Access to Cathay lounges

[Zwilder]

Good evening all
Long time reader, but my first post.
I am starting to travel a bit between MEL-HKG, usually with Cathay in cattle class.
Currently I am silver QFF with QC membership, and this won't allow access to the lounge (Qantas or Cathay). Unfortunately my gold qff expired, and along with it the Cathay lounge access!
Can anyone advise if it's possible to buy Cathay lounge access (like QC)? Or is there any lounge program worth joining that will allow access to all one world lounges regardless of the one world airline that I fly with?

Hope this all makes sense! And looking forward to any assistance.

Cheers to all
Zwilder

 

[Bang4Buck]

Welcome to AFF.

IMHO you could simply ask someone on their way down the escalators to comp you; it happened to me once and made the experience all the more enjoyable (skinny middle aged good conversationalist guy asked me and I said why not). YMMV.

Of course I'm expecting a barrage of complaints for the suggestion. But if the lounge access is worthwhile (e.g. 3-4 hr stopover) then you may want to swallow your pride and try it.

What do others think?

 

[Mwenenzi]

..Or is there any lounge program worth joining that will allow access to all one world lounges regardless of the one world airline that I fly with?

Look at Airport Lounge Access Worldwide | Priority Pass

 

[draper]

Have exactly the same question:
silver / Qantas club membership and future frequent trips to Hong Kong with CX

Answers provided so far of no help

 

[straitman]

Can anyone advise if it's possible to buy Cathay lounge access (like QC)?

From what I read the answer is NO unfortunately. Cathay Pacific Lounges.

Or is there any lounge program worth joining that will allow access to all one world lounges regardless of the one world airline that I fly with?

Cheers to all
Zwilder

Priority Pass as mentioned by Mwenenzi.

You say you are a QC member so you should have access to the QF lounge at either end though. (Someone will quickly correct me if I'm wrong)

I'll correct myself:
+next onward flight that day must be on a Qantas, British Airways or Jetstar flight number.

draper,

That should answer for you also I believe.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Welcome to AFF.

IMHO you could simply ask someone on their way down the escalators to comp you; it happened to me once and made the experience all the more enjoyable (skinny middle aged good conversationalist guy asked me and I said why not). YMMV.

Of course I'm expecting a barrage of complaints for the suggestion. But if the lounge access is worthwhile (e.g. 3-4 hr stopover) then you may want to swallow your pride and try it.

What do others think?

I guess you can try that approach; I think in my last 3 trips to Europe I had the some good chats with some people in the Cathay J Lounge who were connecting from China back to Europe and Africa and were happy to talk to anyone who could speak some English.

Have exactly the same question:
silver / Qantas club membership and future frequent trips to Hong Kong with CX

Answers provided so far of no help

Try and get your flights to Hong Kong on Qantas if you are a Qantas lounge member or do a LAN Chile mileage run between SYD-AKL-SYD to get up to Qantas Gold.

 

[Zwilder]

Hi Mr Bundy Bear

Pls excuse my ignorance, but what is this LAN Chile milage run SYD-AKL-SYD you speak of?

How many times do you need to do it to achieve gold? I have obviously missed something somewhere!

What would be the cost? and is it best just to book it direct on their website, or is there some special proceedure?

Many thanks
Zwilder

 

[Bogieman]

There are a lot more wiser people on here than me but could you not get yourself a Diners card in Australia and use this to access the Plaza Premium Lounge in HK location-West Hall, departure level near Gate 40.
It appears to be ok but have not used it personally.
I think a Diners card is about $95 per year and I have had my annual fees waived or greatly reduced each year when I have gone to cancel the card.

My humble thoughts.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Off Topic, but;
Tha CX Marco Polo Club, Silver tier lets you into their CX Business Lounges and Dragon Air Lounges. If your planning on doing alot of CX flights, could be worth an option.

Benefits
Cathay Pacific - Frequent Flyers : The Marco Polo Club > Club Tiers

To qualify for CX Silver, you need 30,000 miles or 20 sectors.


Tiers
Cathay Pacific - Frequent Flyers : The Marco Polo Club > Club Benefits

 

[serfty]

Off Topic, but; ...

Not really - a good 'left field' idea ...

 

[samh004]

Tha CX Marco Polo Club, Silver tier lets you into their CX Business Lounges and Dragon Air Lounges. If your planning on doing alot of CX flights, could be worth an option.

