Originally Posted by
hhdl
Air China does the LH trick (see the FRA Senator and Business Class lounges) of having a lounge for their own business class travelers and a lounge for alliance elites, with presumably the latter being somewhat less good.
CA Business and First lounges are identical, each a mirror copy of the other. J pax can go into the F lounge no problem (and vice versa). Access is the same, lounge set-up is the same.
I can see why one would not like the CA lounge at PEK. Most of the drinks & food there is expired months if not years ago (for example, apple juice has literally turned to liquor). Fresh bits are actually eatable, but good luck catching the always-in-hiding kitchen staff and getting them to make you what the posters say outside they should offer.
Oh, and there is often a lot of heavy smoking in the CA lounges - usually around the time of SU flight departures.