Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - New CX LHR lounge

I was at LHR yesterday speaking with a CX agent who informed me that CX is building their own lounge at LHR. She said that it is being built to coincide with the new JFK-LHR r/t. She said that CX passengers have commented that they do not like the AA facilities (go figure!). When I pressed her for an open date, she said she didn't know. Does anyone have any information to corroborate this info?

I don't know, but I will say Wonderful News!

[This message has been edited by Cygnus X-1 (edited Dec 01, 2003).]

Oh, I hope this news is true. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

does this mean CX is planning to have its own lounge in the new T5 ? it wouldn't make any sense for them to build a new lounge only to vacate it in a few years when all oneworld operations will be to the new T5.
i'm quite surprised that CX doesn't already have its own lounge in LHR.

[This message has been edited by jakob (edited Dec 01, 2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by jakob:
does this mean CX is planning to have its own lounge in the new T5 ? it wouldn't make any sense for them to build a new lounge only to vacate it in a few years when all oneworld operations will be to the new T5.
</font>

Sometimes I hear all of Oneworld will be at T5, but sometimes I hear precisely the contrary. Considering the many AA long-haul flights, as well as the several CX flights, this does seem like a lot to add to an already-much-burdened terminal (with all the BA and QF flights for sure). That's not to say it couldn't be done -- it'll be an awfully big terminal, so in some sense this is just a drop in the bucket. But I'm not sure it's a sure thing.

What have others heard? How & where can we get an authoritative answer?

Re CX having its own lounge: I gather space at LHR is at a bit of a premium. Sharing with AA must be an awful lot more cost-effective. If only CX could convince AA to do a better job -- perhaps some additional snacks in the AA FL at the time when CX pax will be there, etc. (At least for the late LHR-HKG flight, there are few AA pax left by that time, as I recall.)

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by bedelman:
Sometimes I hear all of Oneworld will be at T5, but sometimes I hear precisely the contrary. ...
Re CX having its own lounge: I gather space at LHR is at a bit of a premium. </font>T5 is designed to handle 30 million passengers per year (it will occupy 25% of the acreage at Heathrow!). This is equal to the present capacity of T4 and T3 combined (they are about 15 million passengers per year each). I don't know the specific plans other than BA deciding to not occupy T5 until everything can be moved at once, but it would be easy to accomodate CX and AA as well as QF at T5. Remember that QF has ordered A380s to use at T5 (can't dock anywhere else at LHR).
As for a CX lounge at T3, it would be trivial to reactivate the former BA F lounge in T3. Probably that is CX's plan. They are very unhappy with AA's provisioning of the AC/FL there. Don't expect a Wing in T3, though (or even a TPE type lounge).

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by number_6:
T5 is designed to handle 30 million passengers per year (it will occupy 25% of the acreage at Heathrow!). This is equal to the present capacity of T4 and T3 combined (they are about 15 million passengers per year each). I don't know the specific plans other than BA deciding to not occupy T5 until everything can be moved at once, but it would be easy to accomodate CX and AA as well as QF at T5.</font>

Certainly it would be easy to accomodate CX and AA and QF at T5. The question is BA plus CX and AA and QF, though! BA currently has T4 plus so much of T1 -- truly a lot of movements. The fact that T3 plus T4 would fit at T5 doesn't immediately convince me that BA's T1 operations plus T4 plus AA and CX from T3 will all fit at T5.

where was CX's lounge before they started using AA's AC ? i take it that CX didn't begin to use AA's lounge until after the formation of oneworld.

All things considered, the AA lounge isn't that bad when it commes to food and drink, but the place gets awfully crowded for the CX250 departure, as about four other AA flights for the US leave around that time.

As for T5, keep in mind that BA is a confirmed tenant when it opens in 2008, yet they are still investing in a fairly significant upgrade of facilities in T1 for the transition of some key long-haul services from T4.

[This message has been edited by B-HXB (edited Dec 02, 2003).]

If T5 is to become OW then don't forget Finnair, Swiss and IB who all have operations out of LHR.

The plan is to move all of OW to T5 including BA regional flights (and a good bit of LGW as well). It seems like a tight fit, but AA is the only significant gate user (they need 5 or 6 widebody gates, while QF needs 2 and IB, AY etc. need 1 narrowbody gate each). Trivial to accomodate at T5 given its 2 satellite concourses (it's more terminal space than AA has at DFW, I believe, but I haven't checked). The real problem is that BA would like to consolidate LGW and LHR and can't for lots of reasons (starting with Bermuda II). The CX/VS 5th freedom deal is waving a red flag at the Open Skies bull and maybe answers the question as to who was blocking the US/UK deal (small hint, ends with an A, big hint doesn't start with a B).