During my two trips to Oslo I ended up booking two fairly long layovers in London. I did this to protect myself in case of missed flights or delays, but also to give myself plenty of time to visit a few lounges in the airport. See, London Heathrow offers some of the best OneWorld lounges in the world.
While the lounges are fantastic, they aren’t exactly easy to get to for connecting passengers. If you’re departing from London Heathrow Terminal 3 then you’ll have no problems accessing these lounges as Departure lounges. However, for arriving passengers using these lounges as Arrivals lounges is a little more tricky.
Accessing The Departures Area Of Terminal 3
Note: Passengers departing from Terminal 3 can skip this portion of the review.
For both trips I arrived at Terminal 3 after an American Airlines flight from Chicago. Upon landing I passed through the international arrivals area of the terminal and followed the information boards for flight connections. As you pass down the corridor you’ll notice purple signs which direct you to the various terminals of London Heathrow.
A few hundred feet before you reach the escalators which take you down to the Terminal Connection Shuttles there is a small door which connects you to the Departures area of Terminal 3. If you’re not looking for it, you’ll miss it. Also, in my half-asleep stupor I didn’t get a picture of this door, but trust me it’s there.
As you pass through the first door you’ll notice a second door with a green release button. Both doors must be closed to open the second door. This is a bit awkward as you may have to stand in this small little walkway with strangers as you wait for one door to close before opening the other.
Once the second door opens you’ll follow the corridor to the Terminal 3 security check-point. At this point I didn’t have a connecting British Airways boarding card, but don’t worry, you can get through the check-point without one. On the other end of the Terminal 3 check-point there is a check-in area for connecting passengers to retrieve boarding cards.
Arriving To The Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge
After clearing the security checkpoint I arrived at the British Airways transit desk to retrieve my boarding card to Oslo. As the agent printed out my card she mentioned that my flight actually left from Terminal 5 and that I should exit Terminal 3 and head that way. I insisted that I proceed into Terminal 3 and would have no issues connecting to my departure gate. After a few seconds the agent obliged and I was on my way to the Cathay Pacific lounge.
As you exit the transit counter area of Terminal 3 you’ll immidatly find yourself in a long hallway filled with several OneWorld lounges to choose from. On your walk to the Cathay Pacific First Class lounge you’ll pass a British Airways lounge, an American Airlines lounge, and eventually a Qantas lounge. After passing each of these lounges you should see signs for Lounge C.
As I mentioned the Cathay Pacific lounge is located at the far end of the “hall of lounges” found in Terminal 3. Currently the lounge is demarcated as “Lounge C” within the terminal. Once you enter the initial entryway of Lounge C you’ll quickly notice the somewhat subtle Cathay Pacific branding.
Inside this small lower level lobby is the elevator which takes guests up to the lounge.
Cathay Pacific Lounge London Heathrow Reception Area
As you exit the elevator on the second level you’ll immediately arrive at the Cathay Pacific reception area.
As you approach the reception desk a lounge agent will request your boarding card and/or your elite membership card. OneWorld Emerald elites have access to both the First Class and Business Class areas of the lounge while OneWorld Sapphire elite members only have access to the Business Class lounges.
Very shortly after the reception desk is the hallway which leads to the First Class area of the lounge.
Immediately upon turning the corner to enter the First Class lounge I noticed similar colors and textures as those used in Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class lounge.
As you pass down the First Class lounge hallway you’ll quickly notice some directional signage on the wall which directs guests to the various areas within the lounge.
Anyone familiar with The Pier should recognize many of the rooms offered within this lounge.
Cathay Pacific First Class Longe London Pantry
The first room you’ll pass as you enter the lounge is The Pantry. The Pantry is essentially a grab-and-go snack area.
Within The Pantry is a coffee maker which is capable of producing several different types of coffee drinks.
Next to the coffee maker is a water station and various bread/pastry items. There was also a basket of fresh fruits in The Pantry which is always a nice touch as fruit can sometimes be hard to find when traveling.
At the far end of The Pantry is a refrigerator which stored a wide variety of food items. Within the refrigerator was a fresh fruit platter, a cheese plate, packaged yogurts, and dessert items.
The Pantry offers similar food options to those offered in many domestic lounges found in the United States. My recommendation if visiting this lounge for more than a few minutes is to skip The Pantry altogether as the lounge offers much better food options in the sit-down dining room.
Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London Lounge
Repetitive I know, but that’s how Cathay names this section of the, ugh, Lounge.
As you explore more of the lounge you’ll quickly find a large room which feels more like a living room than an airport lounge.
These fairly intimate sitting rooms prove useful for guests traveling together or in larger groups. If traveling alone I’d recommend trying to grab a seat facing the large floor to ceiling windows.
These comfortable lounge chairs are the perfect place to sit back, relax, and watch planes go by (if you’re into that kind of thing).
Toward the far end of the lounge is a second sitting area which is a little less communal than the first room of the lounge.
Honestly, I absolutely love the design of this lounge. The use of colors and textures is so warm and inviting.
At the very far end of the lounge is another larger sitting area which could again accommodate a larger group.
The end of the lounge is also where you’ll find The Library.
Given the intruding plant life I’m not sure that Cathay Pacific actually wants you to read any of the material on offer.
Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London Dining Room
After exploring the lounge for a few minutes I finally decided to visit The Dining Room. Again, this room was a much smaller version of The Dining room found within The Pier lounge Hong Kong.
As I entered the Dining Room the host instructed me to sit wherever I wished.
I ended up choosing a seat along the far wall as it faced the windows instead of other guests.
As I took my seat the host handed me a menu which offered made to order meals.
As I was quite hungry I opted for a few different items on the menu. I began the meal with a cappuccino and the Smoked Duck appetizer.
I couldn’t believe how delicious the food was in this lounge especially considering it is all free! After the delicious Smoked Duck appetizer I opted for the Cathay Delight drink, Dim Sum Basket, and Sichuan Chicken Salad.
Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London Dining Room
Again, everything I ordered was absolutely delicious. On top of the great food the service within the Dining Room was also fantastic. It really is hard to believe you’re in an airport lounge while dining in the Cathay Pacific First Class lounge.
Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London Shower Suites
While the First Class and Business Class lounges are separate, they both share the same shower facilities. I know, as a First Class passenger it’s hard to believe you have to use the same showers as a Business Class passenger, but alas, such is life.
After requesting a shower suite the lounge attendant directed me down a long hallway of shower rooms. Once inside I again found decor which reminded me of The Pier in Hong Kong.
As I entered the shower suite I was immediately presented with large sink surrounded by a marble countertop. On the counter were various Aesop soaps and lotions as well as a dental kit, comb, shaving kit, and nearly every other bathroom item you may need.
Next to the sink is a nice shelf for you to place your carry-on bag while changing. This shelf may seem like an obvious thing to have in a shower suite, but it always amazes me how many lounge washrooms don’t have this feature.
Directly across from the sink is the standalone toilet. Of course, next to the toilet is the shower.
The shower was plenty large and offered both overhead and handheld shower-heads.
Within the shower were Aesop toiletries.
While the shower suite isn’t the larges I’ve ever been in it was plenty nice. In reality, it’s hard to complain about a hot shower after a transatlantic flight.
Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London Bar
I know what you were thinking, this is all nice and all, but where are the booze! We’ll if you’re looking for that kind of thing you’re in luck because this lounge has a very nice self-service bar.
The bar has exactly what you can expect from an airline lounge. There were a few different types of beer on offer, soft-drinks, mid-tier liquor, and Champagne. Surprisingly the lounge offered complimentary Moet Brut Champagne.
If nothing at this bar quite quenches your thirst you may also proceed into the Business Class bar which features a much larger manned bar.
Final Thoughts
It’s funny how my expectations of airline lounges have increased after visiting both The Wing and The Pier lounges in Hong Kong. In years past I was plenty happy visiting a run of the mill Admirals Club or any British Airways Galleries lounge. Now however I expect much more from an international First Class lounge.
Luckily, as they do in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific delivers with their First Class lounge in London. This is one of a handful of airline lounges that I would actually go out of my way to visit when transiting through London.
One thing I didn’t mention about this lounge was how intimate it was. On both occasions I visited this lounge in the morning which is when London has majority of their international departures. With that, the lounge never had more than about 10 people inside at any one time. If you’re looking for a quiet place to escape the hectic airport I can think of no better place to go than Cathay Pacific’s First Class Lounge.
I gained access to this lounge thanks to my American Airlines Executive Platinum elite status. That status expires in January 2019 and I’m doing everything I can to qualify again so that I can use more lounges like this one when traveling internationally.