Benefits
Cathay Pacific - Frequent Flyers : The Marco Polo Club > Club Tiers

To qualify for CX Silver, you need 30,000 miles or 20 sectors.

This would seem to be the best bet, but you’d be crediting your miles to CX not QF. Though if you’re flying CX, that’s the best place to have them for upgrades.

Personally I’d look into flying QF instead and buy a QC membership for access to the QF lounges. If you’re concerned about price, book tickets from Hong Kong, not from Melbourne

You’d have to know when you’re flying ahead of time though…

 

[dajop]

I guess before going out and spending money on priority pass or diverting flights to QF (which may or may not be convenient), I'd ask how long do you usually wait at the airport and what is the main aim of the lounge access.

Heresy on AFF, but we all get caught up in accessing airline lounges and the CX ones at HKG are pretty good as far as lounge access goes, but it depends on why you want to access the lounge. If your aim is just a have a few free beers/food and accessing the internet, wifi is free at HKG and there are plenty of eating/drinking options reasonably priced and lots of OK seating. In fact there are a handful of airports in the world (I'd say HKG is one of them), with good enough facilities that mean it's OK to not have lounge access.

Just another perspective, that's all. But if you can find a way of getting access at an acceptable price, then go for it.

 

[djfuzz]

Slightly related question - what are CX's lounge access rules for transiting F/J pax connecting on to another carrier?

ISTR reading somewhere that arriving F/J pax still had access to their respective lounges in transit - the wording on CX's site is ambiguous ('travelling' rather than 'departing').

Context - we are looking at flying into TPE on CX J and connecting on to the QF Y codeshare for EVA much later that night; obviously with no QP our options are limited.

 

[NM]

Context - we are looking at flying into TPE on CX J and connecting on to the QF Y codeshare for EVA much later that night; obviously with no QP our options are limited.

What time is your CX arrival and subsequent EVA departure? Note the last CX departure from TPE is generally 8:20pm meaning the CX lounge likely closes by 8pm.

As to whether they will allow you access as an arriving passenger I am unsure.

 

[djfuzz]

What time is your CX arrival and subsequent EVA departure? Note the last CX departure from TPE is generally 8:20pm meaning the CX lounge likely closes by 8pm.

As to whether they will allow you access as an arriving passenger I am unsure.

Thanks NM - in the end we decided to change to QF/CX flights through HKG instead, so the question has become moot.

Still an interesting thought though, can't remember where I heard it and whether or not it's true.

 

[markis10]

Dont Eva and CX depart from different terminals in TPE, Eva in the newer of the two?? BTW if you have a Diners you can get access to the Eva lounge if on a Eva light.

 

[Danger]

Is the CX Melbourne lounge still open? The oneworld and CX website say yes but I thought it closed a year or two back (or perhaps that was a JAL lounge). If it is still open, how does it compare to a Qantas international J lounge (the QF MEL FLounge aside).

 

[drewbles]

Is the CX Melbourne lounge still open? The oneworld and CX website say yes but I thought it closed a year or two back (or perhaps that was a JAL lounge). If it is still open, how does it compare to a Qantas international J lounge (the QF MEL FLounge aside).

It's still there according to MEL's website...
http://www.melbourneairport.com.au/...or-11c10f67-6ab1-4827-920f-6afbba10d1b4-0.pdf

Having not been to the CX lounge, and not to the QF J lounge for around a year, I'm not sure what the differences are. As they're pretty much next to each other, you would have time to visit both, providing you're eligible of course

 

[wtolmie]

Hey all, just a quickie.. im flying back to HKG Friday night, overnighting at the Regal airport.. My son (13) and his grandmother are arriving HKG 5am from SYD.

Im WP, flying KA to FOC.. Will I be able to take them both to CX FLounge ? I was there last weekend and noticed a family of 4..

We are all on the same flight from HKG - FOC

 

[markis10]

Hey all, just a quickie.. im flying back to HKG Friday night, overnighting at the Regal airport.. My son (13) and his grandmother are arriving HKG 5am from SYD.

Im WP, flying KA to FOC.. Will I be able to take them both to CX FLounge ? I was there last weekend and noticed a family of 4..

We are all on the same flight from HKG - FOC

Cant be sure but the lounge dragons have been noted to ignore counting kids in the past, I have had issues with more than the number of adults being guested in by contrast which I can hardly complain about. Top Tier Marco Polo members get two guests, technically OWE entitles one guest but you could get lucky.