Back in the late 1800's, 'habitual drunkards' (as they were legally defined in the UK), were not only banned from most pubs in the parish, they would also have been legally barred from drinking alcohol at all. Alcohol fuelled trouble, by a surprisingly equal number of men and women, was a problem.
Roll on a few hundred years and, in a not-unrelated script, I introduce you to London Heathrow Terminal 3. Now you might be thinking at this point, where is this article going? Well, to be honest, if you have any form of Oneworld status (Oneworld is one of the world's largest airline alliances), you'll know exactly where I am going. But the story doesn't end here. If you have, in addition to Oneworld status, an Amex Platinum/Centurion card and/or Priority Pass card, by my reckoning you'll have access to no fewer than 15 lounges. In one airport terminal.
Now, granted, Priority Pass has become a bit of a problem child for UK airport operators. It's like that dirty uncle you don't want at your wedding because he's a bit 'handsy', or, in ancient times, cholera. That's very much how UK airports now see Priority Pass - "oh no, not you again" is the attitude. But forget Priority Pass for the time being, their lounges are very hit or miss. No, let's focus on what you get with Oneworld and/or American Express at London Heathrow Terminal 3. It's great, very great!
Note: for the purposes of this article, I need to confirm that American Airlines also have their own lounge here at T3, but I haven't covered it as it is the weakest of all the lounges
In what can only be described as a happy coincidence, several of Oneworld's 'better' airlines, all congregated in Terminal 3, historically. Logically, many airline alliances prefer to act in this way as it enables a more seamless transition for those passengers connecting between alliance members. But in many cases, one alliance member will simply operate one, large decent lounge. Not here at T3, British Airways, American Airlines, Qantas and Cathay Pacific all operate their own lounges. And not all lounges are made the same!
But why aren't all lounges made the same?
The differences between airlines are stark. Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, British Airways? All part of the same alliance and you'd therefore think, surely they all provide a similar service, right? Wrong.
Most people would choose Qatar Airways for its legendary 'five star status' (this is a self declared rating by Qatar, by the way) and given the choice of these three airlines, few would make a beeline to BA. Exactly the same can be said for those airlines' lounges, not just at Heathrow, but around the world. There is a very clear, tangible link between what you experience at an airline lounge and the sort of service you can expect onboard. So, without further ado, let's take a look at some of those airline lounges and see which one you'll be heading to, next time you're on a Oneworld flight out of Heathrow Terminal 3.
Let's start at the British Airways 'Galleries' lounges
British Airways has two lounges in T3. One, for those flying Business Class and/or with equivalent Oneworld Sapphire (BA Silver) status. As a BA Gold/Oneworld Emerald member, I visit the Galleries First lounge today.
This lounge is pleasant, functional and has a nice curry on the menu, washed down with a few different drinks, all complimentary. Drinks are self serve, as is a buffet, or you can order from the app-based menu, as I did.
There is nothing special about this lounge though. It isn't BA's flagship lounge, as you'll find those over in Terminal 5 (which also has a Concorde room). But, if this was the only choice available, you'd still be happy.
The BA Galleries First lounge
My next lounge on the list, is the Qantas 'London Lounge'
This is where things start to hot up, in the lounge stakes. I must confess, as often as I visit this lounge, I have always left feeling a little deflated. This lounge specialises in cocktails on the upper level where the bar is. But that's about all I can say. Aircraft viewing is limited and whilst the seating is comfortable, I have never yet had what I would call an exceptional meal experience. That said, if you're into cocktails, you will enjoy your visit here.
The Qantas London Lounge, featuring an excellent 'Bramble' cocktail
This is where things get really good, for the Oneworld status member. The Cathay Pacific lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 is fabulous - let me explain..
Few airport lounges offer a truly good, let alone excellent, culinary service. Cathay Pacific here in London blows all this out of the water.
Like the BA lounge, there are two sides to the Cathay Pacific lounge here. One for Oneworld Emerald and another for Sapphire members. On the Emerald side, you have access to a full A la carte waiter service restaurant. With a decent selection of courses and some fine wines to go with it, the only thing left wanting is you have to serve yourself alcohol from the bar - so it's not the full restaurant service, but right up there nonetheless.
In addition to this, and similar to the Qantas lounge, the lounge has fantastic shower facilities with fluffy towels and top of the range toiletries!
The excellent Cathay Pacific lounge
"But what if I don't have Oneworld status?"
Live and learn, grasshopper. Live and learn. All is not lost on you. If you hold the American Express Platinum or Centurion card, you're in for a treat, because Amex recently opened one of their own legendary Centurion lounges at Heathrow to bridge the gap left when they fell out with American Airlines some years ago (Amex is now a major partner with US airline, Delta).
You don't get the sheer size of the Oneworld lounges here at Centurion, but what you do get are some of the best cocktails that I have ever tasted. The 'breakfast cocktail' is the trailblazing drink when I visit this lounge. The food whilst nice, doesn't hit the mark for me at any Centurion lounge but the decor is quirky and whilst it doesn't have any windows at all, I have in the past whiled away several hours here.
The American Express Centurion lounge, with excellent 'breakfast cocktail'
In summary
If you have both Oneworld and Amex Platinum, then you really are spoiled for choice here at London Heathrow Terminal 3. I have literally spent whole days here just to indulge myself in these delightful lounges. Ask anyone who knows, and they'll tell you that the Cathay Pacific lounge is the best, but it's not perfect.
Here's my one line summary for each lounge:
- British Airways Galleries First - functional, pleasant, but nothing spectacular
- Qantas London Lounge - excellent cocktails, food is upper average
- Cathay Pacific - the best of the bunch, but the marble decor isn't my thing
- American Express Centurion lounge - a no brainer if you don't have any Oneworld status
From here, it's over to you..let me know in the comments which lounge(s) you've tried and what you thought..
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