Originally Posted by
QRC3288
And The Arrival wasn't killed last year. It was killed many years before, as CX poured on capacity and especially longhaul morning arrivals, plus seriously loosened the entry criteria to all J pax and OW elites. The food was never good and neither was the lounging space....to me, the showers were the value. At open back in 2008 or whenever, you could get a shower quickly. By 2013 onwards, the wait was routinely 30-90 minutes in the morning. It was rendered nearly useless to me, and at least for the other guys who work with me, I feel pretty confident saying for them too. It has been nearly useless for a while. So I guess I'm not praising CX here, and I totally agree with your first paragraph that they clearly aren't very bothered, but really that lounge has been pretty hopeless for quite some time.
Agree with the sentiment here. I only experienced The Arrival in the past few years arriving on flights from NYC. I found the lounge to be disappointing and it seemed shower access being the main attraction. For me personally, I don't need the shower, although others might disagree if they smelled coming off a long haul!.
I would hope that a full refresh of the concept is something that CX is planning as part of the rebuild going on at the airport. Just as CX really stepped out of the lane by building world class lounges, they should be looking to continue that in a proper arrivals lounge that imitates their departure offerings. But its hard to predict where CX is going, seems like they are trying to thread the needle of being both a premium and lower cost carrier. Time will tell.