100 Best Airport Lounges worldwide

Six lounges that were a pleasant surprise and that some may not have visited and in no particular order

Air New Zealand ‘Koru’ International lounge Auckland F/Bus/*FFs
A large newish lounge-Comfortable – Very very good food and even better wine- great light and good close views of the apron- close to all gates- good IT etc. Their Christchurch and Perth (AU) lounges are both new and in a similar style and both good.

Bangkok Airways Lounge and Airport Koh Samui (they own the airport) Everyone/Bus Lounge for PG Bus and code share partner elites
For me the most charming and relaxing place. Mostly open sided thatched cabanas. Well-appointed and run.

Cathay ’The Wing’ First Lounge Hong Kong
A great favorite since it first opened in 1998. For me the best lounge at CLK and the most well – appointed . The high up airy open (indoor) balcony has extensive views that overlook both the apron and the shopping area never fails to relax and interest me.

BA/Comair SLOW Lounge Cape Town BA/Com Bus/Elites/Some SA banks/ (I am not certain of this) Some WW Elites
Comfortable ambience and good fresh food. There is a spa which I have heard is good. Also interesting SA wines and ‘wines of the month’ wine tasting. A good experience.

Oman Air Business Class Lounge Muscat Bus/ Several * airlines and other code share Elites/ Srilankan Bus
Well appointed but getting dated. Full dining option – food is good. Nice bar area-French wines. Helpful business center. Last visited 2 years ago so may have changed

Cathay terminal 3 First/Business Lounge Manila CX/ Plus WW Elites CX is the only WW airline using terminal 3
Large newish lounge with good views of the apron. Small sister to ‘The Pier’ at HKG – same designer. Good bar and food. Very comfortable even for a few hours.

AlanOrton1: Totally agree re Centurion lounges….not difficult in the USA to be better than their bog-standard airline lounges but the Centurion run rings round nearly all airline lounges where ever they are

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BAGoldcard wrote:

To ThomasCox: A quick question please re CCR at JFK – when did you visit and enjoy the Taittinger Comte de Champagne? I was there in July 2015, and the champagne was non vintage something and the wines were very ordinary.

They had some in early Dec last year (2017), although I’m in here again now, waiting for the BA114 and it seems Laurent Perrier NV is the pick of the bunch. Not even the Grand Siecle sadly. Hopefully they have something better onboard.
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Thank you.

I fear that your December 2017 experience may have been a positive blip, as I see other posts on FlyerTalk regarding the weak champagne offering in the JFK CCR.

I am sure that LPGS was available once on board but for the airline’s 2nd highest lounge, and such a supposedly premium/priority route, the absence of premium wine and champagne is very poor.

Separately, I read this from a BA staff member on FlyerTalk, regarding Pre Flight Dining (PFD):

” The ‘new’ pre flight dining offering – which is healthier & fresher is now available at all PFD stations.
Guests can choose from a range of freshly made Panini’s, a large selection of salads, a curry bar, some local delicacies & healthy desserts.
There are various pre-plated options available which are prepared & finished by the chefs in the lounges, the portions are served in new contemporary crockery.
We have also introduced a new menu for our First guests in PHL after listening to customer feedback from recent changes”.

Sodexho being as big as they are can probably deliver a lower food cost which for CX any saving is welcome

Does anyone know if the Emirates lounge at JFK is now open?

Was in the US (JFK) last week and flew AA to a) mix things up and keep life interesting and b) because I was terminally bored with BA (as I’ve been doing it weekly for a few months now). 777-300 on the way out w Flagship Business and a 200 on the way back. Both are great hard products. V comfortable, loads of space to sleep, recline and stash my kit. F&B was also v good, as we’re the staff. Of more interest though we’re the lounges at both LHR T3 and JFK T8 (dedicated AA terminal).

As I’m OW Emerald I thought I’d try the new Qantas lounge alongside the BA First and AA Flagship lounges (didn’t have time for CX – next week maybe!). Qantas in particular was a very pleasant space. Wide, airy, nice circular bar at the top, dining room on the ground floor. Grosset sparkling wine (v good – love his Polish Hill Riesling’s) and other decent Aussie reds and whites on offer along with some interesting cocktails (Laurent P on offer for Qantas First passengers which is daft and embarrassing for the bar staff). Good selection of hot buffet food before the restaurant opened at 17:30. Was quiet and felt new and special, especially with all the wood, brass and leather fittings – reminded me of The Delaunay in London. BA F lounge is now tired, dated, crowded and noisy with the industrial fridges. AA lounge is probably the least inviting but it had Moet on free pour, sit-down Pre flight dining and power points literally everywhere.

The Flagship lounge at JFK T8 is an entirely different proposition. It serves all domestic and international AA First class flights as well as Qatar by the looks of it, so it was very busy. That said, it never felt crowded. Wine selection was excellent (Ornellia’s Le Volte as a red, great chewy Malbec from Argentina as well as a very tangy Chablis and a great grassy, Californian Sauv Blanc). Comfy lounge chairs by the huge floor to ceiling angled windows and plenty of other nooks and crannies to get comfy. I’m sure some folk dislike the American lounges but this one actually really impressed me. There’s also a separate (dark and far plusher) First dining room if you had a genuine First Class ticket. May upgrade next time and give it a try!

Hi Thomas

Interested to hear about Grosset sparkling; have seen their Riesling, Sauv Blanc and Chard, but didn’t know they had a sparkler in their range. Have you seen in in the UK?