[IanFromHKG]

QUOTE: Though I am not a CX regular, my understanding and limited experience of their lounges (about five lounges) is that outside Hong Kong and possibly London (though I wasn’t impressed with the T3 F and J lounges – too sterile) CX doesn’t have a very luxurious lounge network – it’s certainly not on a par with what BA offers in the US and Europe. UNQUOTE

Depends where those lounges you visited are, VK, but you hit the nail on the head by referencing BA’s superiority only in the US and in Europe – i.e. on its most profitable route (so I have been told) and on what is effectively its home turf (region). In Asia – my and CX’s home turf – CX lounges are well ahead of the BA lounges I have tried in Asia(and I have tried quite a few while surfing my oneworld access rights) as well as in Europe ex-UK.

So my own experience is that London and US BA lounges are among the very best I have experienced, BUT elsewhere are nothing to shout about. Certainly I would choose CX’s LHR lounge above BA’s HKG lounge any day – I would much rather have sterile (but comfortable) decor but quiet and clean facilities and polite staff (CX LHR) than old-fashioned, overcrowded and grubby facilities and staff with attitude (BA HKG), and I think most passengers would say the same.

Having said that, I must confess that the sterile (I think CX prefer to describe them as modern, clean and uncluttered or whatever other garbage Philippe Starck used to sell them the concept) isn’t to my personal taste and since BA opened their T3 lounge in LHR I have used that in preference to the CX lounge myself!

I am constantly amazed that so many frequent flyers who have rights to use other airlines’ lounges nonetheless stick with those belonging to the carrier they are on. I just go to the best one I can find. LHR is BA, HKG is CX, NRT is AA (although their wine is dreadful so I usually pop in to JAL for a quick snifter first!), SEL is CX, BKK is CX, KUL is CX, MNL is CX, SYD is QF (by miles, the best lounge I have ever been in), and so it goes on… And, with the exception of MNL which is dreadful (as is the entire airport), I would say the CX lounges are generally better than the BA lounges I have experienced in Europe outside the UK…

[Binman62]

HongKongIan….I would need to challenge you assertion that HKG BA staff have attitude. If they do at all then it is a positive one in my experience, indeed I would suggest that the BA HKG staff (both directly employed and handling agents, are some of the best on the BA network. To preserve their blushes I will not use names but, and again it is from experience, the duty managers in particular are highly customer focused, visible and hands on.

At HKG the lounge is shared with Qantas and in my experience QF staffs seem to man it more than BA. On my last visit the refurbishment of the First lounge had been completed and it was very cosy and comfortable. The old lounge, which was shared, with business class and separated by a false wall, had become very tired and rough around the edges. The lounge still suffers from being located on an open balcony which results in some background noise but I cannot say it was a problem for me. In any event even when in the Concorde room, I prefer sitting on the balcony area.

The new Club World/Business Class facility at HKG is now downstairs by the gate area but I have not had an opportunity to use it.

And so not to be off topic, I too would like to see automatic access for a guest removed for all card holders and an annual limit given to each card holder. I see no reason why, in the 21st century, this could not be done electronically via a chip in the card.

[NTarrant]

I would certainly agree with Binman about BA and QF staff at HKG. Not a place I frequent often but certainly my experience in February was far superior to a visit a few years ago.

The new F lounge is very good and the staff (QF when I was there) were very friendly. Like Binman, not tried the Club/Business lounge downstairs

[IanFromHKG]

Binman, your experiences in the BA HKG lounge may (indeed must) have been different from mine. I just called it as I saw it. I will concede that I haven’t used the lounge recently, for precisely the reasons I explained in my post. If things have changed, then all well and good

[Travellator]

Binman – re HKG

Club W PAX now use the Cathay Lounge downstairs – not bad.

BA F Pax now share as before with Qantas – pretty pathetic lounge with poor food and ambience compared to a normal BA offering doesnt deserve F status !

[oldchinahand]

Re Qantas F Lounge at HKG
It is indeed a poor lounge. BA Pax should make use of the CX first lounges there are 3 although the Wing F lounge is being refurbished at present.

[IanFromHKG]

oldchinahand (and others) – it was CX’s business lounge that was being refurbished, and it has already reopened

[oldchinahand]

Cathay The Wing lounges A total refurbishment is underway. Part of the business lounge is finished and reopened as HongKongIan advises.
The F class will not be completed untill 2012 but is open at present.

[Binman62]

Dropped some friends off tonight at LHR T3 as they were heading home to Australia, thankfully on BA as Qantas were delayed.

They called to say BA was restricting access to the lounges and no guest were being admitted due to over crowding.

Had not heard of this before however with 3 Qantas and 2 BA services in a short period of time plus of course BA eu flights there must be at times over 500 first business and club Europe passengers alone trying to get in. Add in silver gold and other card holders, especially QFpaid for cards and this could easily tip 600…….and this before guests.

Has anyone else encountered this since QF moved their HKG flight to the evening.

[First.Class.Please]

A novel idea would be to earn credits from all the trips when you travel alone and do not take a guest into the lounge.

Say 10 flights, with no guest, equals 1 additional guest credit to use at anytime.

Gulf Air have started allowing members to redeem their mileage at the airport to “buy” additional guests into the lounge.

I always thought a “baggage bank” would be a good idea too. An automatic credit of XX kilos for every time you travel only with hand lugagge.

BA do have one of the most generous baggage policies around i think and vey low excess baggage charges, but, this was not always the case.

I can recall times when ended up with 36 / 37 KG when only allowed 30KG and the excess baggage charge kicked in.

The fact that maybe 20 previous flights were with no luggage and i could have had 30kg didn`t count.

Thoughts on this?

[Binman62]

If what happened last night in T3 is goinf to become the norm then something drastic is required and soon. I personally like the idea of no automatic right to guests but agree there needs to be some flexibility. What is not acceptable is the random banning of guest access.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Agree it should be consistent policy.

The guest rule was a good idea, when the BAEC was targetted at ‘executive’, not frequent travellers and BA was downsizing from 757 to A319 and 747 to 777, to focus on club and first.

Remember how hard it used to be to get a premium card, unless you travelled premium class?

Now 50 flights on any ticket gets silver and that does open up the gates, as do the tier points on discounted economy.

The advent of IAG and the AA arrangement adds to the demand for lounges.

So far, the only policy response seems to have been the removal of anytime access.

[Author]

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