In addition to checking out the Qantas First Lounge LAX, I also had the chance to visit the oneworld lounge at LAX, which is located right next door. This is a solid business class lounge in terms of space, design, and the food and drink selection. However, it kind of feels like a dark dungeon…
oneworld lounge LAX location & hours
The oneworld lounge LAX is located in Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), which is the primary international terminal at the airport. TBIT is accessible airside via connectors from Terminals 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. It’s a very short walk from Terminal 4, which is where most American Airlines flights departs from (and that’s useful, because some American Airlines passengers will have access to this lounge).
Once you’re in the center portion of TBIT, you’ll want to take either the escalators or elevators up a level (the terminal is on the fourth floor, while the lounge is on the fifth floor),
At that point you can’t miss the entrance to the oneworld lounge, as it’s right next to its Star Alliance counterpart.
The lounge opens daily at 6:30AM, and remains open until the last oneworld departure of the day.
oneworld lounge LAX entry requirements
The oneworld lounge LAX is technically operated by British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas, though in reality it’s accessible by all eligible oneworld passengers, including those on Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, etc. The lounge is a standard oneworld Sapphire and oneworld business class lounge. In line with oneworld lounge access policies:
- The lounge can be accessed by oneworld Sapphire members traveling in any cabin — those earning status through Alaska Mileage Plan or American AAdvantage can only use the lounge when traveling outside of North America, while those earning the status through any other oneworld program can use the lounge before any oneworld flight, even if it’s domestic
- The lounge can be accessed by same day oneworld international business class passenger, including on airlines like American Airlines, British Airways, Japan Airlines, etc.
oneworld lounge LAX seating & layout
The oneworld lounge LAX is massive — it’s around 42,000 square feet, and has seating for around 600 passengers. So while there are periods where the lounge will no doubt get busy, for most of the day this remains a pretty empty lounge.
The lounge consists of one big room, though the very center of the lounge has some small windows looking at the interior of the terminal, so that makes the lounge feel like it’s broken up into a few different zones.
Inside the entrance to the lounge and to the right is the bar, as well as a fire pit.
Just past that is the single largest seating area, which is also near the buffet. One thing is for sure — this lounge has no shortage of different seating arrangements, regardless of your preferred type of lounge furniture.
Near the buffet are some dining tables, as well as some high-top seating.
There’s also a large communal table.
As you go deeper into the lounge, the space gets a bit narrower — I’ll let the pictures speak mostly for themselves, though I especially love the chairs with ottomans.
The lounge also has a small business center with some workstations.
I think the lounge is tastefully designed, and has nice decor. It’s just a really, really, really dark space. I guess that’s not a big deal if you’re flying late in the evening (as is the case with many oneworld long haul departures from the airport), but during the day this lounge can be a struggle for those of us who are solar powered.
oneworld lounge LAX food & drinks
The oneworld lounge has an impressive self-serve buffet. I visited in the morning, so breakfast was being served.
The cold breakfast options included bread, bagels, cereal, a variety of fresh fruit, and chia parfaits.
Hot dishes included a pancake machine, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, baked beans, mushrooms, quiche, and hash browns.
There were a couple of self-serve drink stations with soda, water, tea, and coffee.
Alcohol, meanwhile, is available at the bar.
Wine is self-serve, and you can find the selection below.
There’s also a beer menu, but those are served by a bartender.
Another awesome feature is that the bar has a real espresso machine, so you can have a bartender make you an espresso-based drink — yum, that’s much better than what you’ll find from the machine!
oneworld lounge LAX showers & bathrooms
While the oneworld lounge in general feels pretty fresh, the bathroom setup feels a bit more dated. The bathrooms are toward the back of the lounge.
Then there are nine shower suites, each of which has a walk-in shower, a toilet, and a sink.
Bottom line
The oneworld lounge LAX is a solid alliance lounge. It’s huge, has nice decor, and has a good selection of food and drinks. My only real criticism of the lounge is the lack of natural light, as this has to be the darkest lounge at all of LAX.
The Qantas First Lounge LAX is right next door, so if you have access to that, you’ll definitely want to go there instead. As far as a comparison to other lounges goes, I’d say the Star Alliance Lounge next door is a bit better (mainly due to natural light and the terrace), while this lounge is infinitely better than the Korean Air Lounge used by SkyTeam airlines, which has to be one of the worst international airline branded lounges in the United States.
If you’ve visited the oneworld lounge LAX, what was your experience like?
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