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Review: HKG Cathay Pacific “The Pier” Business Class Lounge

7/15/2016

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Review: HKG Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class Lounge
Review: HKG Cathay Pacific “The Bridge” Lounge
Review: HKG Cathay Pacific "The Pier" Business Class Lounge
Review: HKG Cathay Pacific "The Pier" First Class Lounge
Review: HKG Cathay Pacific "The Cabin" Lounge

I've visited all of the Cathay Pacific lounges during my layovers in HKG on my way to China for work, but I haven't finished reviewing them all. During my last work trip to China at the beginning of July, I was able to visit the newly opened Business class lounge - The Pier. The Pier's First class lounge (review to come) was re-opened to much fanfare last year after a stunning renovation and the Business class lounge just opened in June of this year. Cathay Pacific lounges tend to be some of my favorite airport lounges and nowhere is that more true than in Hong Kong. With four amazing lounge options spread throughout the airport, you'll never be too far away from a stunning space to relax and recharge between flights.


Both the Business and First class lounges have been redone in a similar style and they are both absolutely stunning. Both lounges are broken up into many different areas, which offers a lot of privacy and also many different spaces to sit depending on what you're looking for. As you'll see below, the Business class lounge has a combination of dining, drinking, socializing, quiet and business oriented spaces, which is great for travelers with different needs.  

The Pier's First class lounge is open to F
irst class customers, Marco Polo Diamond members and oneworld Emerald members while the Business class lounge is open to Business Class customers, Marco Polo Silver and Gold members and oneworld Sapphire members.

The Pier's Business class lounge is Cathay's largest lounge at HKG, located in terminal 1 near gate 65 - right near the First class lounge. Both the Business and First class lounges are located a level below the main terminal floor, which helps to make them both very quiet and also somewhat inconspicuous while walking by.

Upon taking the escalator down, you'll be greeted by a member of the front desk staff who will check your ticket and show you into the lounge. Pretty much the entire lounge extends to your left with the exception of the Bureau, which is located straight ahead and to your right and serves as one of the lounge's quieter areas with computers and printers available to use. 
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The Pier Business Class Lounge Entrance
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Lounge Entrance
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Lounge Entrance
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Bureau
As I mentioned, the lounge is very thoughtfully split up into many different smaller areas which helps to make the massive lounge feel cozier and to designate spaces for different activities. Both of The Pier lounges have stunning woodwork and comfortable and stylish furniture which really makes the space feel rich and inviting. 
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Lounge Seating
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Lounge Seating
There are several different eating spaces throughout the lounge, each offering different types of food. The Food Hall is found directly behind you once you've checked in at the front desk and offers a selection of hot and cold items which will be served to you by attendants behind the counter. The Food Hall offered panini, breads, pizza, hot dishes, fruit and desserts, with a few other small items and beverages in the small refrigerators along the left and right side of the hall. There was also a coffee cart in the room to serve specialty coffee drinks.

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Review: AUH Etihad Airways Premium Lounge

3/14/2016

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 Back in March 2015, I wrote about how to book partner award flights on Etihad Airways.  We originally booked First Apartments both to Abu Dhabi from London and from Abu Dhabi back to London over the Thanksgiving 2015 holiday, but unfortunately, the airplane for our flight from London was switched from an A380 (which has First Apartments) to an A340 (which has Etihad's standard First Class). The airplane switch was somewhat devastating, but at least we will still experience the Apartments on our way home. We planned a whirlwind luxury long weekend in Dubai around these flights and I'll be covering all the details in upcoming posts. 
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Guest Reviewer: Chris

An avid traveler and obsessive points and miles hound, Chris is my travel buddy extraordinaire. I love him for his enthusiasm, his sense of adventure, and his many lounge access credit cards. Hope you enjoy his perspective!

Review: British Airways Club World SFO - LHR
Review: LHR Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge
Review: Etihad Airways First Class LHR - AUH
Review: Park Hyatt Dubai
Review: Afternoon Tea at At.mosphere Burj Khalifa
Review: Burj al Arab Part I: One Bedroom Suite
Review: Burj al Arab Part II: Grounds and Amenities

Review: AUH Etihad Airways Premium Lounge
​Review: Etihad Airways First Apartments AUH - LHR 


After we finished our afternoon tea at the Burj Khalifa, we took an Uber back to the Burj al Arab to wait for our Etihad chauffeur to arrive. A few minutes before the pickup time we'd scheduled, we got a text from Etihad that our chauffeur had arrived to collect us. We headed outside to find a black Audi A6 waiting, so we hopped in and had an uneventful hour-long drive to the Abu Dhabi airport.

