[Derek1948]

Advice please. We are flying to Budapest on Saturday BA from Terminal 3. Whilst I understand that as Silver BA members we can access the BA Lounge, can we also visit the other oneworld business lounges in the terminal? Never had a choice before as been years, and I do mean years, since I flew out of T3. My wife seems to think it would be a bit cheeky as we’re flying BA but I’d at least like a chance if possible.

Are there any restrictions and any problems getting into another oneworld lounge if not flying with that airline? Any help gratefully received.

[GivingupBA]

To get in the Cathay Pacific departure lounge in Terminal 3, you have to be a either a business class passenger on a Oneworld airline or a Sapphire member, sorry to say. Good luck elsewhere.

[Derek1948]

Sorry, should have said we are travelling on a Business class ticket.

[GivingupBA]

Then it looks like you can get into the excellent Cathay Pacific departure lounge, which is after security – you can check here:

https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_GB/travel-information/airport/lounges/all-lounges-admittance.html

CX says the lounge is open from “05:30 to last departure (Monday to Saturday)”.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Polly, Tom Otley

[rodders]

I personally think the new Qantas lounge is excellent, well worth a try.

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Polly, Speedbird1994

[Marc_ACB]

Why limit yourself to one?

It is possible to go to the Cathay J lounge (there is a Business and First lounge) for noodles and dumplings, then Qantas for pepper squid and gin, or espresso martinis, pop into the American Lounge if you need to download anything (super fast broadband), these are all with in say 50 meters of each other and very easy to lounge hop.

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Tom Otley

[openfly]

The T3 BA Dungeon is quite dismal. The Cathay lounge is superb in both the Business and First sections. The menu is basically the same in both. The American lounges are bright and brash, but have the added attraction of free jelly beans, with paper bags to help yourself…and I do! The Qantas lounge is very limited on the food until the evening and not spectacular in any area, unless you enjoy a gin at the massive gin-bar.
By the way, I gather that there is an agreement that the One World carriers charge each other £10 for each buddy visit, so it must cost BA a fortune with so many pax swerving their lounge.
Cathay is def the best.
The four lounges are very close to each other, so lounge hopping is easy….enjoy.

[MarkivJ]

Hey Derek, as a oneworld Emerald (or Sapphire), I love T3 for the choice, and often go “lounge-hopping”.

I start at the AA lounge for their fabulous veggie rolls (as appetisers), then move on to the BA lounge for their crisps…. and finally settle down in the CX lounge for dinner, followed by a shower, followed by some excellent English trifle for dessert! I haven’t been to the new QF lounge to comment.

[travelsforfun]

Agree with what’s been said, now having access to four oneworld airline lounges in T3 (seven including the First Class lounges) is great.

Based on your Business Class/Sapphire (BA Silver) access – and echoing much of what others have said – personally I would order them:
1. Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge
2. The Qantas London Lounge
3. American Airlines Admirals Club
4. British Airways Galleries Club

The CX Business Class lounge has its signature noodle bar and offers a very good spread. But as has been mentioned, the QF lounge comes into its own in the evening (after 4pm, I recall?) when the downstairs table-service area opens, offering small but exquisite dishes; otherwise, throughout the day it has a decent buffet upstairs, which was focused on Indian cuisine, the times I’ve used it. I think the CX and QF lounges are also aesthetically the nicer spaces to spend time in.

I find the AA and BA lounges less special, though the offering at the former has a distinctly American flavour which provides a certain novelty.

[Derek1948]

Thank you all for your comments and advice. We spent this morning visiting all 4 oneworld lounges with no hassle at all in gaining entrance. Overall we both thought the Qantas lounge was our favourite. Probably because it was pretty empty at 10.00am and the staff couldnt have been more welcoming with nothing being too much trouble for them. Certainty the BA and American lounges were nowhere near as good. Munching on AA jelly beans at moment in Budapest!!!

[GivingupBA]

[quote quote=886426] We spent this morning visiting all 4 oneworld lounges with no hassle at all in gaining entrance. [/quote]

Good report. I never thought of lounge-hopping – I’ll try it next time! Thanks for the tips about the Qantas lounge too.

[IanFromHKG]

It is worth remembering that although some oneworld airlines (notably QR and BA) have contracted out of the lounge-access-by-status rules of oneworld, so far as I am aware none of them has contracted out of the lounge-access-by-travel-class rules which allow oneworld passengers flying in a premium cabin access to any departure lounge operated by any oneworld carrier (note that third-party contract lounge are not included). Although there are some restrictions which apply by virtue of geography (lounge in different terminal or building, for instance), and there are reported difficulties of access to the QF lounge in Melbourne designed purely for the non-stop-to-London route, and some airlines, eg QR, restrict access to those who have received an op-up, this means that virtually anyone travelling in a premium cabin on a paid fare (whether paid in money or miles) who can physically get to the door of a lounge equating to their travel class should be allowed in.

This means, for instance, that although a top-tier oneworld emerald member flying out of LHR T4 in an economy cabin would not be allowed into the (superb) QR lounge in LHR T4 because QR have opted out of lounge-access-by-status in London, anyone flying business class on Malaysian (who also operate out of T4) can get in because QR have not opted out of lounge-access-by-travel-class, and this applies regardless of status.

In OP’s situation, FFP status doesn’t make any difference (it would only make a difference with emerald status, enabling access to F lounges) because access to all the oneworld lounges in T3 is available by travel class.

I lounge-hop occasionally, but usually settle on a favourite fairly quickly. Mind you, I have the advantage of being (double!) emerald, and there is usually a much greater distinction between F lounges than there is between J lounges. So although I quite like the champagne bar in the BA T3 F lounge, I always end up in the CX F lounge!

[BrotherJim]

[quote quote=885906]Why limit yourself to one?

It is possible to go to the Cathay J lounge (there is a Business and First lounge) for noodles and dumplings, then Qantas for pepper squid and gin, or espresso martinis, pop into the American Lounge if you need to download anything (super fast broadband), these are all with in say 50 meters of each other and very easy to lounge hop.[/quote]

I beleive the Qantas pepper squid is on the special menu only handed out to first class and OW Emeralds!

[BrotherJim]

[quote quote=888569] Although there are some restrictions which apply by virtue of geography (lounge in different terminal or building, for instance), and there are reported difficulties of access to the QF lounge in Melbourne designed purely for the non-stop-to-London route,[/quote]

I know this is getting off topic, but there are certainly no lounge access issues in Melbourne (except the domestic lounges are being refurbished at present and don’t have as much capacity at the moment).

Maybe where you are confused is the “direct’ London route travels via Perth. In Perth Qantas has an international wing attached to ‘their’ domestic terminal. Passengers joining the flight in Perth (including those who arrive on domestic flights) are directed to the Qantas domestic lounges which is before passport control and international security. Passengers who came from Melbourne however can use the Qantas Transit lounge which is in the international departures area.

Qantas domestic also has the annomoly, that business class lounged are only for business class passengers and One World Emeralds. This is similar in many ways to the BA Concorde Lounges and Qatar where they don’t follow the normal One World rules. That said domestically Qantas also has Qantas Clubs which accept One World Sapphires and paid Qantas club members. Internationally of course the business lounge is for First, business, One World Emerald, Sapphire and paid club members, and where a first class lounge is provided First and Emeralds.

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Polly

[IanFromHKG]

You are quite correct, BrotherJim. I wrote Melbourne but meant Perth.

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