Cathay Pacific has been refreshing many of their lounges worldwide, which has led to some pretty impressive spaces, like the new “The Pier” lounge in Hong Kong, which is one of our favorite and best airport lounges.
The new Cathay Pacific Heathrow lounge had a “soft opening” yesterday, and is scheduled to fully open to passengers on December 7th. Reader Clint happened to have a long layover at Heathrow Terminal 3 yesterday, and was kind enough to share some quick photos.
In his words:
It was amazing! They treated me like a celebrity. I was literally the only one in there at seven this morning and they rolled out the red carpet bringing me coffee, offering to serve me lunch or breakfast in the new restaurant, and I also got noodles from the noodle bar. It was incredible, and looks like a Park Hyatt.
The lounge is still in the “C” area of Terminal 3, though the signage and entrance area have been updated.
The lounge has an abundance of seating, and takes the same mix-and-match approach to furnishing as the Hong Kong lounges.
There are both self-serve refreshment areas, and a hosted bar.
Similarly, there are snacks in a few different sections of the lounge, along with a full restaurant-style setup in the first class section.
The business class lounge also has a Noodle Bar, which looks delicious.
While the London lounge doesn’t offer spa services like The Pier, it will have beautiful bathrooms, and the fanciest urinals I’ve ever seen (granted, I have limited experience with urinals, but still).
There are also several shower suites. The Aesop amenities are a nice touch!
Overall, I think the new lounge looks gorgeous, and I can’t wait to visit in person!
Cathay Pacific’s press release describes the Heathrow lounge as follows:
At 1,200 square metres, the new London lounge is 30 per cent larger than its predecessor. With floor-to-ceiling windows providing panoramic views of the airport’s apron and northerly runway, the lounge’s calming environment and myriad of amenities conveys Cathay Pacific’s brand ethos of a “Life Well Travelled”.
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With careful attention on food and beverage, the Heathrow lounge ensures First Class passengers are extremely well catered for. In addition to The Dining Room, which offers table service with freshly prepared dishes made-to-order by the chef, there is also The Pantry, where visitors can enjoy grab and go delicacies with items changing throughout the day.
The Business Class area, meanwhile, is no less impressive, featuring Cathay Pacific’s signature Noodle Bar, a favourite among passengers seeking authentic Chinese delights, and The Food Hall, a vibrant space offering a wide range of Western and international dishes, including traditional British fare. And if you are feeling thirsty, the full-service bar is the perfect place to enjoy a pre-flight aperitif.
The lounge is further equipped with bespoke Solo Chairs, eight shower suites, giving First and Business Class passengers a calm and stress-free environment in which to unwind before their journeys, and The Bureau for those who may need somewhere quieter to work. Adorned with an abundance of plants and specially sourced artwork by noted Chinese artist Han Feng, this is a lounge that truly engages the senses, one that exemplifies the high regard that the airline places in Heathrow as a destination.
I’ve been loving the new style of the Cathay Pacific lounges in general, and the Heathrow lounge seems to be no exception. It feels like a cozy place I’d actually want to spend time, as opposed to the dungeon of the American Flagship Lounge.
As a reminder, you have access to this lounge if any of the following are true, provided you’re departing from T3:
- First and Business Class passengers of Cathay Pacific
- Silver or above Marco Polo Club members
- Sapphire or Emerald oneworld members
The lounge is currently scheduled to be open from 5:30am on Monday to Saturday and 7:30am on Sunday until 10:30pm.
You can read Ben’s previous review of the old Cathay Pacific Heathrow lounge to get a sense of the layout and what has changed, and of course we’ll have a full review as soon as we can!
What do you think of the new lounge? Has anyone else had a chance to stop by?
There is no reason anyone flying business class on BA from terminal 3 should go to the BA lounge. The CX lounge is better in every single way. Few other things to add: a full English breakfast spread is served until 12 noon. Moet champagne available at the bar. Plus, drinks are actually chilled here. It seems BA choose to not cool their fridges properly. CX don't penny pinch. Amazing lounge.
just sitting in the business class lounge enjoying a glass of MOËT champagne, so the answe is yes - and may I say - not the worst brand. cheers ;-)
Do they serve champagne in the business class lounge?
