OneWorld Welcome: Malaysia Airlines First Class Golden Lounge London

don't know why... but i love the tiles in the bathroom!

do you get access to the lounge upon arrival also or just departure?

@Lucky, Nice review!
What do you know about the F lounge access on MH out of CDG?

JRL

@ Michael -- Only on departure. They don't have an arrivals lounge in London.

@ JRL -- No firsthand experience, though have been trying to figure out. Kind of surprised about the lack of information about this on the internet. It seems they use a contract lounge which isn't especially good, though I haven't been able to figure out the name.

How long exactly was your layover? You didn't post flight time for AA JFK-LHR and arrival time. Wasn't it between 4 and 5 hours?

Mmmm pancakes and parathas to order, my two fave breakfast foods!

Lucky,
Once I saw that you started off in Biz from Ny to LON on AA, I lost hope. Where is the aspirational travel fix I need - Are we now dreaming about Biz on AA?.
🙂

Also, I have been through all the LHR terminals in my lifetime and I can tell you that when Terminal 4 was opened, it was a HUGE improvement on the others. I loved the BA lounge in that terminal and last went through it in 2007 and it was still light years ahead of AA in terminal 3 then.

@ffi

Aspirational? Agreed!

This is LHR.

So much better to transfer at ABL (Anywhere But London)

"Heathrow Airport is the world’s biggest cluster%&^*"

Even more than CDG?

Will Malaysia be moving their lounge now that they are a part of Oneworld?

Nice lounge overall, wish you snapped a few pics of the business class section, just to compare...

@ wwk5d -- I tend to think so, if for no other reason than that it has more terminals. For what it's worth the business class lounge looked very similar, it was just more crowded.

I am often pleasantly surprised by airport lounges. Traveled from Phnom Penh to Bangkok this morning and the TG contract lounge at PNH, Le Salon, was just wonderful.

I also really like the South African Airways domestic lounge in JNB.

Thanks for yet another great report (yes, they are getting better). My thoughts include: Why one would visit TWO lounges in the same airport, during the same trip is beyond my understanding, except that you are collecting and sharing information... As in other notes, not in any particular order, origination lounges are often a waste of time, but for en-route layovers or terminal arrivals they can be a blessing - even if one pays a fee. While LHR is one of the world's major transit points, smart folks avoid it if possible, even if doing so results in a slightly longer transit. (Please remember that most of us are trying to get somewhere, not just inspecting the services.) En-route and arrival lounges are functionally more important than are the departure lounges, but very few flyers (or airlines) think that far ahead.
And an old thought from an old traveler, whose first commercial flight was on a DC-6 or /7, a couple of years before the Jet Age began. Before deregulation, all commercial air travel was close to what we now know and Business or First class. (Today's coach seats are worse than a Greyhound bus in all measures except speed.) The grace and comfort of the Pre-Jet and Early-Jet is (think pre-deregulation) still available and gracious flying IS possible. One simply buys a Business Class or better seat. In relative dollars, the costs are high, but about the same as they were when nearly all seats were "First Class." In those regulated days, the airlines could not compete on price, so service was their game. Loads of under 50% still provided a modest profit for the airlines and if they hit 75%, they were making big money. Thanks to Al Kahn, that's gone, loads above 85% are the norm and one eats what one brings, even for some First Class trips. While flying CAN still be fun, it is an expensive hobby - and yes, even for experienced collectors or points and miles. Thanks. -C.

I remember when terminal 4 was the big international terminal for the UK. Would sit there listening to the multitude of foreign voices around. All going somewhere. Great send off on an expedition to lands unknown lands.

Nice to see that the first class lounge does not put out wasteful amounts of food. Good for them!

I know this is a really newb question but is all of that food in the first class lounge complimentary?

@ Tanya -- Yep, sure is.

While I certainly agree that LHR is one of the world’s biggest cluster%&^*”, travel between the terminals on the Heathrow Express is actually easy and, most importantly not said in the article, free. There are also free shuttle buses between the terminals and hotels that service the airport (I have had to use them many times due to weather and airline imposed delays). It is, however, important to leave sufficient time to retrieve your bags and transfer if you are transiting between different airlines. The timeframe required for the Express is well-articulated. I have never traveled from LHR T4 but have done so from all the rest. The lounges are generally very good but I am interested in seeing the T4 lounges and whether there are any options given MAS Oneworld partnership.

The Hotel Hoppa is not free. £9 round trip. And takes an effing age to show up to dark, damp, windy stops.

Spicy baked beans. Just the thing to serve pax before a long haul flight.

Travel between terminals is really easy at LHR - unless you have to pick up checked baggage and then recheck it. If you have through-checked luggage, or are HBO, then you should just follow the purple signs and go on the intra-terminal transfer buses. It's really quick and easy.

I left my I phone 8 in the Malaysian 1st class lounge in LHR Term 4 yesterday (Friday) before boarding your 10.25 flight to KL en route to Sydney. I am now on my way from KL to Sydney so please confirm you have it and I will collect it on my return. It’s number is 07767 618161.
Thank you.
James Osborne

James Osbourne - try contacting the airline instead of a travel blog. And keep your mobile number to yourself if you value your privacy.