I must confess, I love the Cathay Pacific business class lounge at London Heathrow. I specifically used some of my frequent flyer miles to fly somewhere solely so I could spend time in Terminal 3 to enjoy the lounges.
As far as I am concerned, both the Cathay Pacific business class lounge and the accompanying first class lounge are the best options for oneworld frequent flyers right now.
Cathay Pacific Business Noodle Bar
There is a Noodle Bar found in the Cathay Pacific business lounges around the world, such as Paris for example. At Heathrow it is a long noodle bar featuring dark green tiles where you can sit and eat.
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- Noodle bar and stools
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- Get the Dan Dan Noodles!
You can choose some Dim Sum which is delicious and you can’t go past the Dan Dan Noodles. They are extremely tasty if you like that sort of thing. I do, so do yourself a favour and get some!
Dining Room Seating
Immediately opposite the Noodle Bar is the dining area. It contains various different kinds of seating such as a number of booths. There is also a large communal table next to where the self-service food is presented.
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- Fetching booths
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- That communal table
Since I spent the day in the lounges at Heathrow I managed to get these pictures during a lull between flights. It does get quite busy and people are not afraid to use the communal table at all.
Self Service Hot Food
Hungry? Fear not, because the Cathay Pacific business class lounge has you covered. Near the table there are large warming pots filled with interesting dishes for you to chow down upon.
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- Steamed Mixed Vegetables and Spaghetti Ala Aglio
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- Pork Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
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- Carrot Coriander and Ginger Soup
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- Zurich Chicken and Parsley Basmati Rice
It certainly looks like the Meatballs and Soup are popular however my guess is they are replenished less than the other dishes as there is more of them.
Other Food and Drink
Carlsberg beer is provided on tap which you can pour yourself. I am sure the Qantas passengers currently using this lounge are all over this like a rash!
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- Pour your own pint!
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- Mixers everywhere
Bite size Bruschetta are available as are a variety of salads. This means the healthy people among us also have plenty of choice. It certainly looks good.
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- I like Bruschetta
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- Colourful salads for you
Also provided is juice, fresh fruit, muffins, cookies and banana bread. It would be good to come in here with an appetite as there are plenty of things I like.
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- Juice and banana bread
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- Muffins, cookies, fruit
You will agree that Cathay Pacific are not parsimonious when it comes to feeding their passengers.
Time To Visit The Toilet?
After all that food and drink you are going to have to visit the facilities at some point. These are shared with the Cathay Pacific first class lounge next door.
Everything about the toilets is chic and modern. From the automatic sensor taps to the large mirror to the Aēsop products there is nothing to fault.
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- Entry to the mens room
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- Sensor taps
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- Expensive Aēsop products
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- Looking to the entry
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- There are six of these bad boys
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- Views over Heathrow Airport
While there, I ran into the lady who is responsible for keeping the facilities clean. I thanked her for her work because throughout several visits over the course of a day, the toilets were always spotless.
She replied that she is very proud of her work, even if it is a far cry from her actual profession. Her degree qualification is not recognised in the United Kingdom so she works cleaning the lounge instead. Lovely lady who does a fabulous job!
Cathay Pacific Business Lounge Decor
After all of this we come to the actual lounge part of the Cathay Pacific business lounge. The furnishing is very similar to the first class lounge next door, which in turn is very similar to that in The Pier First Class Lounge in Hong Kong.
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- Like an apartment living room
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- Seating by the bar
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- Comfortable and private
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- Watch TV and relax
All of the areas are segregated either by dividers or by using different types of seating. There is a manned bar along one wall and also a place to watch television if you wish. Right at the back are three Apple computers to use if you don’t have your own with you.
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- Apple computers
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- Charcoal seating
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- Really quite nice, isn’t it?
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- Take in the view here
It is great that the lounge features windows overlooking the airport. It really connects the space to where you are which I think is important. Also, aviation geeks can rejoice and watch the world go by.
Overall Thoughts
Quite frankly the Cathay Pacific business class lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 3 is a total win. It sets the bar for how deliciously upmarket an airline lounge for business class passengers can be.
From the styling to the array of food options to the views, this lounge has it all. Even the employees are happy and like to work there, an excellent sign! Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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I do not have status with any One World member airline, but will be arriving Heathrow Terminal 5 in First Class aboard a BA flight from the USA connecting to business class on BA in terminal 3 from Heathrow to Lisbon, with about 5 hours between flights. My understanding is since I’m arriving on BA first class, I am entitled to use their First Class Lounge in Terminal 3. However will this also allow me to use the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge in Terminal 3? Thanks.
You should be able to in theory but in practice they may restrict you to J lounge based on ongoing J flight and not arriving with CX F. See: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cathay-pacific-marco-polo-club/1516672-lounge-access-other-lounge-faqs.html
FlyerTalk is always excellent for information! Thanks very much!
You are correct that you will have access to the BA First Lounge in Terminal 3, which is quite good. You should perhaps go to the Cathay Pacific Lounge first and ask politely. If they let you in, go there and enjoy and if not, you can wander over to the British Airways lounge. You have plenty of time to try them both and even the American Airlines lounges as well if you wish. Let me know via here how you get on! It would be good to know. Thanks very much and enjoy!
nice report, thank you. did you check out the showers, thats always a priority on my lounge list/
You’re welcome, glad you liked it. I didn’t check them out, but if they’re anything like the ones in Hong Kong they’re great. I will make sure I check on my next visit and report back. Thanks for the comment!
CX does have high standards
That is very true! It’s a good thing.