The chauffeur dropped us off at the premium check-in area in Terminal 3, which is a separate wing reserved for business and first class passengers. In the first class section, it consists of a long row of desks with seating across from the agents, so there's no need to stand while you check in. An Etihad employee led us to a pair of seats, and our agent began checking us in.

One disadvantage of all the personalized, accompanied service is that it's hard to get some time for yourself. Jen wanted to move some items from her carry-on bag to her check-in bag before dropping it off, and she hadn't had an opportunity to do so since there hadn't been a break in the action. She excused herself for a moment while I remained with the agent. Unfortunately he seemed visibly annoyed at having to wait, despite there being plenty of agents and no other customers in the check-in area. In her words, "that guy was a dick."

We headed to the security checkpoint a few steps away, where we were once again the only passengers. There was no need to remove laptops, liquids, jackets, or shoes, so it was basically TSA Pre-Check, Middle East Edition. I'm pretty sure the metal detector beeped at me, but I was just waved through.

Once we were in the departures concourse, we followed the directions to the Etihad Premium Lounge, which is a lounge for both business and first class passengers. Etihad is constructing a first class lounge which is scheduled to open in May 2016, but this date has been pushed back a few times (originally it was supposed to open long before our trip, and we'd been hoping to be able to visit it), so who knows if it will actually open then.
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Etihad Premium Lounge AUH Sign
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Etihad Premium Lounge AUH Directions
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Etihad Premium Lounge AUH Entrance
We were greeted at the entrance desk by an agent, who offered to give us a tour of the lounge once she saw that we were flying in first class. She explained the services and facilities available, and apologized that there was no first class lounge and that the lounge may get crowded. As a consolation, she explained that they had cordoned off a section for first class passengers, and dropped us off there.
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Etihad Premium Lounge AUH Front Desk
The first class area didn't look any different from the rest of the lounge, but it was behind a rope, so I guess that made it special. One disadvantage is that there weren't many power outlets in this section - we were lucky to snag one of the few sets of seats that had a nearby plug. A waiter came by to ask whether we wanted anything to drink, and I ordered a sparkling water.
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Etihad Premium Lounge AUH First Class Section
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Etihad Premium Lounge AUH

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Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge

2/26/2016

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Guest Reviewer: Chris

An avid traveler and obsessive points and miles hound, Chris is my travel buddy extraordinaire. I love him for his enthusiasm, his sense of adventure, and his many lounge access credit cards. Hope you enjoy his perspective! ​

Review: Qatar Airways Business Class BLR-DOH
Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge
Review: Qatar Airways Business Class DOH-LAX
​
​

On my way back from India, I had a short connection at Hamad International Airport in Doha. Because I was flying Qatar Airways Business Class, I had access to the Al Mourjan Business Lounge, where I was able to stop by for a quick visit.

While I normally have access to Oneworld first class lounges thanks to my American Airlines Executive Platinum status, Qatar Airways has made an exception to the Oneworld rules for their two best lounges. The Al Mourjan Business Lounge is only accessible to business class passengers (or first class, presumably), and the newly-opened Al Safwa First Class Lounge is only accessible to those traveling in first class. Oneworld elites who aren't traveling in premium cabins are relegated to the Qatar Airways Business Class Lounge and Qatar Airways First Class Lounge, which aren't nearly as good, and are ironically named given that they cater to elites flying in economy. Super confusing, right?

Anyway, after clearing security, I found myself in a large atrium with a giant teddy bear, who seemed to be in an unfortunate situation: a lamp had been inserted through its back and was shining a blinding light into its eyes. Apparently it's a world-famous sculpture that was bought by a member of the Qatari royal family for $6.8 million USD. It's definitely an odd piece of art to put in an airport, but I have to admit I kind of liked it.
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Hamad International Airport Giant Teddy Bear
There are plenty of signs showing the way to the Al Mourjan lounge, but they all seemed to point in different directions. Eventually I gave up and asked somebody, and they pointed me toward an escalator going up. There was a woman checking boarding passes at the bottom of the escalator, and after she accepted mine, I made my way to the lounge entrance one level up. I headed to an open desk, showed my boarding pass again, and was quickly admitted into the lounge.
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Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge Entrance
My first impression of the lounge was that it was humongous. You should take this next statement with a grain of salt given that I'm a computer nerd who's never stepped foot on one, but It must have been the size of a football field. It's also quite sleek and futuristic-looking. It spans two floors, and there's a large pool of water on the lower level (though I don't think it's meant for swimming).
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Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge Sculpture
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Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge Pool and Staircase
I didn't have much time to sit and relax since my next flight was boarding in under half an hour, so I decided to explore the lounge and take a few pictures. There were a lot of people in the lounge, but there was so much seating and open space that I can't imagine it would ever feel "full".

