Review: Cathay Pacific first class lounge, London Heathrow

Introduction

If you’re a fan of Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class lounge at Hong Kong – and from what we can tell, that covers most Executive Traveller readers, you’ll feel right at home at the airline’s first class lounge at London Heathrow T3.

Think of it as a miniature version of The Pier in Hong Long, sharing the same upscale ‘residential’ design from Ilse Crawford, including a dining room with à la carte menu and assortment of Champagnes.

Cathay London First Class Lounge.

Of course, Cathay Pacific’s London first class lounge isn’t the exclusive domain of the airline’s first class passengers, or indeed first class flyers in Oneworld airlines departing from T3 (including Qantas and American Airlines).

Top-tier Diamond and Diamond Plus frequent flyers in Cathay’s frequent flyers are also welcome, along with their Oneworld Emerald equivalents including Qantas Platinum and Platinum One card-holders plus elite Chairman's Lounge members.

If you’re on that long but select list, here’s what’s in store behind those doors.

Location & Impressions

Cathay Pacific’s London Heathrow T3 lounges sit on the left corner of the terminal near Gate 11 (look for the ‘Lounge C’ sign) close to the British Airways and Qantas lounges (lounges F and B, respectively).

An elevator whisks you up one floor, with a common reception desk to direct travellers to the first class or business class lounge (as well as handle flight enquiries, requests for seat changes and what-not).

Of course, passengers eligible for first class lounge access can also wander next door to visit the business class lounge –and we’d suggest this is a detour worth taking, even if just to satisfy your curiosity. 

Given its limited footprint, the first class lounge is a very cosy affair. 

Timber flows throughout the space.

It’s centred around The Living Room, which wraps around the lounge to face the tarmac in an L-shape layout – affording some entertaining vistas through the floor-to-ceiling windows which flood the lounge with natural light.

Those over-sized windows are also good for a sticky-beak across the airfield.

Settle in and enjoy the view from window-side armchairs.

In the evening, an assortment of lamps give the lounge a warm ambience which once again echoes the look of a highly-styled apartment or the club lounge of a boutique hotel.

And as with other Cathay Pacific lounges shaped by Ilse Crawford, there’s an abundance of seating (without cluttering up the space) in a number of different styles, making it easy to find your own place.

Access

Open daily from 5:30 to 9pm or the last CX departure, Cathay Pacific’s London Heathrow T3 first class lounge welcomes:

• first class passengers on any Oneworld airline flying out of T3: a roster which includes Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Qantas, American Airlines and JAL
• travellers in any class holding Oneworld Emerald status in their airline’s frequent flyer scheme: that includes the Diamond and invite-only Diamond Plus tiers of Cathay’s frequent flyer program, and Qantas Platinum and Platinum One card-holders plus elite Chairman’s Lounge members

It doesn’t matter if you’ve already made your way into one of T3’s other Oneworld airline lounges: you’re still entitled to visit the Cathay Pacific first class lounge, either for a quick sticky-beak or to plant yourself there for a full meal.

Dining

The focal point of the pre-flight experience at Cathay Pacific's London first class lounge is The Dining Room, which is a scaled-down version of that at The Pier first class lounge in Hong Kong.

Given its smaller footprint, it fills up fast during peak times as more passengers dine before setting out on the 12-hour trek to Hong Kong.

The Dining Room within Cathay's London first class lounge.

There are breakfast and seasonal all-day dining menus, with a mix of Asian and Western fare.

For example, the nine-dish breakfast menu spans a full English, crumpets and Chinese set with pulled ham and boiled egg congee, while the all-day selection includes the signature Dan Dan and Wonton noodles alongside an Angus beef burger and fish and chips.

Dan Dan noodles and the dumpling set proved a delicious way to start the journey.

There's also a self-serve area dubbed The Pantry, where you can make use of an automated coffee machine, pick up a buttery soft croissant or Danish, or choose from a couple of warm dishes. 

An adjacent fridge houses yoghurts and puddings, plus fresh fruit and some cold cuts during breakfast hours. These are replaced with more-substantial options later in the day. 

While the adjacent business class lounge has a tended bar, drinks in the first class lounge are self-pour from a small bench in the living room.

On it you’ll find all the usual suspects of wine and spirits, alongside an assortment of Champagnes and Cathay’s own Betsy beer.

Cocktails and barista-pulled coffee can be ordered at The Dining Room. 

Work

There’s no dedicated working space in the first class lounge: for that you’ll have to look to the business class lounge, which has eight Solo chairs, plus The Bureau work zone.

However, the first class lounge does feature an abundance of side-tables with AC and USB ports concealed in a drawer.

Note, these only house a UK Type G outlet, so you may need an international adapter.  

Relax

If you want to freshen up before your flight, make your way out of the first class lounge and down past the entry to the business class lounge, where you’ll find eight shower suites.

The good news: these are spacious suites with classy fitout (mainly marble, brass and cherrywood) and overhead waterfall showers. There’s ample room to plonk down and open up your carry-on bag for a change of clothes or to grab your personal toiletries.

A shower suite at Cathay London business class lounge.

The not-so-good news: showers are shared with the business class lounge, so at peak periods – and the lounge gets very busy in the afternoons and evenings, when there are five Cathay Pacific flights between 5pm and 10pm (not to mention other Oneworld airlines) – these showers are at a premium.

First class passengers don't have the option to pre-book a shower, so if they're all occupied your name will be put on the waiting list and you'll be handed a buzzer which alerts you when your shower suite is ready.

Summary

As mentioned, Cathay Pacific’s London Heathrow first class lounge is a pint-sized sibling of its The Pier first class lounge Hong Kong. Despite this regular comparison, it also stands on its own and is easily among the best for eligible Oneworld travellers heading out of Terminal 3.