The Cathay Pacific lounge looks fabulous! Love the materials they've used - looks cosy and inviting. Those urinals are rather fancy!
I had the opportunity of visiting the business class lounge last Sunday and I was BLOWN AWAY. Probably the best business class lounge I've ever visited (must assume that I’m not very experienced in Asia/Middle East airports). Super friendly staff, fantastic breakfast with a brilliant spread, a noodle bar, elegant decor influenced by late 60s modern design with oriental references.
Everything from the smooth check in process was seamless and perfect. I really didn't...
I had the opportunity of visiting the business class lounge last Sunday and I was BLOWN AWAY. Probably the best business class lounge I've ever visited (must assume that I’m not very experienced in Asia/Middle East airports). Super friendly staff, fantastic breakfast with a brilliant spread, a noodle bar, elegant decor influenced by late 60s modern design with oriental references.
Everything from the smooth check in process was seamless and perfect. I really didn't want to leave. I wish I had spent more hours there and I'm really looking forward to use their first class lounge there next year.
@Mike, the chairs look the same as the ones in the Pier First and Pier Business lounges in HKG. If so, I can assure you that they are super comfortable. Also, there are about 6 different types of seating - so should be enough to suit all shapes sizes and leg length!
Melissa: It is a common set up in many lounges across the world that there is one reception desk and, after looking at your bp, they direct you towards First or Business section of the lounge as appropriate.
Thanks, Tiffany. The Cathay lounge in T3 used to be my favorite at Heathrow and I have been missing it for a while. Looking forward to checking out the renovated version!
Those gold taps look gorgeous!
One question: Who is the genius that is taking the furnishings from Comfortable Traditional to Contemporary Uncomfortable...... Spend more than 15 minutes sitting in one of those contemporary chairs and your legs will ache becasue the length is too long, cutting of your circulation and the back is too low to give you good backsupport!
My wife is 5'2" and looks like Alice in Wonderland trying to get comfortable in one of those chairs....
One question: Who is the genius that is taking the furnishings from Comfortable Traditional to Contemporary Uncomfortable...... Spend more than 15 minutes sitting in one of those contemporary chairs and your legs will ache becasue the length is too long, cutting of your circulation and the back is too low to give you good backsupport!
My wife is 5'2" and looks like Alice in Wonderland trying to get comfortable in one of those chairs. When you consider that the average Oriental male is around 5'5" and the average American male is about 5'9" those chairs will get few thumbs up.
Anybody remember the old "Comfortable" PC lounge at Heathrow?
Hi Sherman.
These pictures were all shot with my iPhone 6s believe it or not. I just upgraded in August, and the picture taking is much better on this newer version. I will say it still doesn't take great pictures of stuff like the moon, but I'm very happy with it!
Does anyone know if Finnair J access will continue? They had it for the old CX lounge at LHR and I'm really hoping it'll come back for the new one!
What camera did you use to take these pictures? They look good. I am guessing it's not an iPhone? iPhone usually does not fare well when there are bright lights in the mix and capture the scene outside of the light to be to dark.
Was there on Sunday and things are still under warps. Damn! Will see it in a few weeks. Can't wait.
The one problem with the lounges at T3 is that they can be a long walk from your gate.
Ideally foreign airlines should have lounges next to their gate, as with T2 and (for BA) T5.
We flew out of LHR this morning and visited the new CX lounge. It is soooooo nice!! The noodle bar is to die for. If we would have had more time I would have gotten another order.
Regarding the urinals, they are spaced very far apart and I didn't even give two thoughts to the fact that there were no dividers. Also, they may not have installed dividers yet. When I used the restroom...
We flew out of LHR this morning and visited the new CX lounge. It is soooooo nice!! The noodle bar is to die for. If we would have had more time I would have gotten another order.
Regarding the urinals, they are spaced very far apart and I didn't even give two thoughts to the fact that there were no dividers. Also, they may not have installed dividers yet. When I used the restroom this morning there were construction workers in there still installing the actual toilets in a couple of the stalls. So who knows, dividers still might be coming. Lol
I can see this lounge getting very crowded quickly. There isn't a ton of regular loungey type seating. There are quite a few booths in the noodle bar area however.
Melissa you are overdue for a pussy grab. Please report to your trump handler immediately. It will calm you down and keep you focused.
Heil trump.