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Review: LHR Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge

11/30/2015

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Back in March, I wrote about how to book partner award flights on Etihad Airways.  We originally booked First Apartments both to Abu Dhabi from London and from Abu Dhabi back to London over the Thanksgiving holiday, but unfortunately, the airplane for our flight from London was switched from an A380 (which has First Apartments) to an A340 (which has Etihad's standard First Class). The airplane switch was somewhat devastating, but at least we will still experience the Apartments on our way home. We planned a whirlwind luxury long weekend in Dubai around these flights and I'll be covering all the details in upcoming posts. 

Review: British Airways Club World SFO - LHR
Review: LHR Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge
Review: Etihad Airways First Class LHR - AUH
Review: Park Hyatt Dubai
​Review: Afternoon Tea at At.mosphere Burj Khalifa
​Review: Burj al Arab Part I: One Bedroom Suite
Review: Burj al Arab Part II: Grounds and Amenities​
Review: AUH Etihad Airways Premium Lounge 
​Review: Etihad Airways First Apartments AUH - LHR 
​

Etihad flies out of London Heathrow Terminal 4. We arrived at Heathrow about 5.5 hours prior to our flight to Abu Dhabi after flying in on British Airways from San Francisco, so we had a bit of time to kill before being able to check in for our Etihad flight. Luckily, Etihad allows check in 4 hours prior to the flight, so we didn't have to wait an extremely long time. Check in was fairly quick, since we were first in line and off we were to the lounge. Once we cleared security, we headed towards gate A10, which the Etihad First and Business Class lounge is located across from. 
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Heathrow Terminal 4
Directly ahead will be the Sky Team lounge and you'll see lifts down to the Etihad lounge from your left or stairs down from your right. Check in was quick and we were escorted in while the attendant explained the available features of the lounge.
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Lounge Entrance
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Lounge Entrance
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Lounge Entrance
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Lounge Entrance
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Etihad First and Business Class Lounge Check In
Since the lounge is downstairs from the actual terminal, tarmac views are limited to the dining area, which is disappointing and makes the rest of the lounge a bit claustrophobic. The lounge itself is not extremely large - likely due to the relatively small number of flights Etihad operates out of London, but the decor is modern and comfortable, with plenty of seating, which is nice. 

The lounge offers both buffet and a la carte dining and has a large dining area and bar to the left, with the rest of the lounge seating and a television area to the right. The lounge also has a kids playroom directly after entering.

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Review: PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge

9/27/2015

 
Review: American Airlines Business Class LAX - PVG 
Review: PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge 
Review: Dragonair Business Class PVG - HKG 
Review: Andaz Xintiandi Shanghai
Review: Grand Hyatt Shanghai
Review: Hyatt Regency Suzhou


I fly out of Shanghai Pudong International (PVG) on a pretty regular basis these days (5 times in the past year and counting) and since I'm flying Business on either American or Cathay Pacific/DragonAir, I receive access to the Cathay Pacific Lounge. The lounge can be found near gate 68 after you make it through security in Terminal 2. You'll see plenty of signs for the lounge and will take an escalator up one level to get to the entrance. 

Upon entering the lounge, you'll notice a long main hallway with seating to your left, along with a small kitchen area, another seating area, and a "business center" with computers available for use. When the hallway comes to an end, the lounge opens up to reveal another kitchen area and a large open seating area which is all open to the terminal below. I find the roof of the terminal to be rather impressive, but that's really where the feeling ends. The lounge is usually quite crowded and this day was no exception. It can be tough to find a seat, but it's even tougher to find one next to an outlet and it's nearly impossible to find one next to an outlet that actually works! 
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PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge
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PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge
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PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge
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PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge
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PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge
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PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge
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PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge
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PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge
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PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge
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PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge
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PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge
The food is unfortunately not the best that I've seen in Cathay lounges and as such, I've never actually eaten anything in the lounge. I also rarely find myself drinking anything, but you'll find a selection of hot and cold items available, including noodles, sandwiches, fruit, instant noodles and some small dessert. Drinks are serve yourself and include soft drinks, juices, wine, and liquor.

There is wifi in the lounge, but remember that you are in China, and you won't be able to get anything beyond the great firewall, so it's essentially useless. If you decide to use it, the password, as always for Cathay lounges, is "cathay1234" and you'll find that posted throughout the lounge. 

The lounge is a bit of a nicer place to sit than the terminal while waiting for your flight, but it's really not much to write home about. 
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