's table service. I think you can just sit there if you want something from the buffet. I believe there is a noodle bar in the business class section of the lounge.

Best lounge in T3.

The two best features are the noodle bar and the Glenlivet water (which is now served in the BA lounges as well).

My IAD-LHR flight arrives Terminal 5 but departs from Terminal 1 so BA says I can't access Concorde because of security........what do you think is my best option for a 5 hour layover before a LYS flight?

Can Business Class ticket holders on AA access the business class section of the CX lounge? Do they serve noodles on the business class side as well?

@ Tom -- You can and they do.

I'm going CX business class from LHR soon. Can I visit BA lounge?

@ shirl -- Yes, you could if you wanted to.

I'm flying on an 8am from Helsinki to SFO via LHR. I managed to get an F seat with AA miles on the A380, thanks to the Easter bunny. I wonder if you might share advice on lounge strategy, since Helsinki's Finnair lounge with sauna seems amazing, but this is an early deparature. And Finnair lands LHR at T3, 9am; and BA287 to SFO departs 1:55pm at T5.

1. Is it worthwhile to luxuriate early at HEL lounges?
2. At LHR, would you advise spending time in CX lounge or head directly to T5?
3. Between T5 lounges, is Concorde Room better than their "First" Lounge?

Thanks!

@ Robert ZinSF -- Congrats on finding an award seat in A380 first! Definitely head straight to T5 and go to the Concorde Room, it's the nicest lounge. Given what a long travel day you have, I probably wouldn't arrive in HEL unnecessarily early.

@ Ben S - I do. LHR, SFO and CDG are Cathay Pacific's non-Asian outstation focus cities (among others), so they operate lounges there. JFK and LAX are kind of focus cities too, with 4-5 flights a day, but they're monopolies, so Cathay Pacific doesn't need to worry about competition. While (see my reviews, linked above) Cathay Pacific doesn't have an absolutely perfect business class experience, it isn't bad, and definitely trumps other airlines on the route, so Cathay Pacific opens lounges to make other airlines running LHR-HKG, SFO-HKG and CDG-HKG (BA, VS, UA, AF etc) feel threatened in the market. Sorry for my late reply 😀

@ Ben S - Ooh, left out my most important point. By getting to the flagship BA lounge/flagship AA lounge/flagship JL lounge (or something), passengers start to go "ooh, this lounge is great, possibly better than CX". Demand for other airlines increase as prices start to turn towards them on the other airlines (Cathay Pacific's price point is really high on most routes). Cathay needs to keep competition so directs others into their lounges, even though ultimately they're still allowed into flagships, which is why we have the industry that's so interested in the lounge market (e.g. Lucky and I). Which is what makes us readers awesome! 😀

If I am flying in F aboard BA to MIA, will I be departing from T3 or T5?
I would sure love to visit the ConcordRoom.