-Area coordinator, trump campaign
Looks almost identical to the CX lounge at YVR. Good stuff.
Wow, @Melissa, take a breath. There isn't some vast media conspiracy to conceal the lounge's class of service. It's pretty clearly stated in the piece. Writers prioritize what they think are the most important parts of the story. This writer simply didn't think it was worth highlighting this was a business class lounge, though it is clearly mentioned as an additional fact later on.
We're flying QF first class out of T3 in 2 weeks' time. It seems clear that all oneworld first class ticket holders get access to all CX first class lounges worldwide:
http://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_GB/travel-information/airport/lounges/all-lounges-admittance.html
I think Cathay's press release for the T3 lounge reopening is just poorly worded.
I hope CX decides to open a dedicated lounge in JFK T7...
@Tiffany - I'm sure your husband can comment, but I wouldn't exactly call those urinals "fancy." :-P ;-)
Hope I can access it in February when I pass through Heathrow.
@tiffany
That's the general rule but not always applied. One example being BA Gallaires Club and Gallaries First lounge at PHL. They will often refuse access to passengers in American J with or without BAEC status/in American Y but have BAEC Silver or gold status. Long thread on FT. Reason given is due to capacity. It would not surprise me if CX start doing this at LHR also especially when both BA and AA (and soon QF) have their own lounges.
I purposely booked myself on a BA flight home because I wanted to avoid the AA Flagship and BA T3 lounge. Wish I had known this was opening up.
I love it how Tiffany embedded the phrase "Business Class lounge" well within her story, as if she worked for the anti-Trump, suppress speech CNN without placing it on the headline for all to know. She wanted everyone to think it was [maybe for the] First Class lounge. What's being put in her head to do that....has she lost it? I think she has. You see, she did that on purpose.
She wrote, after scrolling...
I love it how Tiffany embedded the phrase "Business Class lounge" well within her story, as if she worked for the anti-Trump, suppress speech CNN without placing it on the headline for all to know. She wanted everyone to think it was [maybe for the] First Class lounge. What's being put in her head to do that....has she lost it? I think she has. You see, she did that on purpose.
She wrote, after scrolling down 15 meters, "[t]he business class lounge also has a Noodle Bar, which looks delicious." It does. I Love Cathay Pacific. The pictures look great. But.....which lounge again....after 15 meters of scrolling to find out? It was not the First Class lounge, but the Business Class lounge. Girlfriend then wrote "Sapphire or Emerald oneworld members..." can get in. Correct for the BUSINESS CLASS Lounge. But the Cathay Pacific's LHR FIRST CLASS lounge is only for Emerald members with One World and/or Diamond members with the Marco Polo Club.
Well, maybe with all the FF Mile devaluations, she can't in the First Class lounge any 'mo. That may be why we had a "micro-aggression" in this article to confuse readers on purpose.
@ Melissa -- There are pictures of both the first and business class sections of the lounge above. The business class section has a noodle bar, the first class section has the restaurant. The access rules are for the lounge as a whole (as I understand it there is currently a single check-in desk), and passengers will then be directed to the appropriate section based on their status or class of service. Goodness gracious.
It may be fancy, but most guys would probably appreciate a divider between those urinals.
"First and Business Class passengers of Cathay Pacific"
I was able to access this lounge traveling in F on AA. Pretty sure Business class passengers of AA can also access this lounge.
@ Luis -- Yeah, that language came from Cathay Pacific, which I found odd as well.
The typical access policy for oneworld is "Customers flying First or Business Class have access to the equivalent class of lounge regardless of their frequent flyer status. First Class passengers may use a Business Class or frequent flyer lounge if a First Class lounge is not available.
So I don't know if Cathay is arranging a special exception...
@ Luis -- Yeah, that language came from Cathay Pacific, which I found odd as well.
The typical access policy for oneworld is "Customers flying First or Business Class have access to the equivalent class of lounge regardless of their frequent flyer status. First Class passengers may use a Business Class or frequent flyer lounge if a First Class lounge is not available.
So I don't know if Cathay is arranging a special exception for this lounge, or if they're just trying to not broadcast that it's open to AA and BA passengers as well. We'll see what the rules are once the lounge is officially open, I suppose.
Can you use if travelling ba business but have no status?